this post was submitted on 03 Nov 2023
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Yeah, no, as a power user mac is actively fucking painful to work around. Anything beyond skin deep configurations require going through seven layers of shitty menus, and even then a lot of shit you have to with command line, and don’t even get me fuckin started on that trash.
How can a premium product have the worst goddamn command line in the industry? Jfc MSDOS is more goddamn useful.
My point is, if you want brain dead simple, works ever time, but only if you do it the exact specific way intended, go for Mac… but keep that bullshit off of an enterprise network.
If you want to do literally anything that’s technically involved and need your system to more or less work out of the box? Windows reigns supreme.
You want to make something work exactly the way you want, using whatever hardware you want, and have complete and total control over your functionality and information? Linux all the way.
The brain dead windows hate is stupid. It’s an adequate OS for what it was originally made to do- run information infrastructure for businesses. Don’t be retarded.
Ehh, Linux has better hardware flexibility than it used to, but there are still devices that don't have equivalent functionality with the drivers and software available for Linux. It might be a situation where you can code something yourself, but you may also need information from the manufacturer that they won't necessarily be forthcoming with. I've run into this with a Logitech mouse, but I'm betting there are other peripherals that will face the same issue.
Windows doesn't use system resources as efficiently, but there's a huge amount of software for it and it definitely lands on top of the pile for compatibility.
I love Linux from a hobbies perspective. There’s lots of good software designed to run in purpose built Linux environments, particularly for servers.
But as far as something I can just take out of the box, plug in, and give to an end user and it will just fucking work? Windows.
Also almost every tool/software has a windows version of it because it's just so widely used.
And yes, driver support for Linux is really unreliable.
I have the complete opposite feeling. The more I have to use windows the more irritated I am at it. It’s bloody irritating.
It has window snapping; sure that’s nice, but the default window snapping isn’t that useful for a power user and gets in the way of better window snapping from power toys. On the Mac I also have a third party (better touch tools) app to get custom snap zones that is better than even power toys fancy zones.
But the basic window snapping ends up irritating me more often than it’s useful. I’ll have a window that is on the left side and not half screen. I use window left, and instead of snapping to half it “helpfully” switches monitors.
Also I use multiple desktops. Windows couples all monitor desktops together. I can’t switch just one desktop. On a Mac I can swipe between individual desktops on each screen. This is way more useful to me.
Windows also has a better clipboard manager. But it’s to basic to be useful for me. Only saves 10 things. I install a manager that saves 1000s.
Windows power shell is awful. And worse is googling for how to do anything with a “command line” on Windows because you have to not only figure out what command line they mean but also what damn version.
I’ve had very little trouble switching between Linux and Mac with home brew installed.
Also Windows has a wierd file system. If I use the keyboard command to make a link to a folder it makes a bloody shortcut which a lot of programs ignore.
So instead I get to google what the windows equivalent is of a hard link and how to make one. It’s a junction link and you use the command line. Yay. The command line isnt nearly as helpful. It’s very different from Linux. So very little transfers.
And it doesn’t have history between sessions. “Power” doesn’t have history between sessions.
Mac at least has the decency to use a decent shell in zsh. Zsh is fantastic.
Also on the file system. When you get a select file for upload dialog, if you drag a file you already found in a file window to the dialog, it MOVES the file! Why! No instead you should apparently find the file again in the dialog or copy and paste the path which is way more steps.
On Mac I just drag a file to the select dialog and it auto switches to the location and selects the file. The thing I wanted to do.
Have you seen the whole situation with settings vs control panel? That's damn infuriating especially for power users.
Also you think macOS consoles are bad compared to Windows? Windows can't even decide on one command line or shell language.
Honestly it feels like neither macOS or Windows was designed properly for power users. At least Microsoft tries I guess.
Listen to my brother… your settings menus are an illusion. All can and will be accomplished through power shell and planning. Some things are easier done with old school command line, but powershell is an amazingly powerful tool designed for a different audience. There are entire businesses built around automation tools that literally just write powershell scripts.
That settings menu? It’s a shi(tty)ny coat of paint, but I’m not using the settings menus for what I need to do. I’ll open the menu with the run console, you can access most admin tools by right clicking the start menu.
I’m probably biased because of my career but I have a burning hatred for macs, they do not belong in a business environment, get that shit away from me.
I wasn't trying to defend macOS. I am pointing out that Windows (which you adore) is also bad from a "power user" perspective.
macOS uses the standard command line shared by Linux and other Unix-like systems. Windows doesn't. The fact that it has two of these non standard systems is even worse. Are you saying it's actually better than using bash or zsh? If so then why hasn't anything else adopted something similar?
That's true for Linux too. It's true for any good programmable CLI as that's the point of having a programmable CLI in the first place.
You're incredibly biased towards Microsoft in a way I just don't understand.
Also your talking as if I am a current macOS user. I am not. I use mainly Windows but I have experience with all three systems. All are bad in their own ways and all are good in their own areas.
Interesting, I work with both at my job and my main take is:
CLI of Mac is superior to me and least confusing, plus has it's whole CLI experience working correctly for a long time, but Windows did a bit of a catch-up (still not on par IMO and too many ways of working)
The GUI settings are more advanced on Windows, but the new/old interface are a cluster fuck; I don't trust the interaction between them
Windows has more compatibility options with hardware/software, if you dig deep enough you can make things work most of the times
The general MacOS experience (from starting your computer, opening apps, using the CLI) performs better, Windows feels a bit more sluggish/bloated to me
I do like the steps that Microsoft takes with things like Visual Studio Code and .NET of aiming cross-platform. I have in no way any hatred for Microsoft and I think both operating systems have their pros and cons. They are both fine to work with.