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For folks considering the switch, I highly recommend considering linux as well. I've used both macOS and ubuntu as a development environment, and bug wise they

by xur17 6y ago

For folks considering the switch, I highly recommend considering linux as well. I've used both macOS and ubuntu as a development environment, and bug wise they are on par, but linux really excels at having a true "native" development environment. Docker without a weird VM, true bash, etc.

leonidasv 6y ago
Just a minor nitpick, macOS has true bash. It just doesn't have the GNU coreutils, instead it uses the BSD-based equivalents. And yeah, they suck a lot[1], but there's a way to fix if you use Homebrew: https://stackoverflow.com/a/57973942/8280773 https://stackoverflow.com/a/57973942/8280773 [1] Performance-wise and also when you take into account that most shell scripts/tutorials on the internet are written with a GNU userland in mind.
- Steltek 6y ago
  macOS has a 12+ year old bash. Also, even with Homebrew patching up Apple's neglect, coreutils behaves differently under a Darwin kernel than Linux. A repeat source of aggravation for myself is the behavior of 'ps'.
  - llimllib 6y ago
    that's not due to the kernel, that's because it's bsd ps instead of gnu ps. sed is the one that gives me the most irritation, there's basically no way to write useful cross-OS sed scripts.
- svachalek 6y ago
  As I remember it, this is the whole reason OS X became the de facto standard for developers in the first place, consumer-grade windowing and device drivers coupled with a familiar development environment. zsh has replaced bash as the default shell, btw.
hellofunk 6y ago
To suggest that “bug wise“ it is the same between Mac and Linux is a bit of a stretch. I work in a team where the developers are mostly split between Mac and Ubuntu. Guess which ones often have problems joining zoom meetings or attaching their machines to a projector for a presentation? There are a lot of things that you generally don’t have to worry about much if you’re using a Mac. I’m not gonna say that one of these is better than the other, but to suggest they have equivalency wrt common scenarios is a bit strange. Also, Mac is a certified UNIX environment, it is native.
- atharris 6y ago
  This is definitely the largest drawback of Linux in general - support for peripherals and common communication/presentation software is really lacking. If I had a dollar for every time I had to muck around to get my headphones to work on Ubuntu, I wouldn't be posting here.
  - shaan7 6y ago
    > support for peripherals and common communication/presentation software is really lacking Well if peripherals vendor and "common communication/presentation software" didn't test on Linux, whose drawback is it now? That being said, I have used the following without any trouble on Linux: Slack, Discord, Teamviewer, Zoom, BBB and BlueJeans. Vendors don't put enough investment into testing for Linux due to comparatively low usage numbers - but that doesn't mean that it is a "drawback" of the OS. As for hardware, as Vinnl explains above the way to go is buy certified hardware. Ubuntu and Red Hat folks certify a bunch of Dell and Lenovo laptops to work with Linux. I use Ubuntu on a Dell XPS 13 and I don't need to do ANY extra setup. Things just work (TM) - including my Sennheiser and Jabra headphones.
- Vinnl 6y ago
  I think the corollary is "consider Ubuntu, but still don't skimp on hardware". Buy a proper laptop that ships with Ubuntu, buy a proper connector cable if you need one, etc.
  - 6y ago
rriepe 6y ago
I feel like GIMP and Inkscape have finally caught up to the Adobe offerings. It was my reason for not switching for so long. But over the past year I did and I just-- wow. GIMP in particular is just really good now.
deleted 6y ago
[deleted]

by xur17 6y ago

leonidasv 6y ago

Just a minor nitpick, macOS has true bash. It just doesn't have the GNU coreutils, instead it uses the BSD-based equivalents. And yeah, they suck a lot[1], but there's a way to fix if you use Homebrew: https://stackoverflow.com/a/57973942/8280773 https://stackoverflow.com/a/57973942/8280773 [1] Performance-wise and also when you take into account that most shell scripts/tutorials on the internet are written with a GNU userland in mind.

Steltek 6y ago
macOS has a 12+ year old bash. Also, even with Homebrew patching up Apple's neglect, coreutils behaves differently under a Darwin kernel than Linux. A repeat source of aggravation for myself is the behavior of 'ps'.
- llimllib 6y ago
  that's not due to the kernel, that's because it's bsd ps instead of gnu ps. sed is the one that gives me the most irritation, there's basically no way to write useful cross-OS sed scripts.
svachalek 6y ago
As I remember it, this is the whole reason OS X became the de facto standard for developers in the first place, consumer-grade windowing and device drivers coupled with a familiar development environment. zsh has replaced bash as the default shell, btw.

hellofunk 6y ago

To suggest that “bug wise“ it is the same between Mac and Linux is a bit of a stretch. I work in a team where the developers are mostly split between Mac and Ubuntu. Guess which ones often have problems joining zoom meetings or attaching their machines to a projector for a presentation? There are a lot of things that you generally don’t have to worry about much if you’re using a Mac. I’m not gonna say that one of these is better than the other, but to suggest they have equivalency wrt common scenarios is a bit strange. Also, Mac is a certified UNIX environment, it is native.

atharris 6y ago
This is definitely the largest drawback of Linux in general - support for peripherals and common communication/presentation software is really lacking. If I had a dollar for every time I had to muck around to get my headphones to work on Ubuntu, I wouldn't be posting here.
- shaan7 6y ago
  > support for peripherals and common communication/presentation software is really lacking Well if peripherals vendor and "common communication/presentation software" didn't test on Linux, whose drawback is it now? That being said, I have used the following without any trouble on Linux: Slack, Discord, Teamviewer, Zoom, BBB and BlueJeans. Vendors don't put enough investment into testing for Linux due to comparatively low usage numbers - but that doesn't mean that it is a "drawback" of the OS. As for hardware, as Vinnl explains above the way to go is buy certified hardware. Ubuntu and Red Hat folks certify a bunch of Dell and Lenovo laptops to work with Linux. I use Ubuntu on a Dell XPS 13 and I don't need to do ANY extra setup. Things just work (TM) - including my Sennheiser and Jabra headphones.
Vinnl 6y ago
I think the corollary is "consider Ubuntu, but still don't skimp on hardware". Buy a proper laptop that ships with Ubuntu, buy a proper connector cable if you need one, etc.
- 6y ago

rriepe 6y ago

I feel like GIMP and Inkscape have finally caught up to the Adobe offerings. It was my reason for not switching for so long. But over the past year I did and I just-- wow. GIMP in particular is just really good now.

deleted 6y ago

[deleted]