4 ms·

I still prefer the "closed fence" that is macOS over the complete mess that is desktop on linux. macOS was really really liberating after years of frustrations

I still prefer the "closed fence" that is macOS over the complete mess that is desktop on linux. macOS was really really liberating after years of frustrations with all of gnome, kde and xfce. Then was x11 vs mir vs wayland. Desktop on linux is pretty much still a toy when compared to desktop on macos. There seem to be a lot of misconceptions about the whole developer's environment thing. "Made by developers, for developers" and "all that money for such a closed box" sound a lot more like wishful idealism than actual "best tool for the job" pragmatism. I also used to think linux was the best desktop, and did so for a long time, because of "by developers for developers, open-source" and other righteous sounding things. But believing you're using the best tools and actually doing so are two different things; I wasn't even living in Emacs or aware of how superior the VIM language is back then, so much for using the best tools ;) Its easy to fool yourself into thinking you have the best tools, and its near impossible to tell you actually do.

promeus 9y ago
I beg to differ: Take a look at current state of MacOS. There is nothing wrong in idea of quality control with emphasis on security, but actual os implementation lacks it. Only Apple can survive root fiasco from this year. I think that a need of commercial desktop linux distribution is present. I remember commercial SUSE 11. It was a good desktop, but targeted in a wrong direction, if someone is brave enough to target creative market with all good things that Apple is famous for, it will be more than a hit. It will be glorious. Microsoft is going in cloud/ai direction. Apple is mobile only. Desktop computing will not die so easily. Professionals need desktop, bigger screen, and reliable and expandable hardware architecture.
- jeremiep 9y ago
  Where does it say Apple is mobile only? Last I checked getting a 4K monitor to work under linux was a very involved series of configurations. My current MacBook has a retina display and effortlessly supports a 4K monitor as secondary screen. Retina alone is a game changer. Combined with better text anti-aliasing it makes macOS by far the most pleasing/productive experience for development I've ever used (disclaimer: I have over a decade of experience in both Windows/Linux desktops.) I stopped believing in desktop on linux a few years ago (and I really wanted it to work!) Things are getting more fragmented instead of unified; that adds lots of extra work for users and app developers, which result in a frustrating experience and vastly different UIs depending on versions/toolkits used. I don't think a commercial desktop will change any of that, even a fully dedicated and financed team will take years to barely get on-par with the desktop on macOS.

promeus 9y ago

I beg to differ: Take a look at current state of MacOS. There is nothing wrong in idea of quality control with emphasis on security, but actual os implementation lacks it. Only Apple can survive root fiasco from this year. I think that a need of commercial desktop linux distribution is present. I remember commercial SUSE 11. It was a good desktop, but targeted in a wrong direction, if someone is brave enough to target creative market with all good things that Apple is famous for, it will be more than a hit. It will be glorious. Microsoft is going in cloud/ai direction. Apple is mobile only. Desktop computing will not die so easily. Professionals need desktop, bigger screen, and reliable and expandable hardware architecture.

jeremiep 9y ago
Where does it say Apple is mobile only? Last I checked getting a 4K monitor to work under linux was a very involved series of configurations. My current MacBook has a retina display and effortlessly supports a 4K monitor as secondary screen. Retina alone is a game changer. Combined with better text anti-aliasing it makes macOS by far the most pleasing/productive experience for development I've ever used (disclaimer: I have over a decade of experience in both Windows/Linux desktops.) I stopped believing in desktop on linux a few years ago (and I really wanted it to work!) Things are getting more fragmented instead of unified; that adds lots of extra work for users and app developers, which result in a frustrating experience and vastly different UIs depending on versions/toolkits used. I don't think a commercial desktop will change any of that, even a fully dedicated and financed team will take years to barely get on-par with the desktop on macOS.