My Love-Hate Relationship With Mac

Prelude

I have been an avid Linux user since about October 2021, when I was a high school freshman. My transition to it was a combination of several factors: my gaming laptop running Windows 10 constantly running into the dreaded Blue Screen of Death (BSOD) and the Steam Deck (a Linux-powered gaming handheld) being announced. I was familiar with Linux before this, but the idea of switching to it didn’t cross my mind until I got a Raspberry Pi.

I bought a Raspberry Pi 4 starter at my local Best Buy for no reason other than to satisfy my desire for a new toy. It ran Raspberry Pi OS, which is Debian-based, and I learned various Linux commands and utilities. I even got a little experimental, tinkering to run Steam games like Portal 2. Of course, such software ran like molasses on it, but the learning experience alone was part of why I feel in love with Linux.

I continued (hardly) using my gaming laptop with Windows until I built my first PC around five months later. I ran Pop!_OS on it and used Linux exclusively until six months ago when I started dual-booting with Windows for Win32 software development, as well as for games that didn’t work on Linux.

Later on, I got a workstation laptop that has struggled to last through college lectures, so I needed a new laptop that could last me all day. Out of convience, I went to the UCI Bookstore, The Hill, to buy a MacBook Air. I mainly did it because it was convenient for me, and I fully expected to dread using a Mac. Two months using it has proven me wrong though, at least for the most part.

Why I Love Using Mac

I Value a System That Just Works Over Everything

I’d like to mention that part of the reason why I used Linux was out of the appeal of having full control over my system. So why am I using the antithesis to that idea?

Well, being frank, I haven’t taken much advantage of this idea on my workstation. Like it did come in handy from time to time, but otherwise I just used my Linux system as a regular desktop machine. MacOS, despite being more restrictive, is pleasant to use because everything ‘just works’. The moment I unboxed my MacBook Air, I just went through the setup process and got straight to installing my apps.

Linux (and Windows to some extent) often requires you to go out of your way to install software, such as drivers because the trade-off for mass hardware support is fragmentation. With MacOS, because it only supports a limited set of hardware, everything works like it was made for each other.

Because It’s Unix-like, It Feels (Almost) Like Home

The one commonality between MacOS and Linux is they are both Unix-like. When I first used the terminal on MacOS, almost all commands I knew from Linux were usable. So unlike Windows, which tries to reinvent the wheel, I found home with Mac.

Even the system directories were somewhat similar with common Unix directories like /bin and /usr, but they do have differences; /home on Linux would be /Users on MacOS for instance. Nonetheless, the only thing I needed to do to remember the differences was mental compartmentalization.

Application Installation Is Neat

I think the .dmg format is perhaps the best application installation method I’ve used in years. Nothing is more convenient than opening the file, dragging the app to your Applications folder, and having it sitting in your apps available to be launched at any time. I wish other operating systems like Linux would implement similar methods as it would improve the Application installation experience.

The Hardware Quality is Just Nice

From the very moment I started typing and using the trackpad, it felt extremely comfortable to use. My workstation’s primary discomfort was the trackpad, which was why I always carried a bluetooth mouse with me. But the MacBook Air’s trackpad feels hardly like a chore to use.

The lack of fans is also extremely comforting as I do not have to worry about attracting looks in a public area whenever I do an intensive task.

Why I Hate Using Mac

Restrictive System Access

One of the very things I despise about Apple is their closed and restrictive approach to the user experience. Such as limiting your ability to manage the system on a deeper level. I may sound like I’m contradicting myself, but the ability to do such when needed is still a nice touch.

App Distribution is Scary

One of my main main resentments come from how MacOS uses scare tactics on apps that are not ‘notarized’. And even if you ignore them, you need to make an additional several clicks in Settings to be allowed to open such software. On Linux at least, nobody ever tried scaring you into not running a program because it didn’t get reviewed by a central authority. This was perfect for a hobbyist programmer like me who writes software and shares them online.

To get your program ‘notarized’, you have to pay $99 a year to be part of the Apple Developer Program, which I personally do not find to be worth the cost. This means because I can’t get Apple to review my program, anytime I distribute my MacOS software to anyone, they need to endure popups employing scare tactics to even run them!

Unless You Pay, You’re Missing Out On Quite A Bit

One of my biggest frustrations, especially as a developer, is how Apple restricts you from using certain functionality in your programs, unless you enroll in the same aforementioned program. For instance, I was experimenting with Apple’s Virtualization Framework in Swift and I tried to using NAT networking in the program. I was not allowed to do so because Apple did not grant me the ‘entitlement’ to do so. And to get it, I would have to pay $99 a year and request explicit permission from Apple. Even when I forced my program to compile with the entitlement, MacOS didn’t even run it! It was just immediately SIGKILLed by the system.

My Overall Sentiment

MacOS is a pretty Unix-like system that makes you hardly think of what’s going on underneath. You could be doing just about anything on it without giving the system you’re using a second thought. But when a power user like me really needs to get their hands dirty, the limitations of MacOS start to shine bright.

MacOS alone might still be worth getting a Mac for, especially if you value a comprehensive system that feels well put-together. I have come to appreciate these aspects of MacOS, but I do recognize the shortcomings when it comes to some of my needs.