I personally believe that the reason why Apple is losing mindshare among some software developers, particularly in Silicon Valley and in academia, has less to d

I personally believe that the reason why Apple is losing mindshare among some software developers, particularly in Silicon Valley and in academia, has less to do with particular choices regarding macOS and has more to do with Apple's hardware situation, particularly regarding the keyboards on Apple's recent laptops. The keyboard situation has led some developers to consider alternatives to the MacBook Pro, which often necessitates needing to consider non-Mac alternatives. PC manufacturers have been offering some really compelling alternatives to the MacBook Pro such as the Microsoft Surface line of tablets, the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon, and the Dell XPS 13 and 15, among other computers. Those frustrated with Apple's long delays in releasing updated Mac Mini and Mac Pro models have also considered switching to PCs, if they haven't already. On top of this, the introduction of WSL in Windows 10 has made Windows a compelling option for many people who use macOS as a Unix that doesn't have the driver issues of Linux/*BSD and happens to support Microsoft Office, Adobe Creative Suite, and other commercial software packages. Provided that they are not hardcore Unix systems programmers, if they want a Unix-like userland with support for Microsoft Office and Adobe Creative Suite, why not try WSL? Despite my preference for macOS, I've used WSL on my work-issued computer as well as on my personal Dell XPS 15, and I must say, I'm very impressed with it. No more having to mess around with PuTTY or with virtual machines to do Unix work on Windows. While I am personally more productive in macOS than in Windows even with WSL, I know quite a few former Mac users who are very happy with Windows 10, thanks to WSL. Now, software engineers who primarily work with Apple frameworks and technologies probably won't be satisfied with Windows. But software engineers who use macOS primarily as a convenient Unix with support for commercial software packages might want to give Windows 10 and WSL a try. Now, personally I'm still turned off by certain lingering "Windowsisms" (insert gripes about telemetry, ads, mandatory updates, and the UI here), but for many people Windows 10 is now a compelling alternative to the Mac.