What are the main difficulties people face migrating from Linux to Mac OS?
Coming from a Linux background what are the main difficulties I will face if I start to work on iMac? I use to work on Linux with consoles and I know I have a huge apps repository (synaptics) for almost all I need. I’m programming Java and Ruby all day long, so what are the main differences? Differences like UI and passionate things I already know, so please tell me only useful things. (otherwise we’ll keep this question for years) Have you faced this before? Is it a slightly migration? I’d be thankful.
4 Answers 4
I did a switch from Linux just a week ago. I am using Linux for 15+ years. Lately, my Desktop distro of choice was Ubuntu.
Mac OS X is a BSD based system, so minor issues you will have to get used to is stuff like using ipfw instead of iptables.
As you will pretty soon realise Ubuntu (and other distros) simply mimic lots of Mac solutions when it comes to usability. You will find yourself being very familiar with a lot of GUI elements.
There is virtually no difference from a developer point of view. You can just install rvm and develop your Ruby apps as you used too. Main difference is, that now you can use the famous TextEdit! 😀
Mac has worse package management and you might miss some fancy features of apt-get / dpkg (or yum / rpm). It’s not groundbreaking however, and Homebrew will be sufficient in the end anyway.
There are various minor things like key shortcuts, window management which takes couple of hours to get used to. I for one can’t get what’s the idea behind how the window maximization works.
In the end, I must say that I don’t miss a thing so far. I got everything I loved about Linux + beautiful system which can run StarCraft and Photoshop. 🙂
Switching linux to mac
So this is my story and how I switched from Linux to the M1 Mac Mini. I switched mainly because I was in the realm for a new machine and I really wanted to use some proprietary software that is just not there on Linux. Plus, I also hated the fact that I never really liked the looks of all of the desktop environments except Gnome. But, then the issue with Gnome is that every update broke the extensions and I used a lot of them. It has been a pretty amazing experience. I love that I can now have more software at the reach of my finger tips. I can use a lot of proprietary software that I had previous missed on Linux and things are generally more supported. For example, Unity has been supported more on Mac than Linux.
First thing I can’t get over is just how many accessories there are that I can just hop onto Amazon and buy it, not having to worry about fitment problems, etc. For example, my Mac Mini is mounted to the back of my monitor using a VESA mount made for it! The other thing is that my room has less heat now. My AC does not work very well and my old x86 machine under any intensive load would heat up my entire room and overpower the AC.
Then there is the beauty of Mac still being Unix. All of my scripts and utilities that I wrote and enjoyed using on Linux still work here. FFMPEG, rclone, rsync and tons more still work here and it is such a joy to use. Linux still wins to me when it comes to servers and deployments, I just love that Macs offer me interoperability with all of my Linux tools. Wireguard? Got it. Mosh? Got it. ZSH command line? Got it!!
Yes there are a few workarounds for some things like Virtual Machines. but honestly, not a big deal with I host all of my Virtual Machines on my Linux server. Anytime I need to make use of one it is likely over SSH or I just VNC in, do my stuff and leave.
I even got myself some mac recommended accessories like the Keychron K2 Brown switches and the Logitech Mx Master 2. I’ve connected up a bunch of my other stuff like my 2TB Time Machine backup and my other 2TB storage drive connected via a USB 3 hub! And honestly, I thought hubs would bother me because everyone was complaining about this. But in all honesty, I just plugged in my USB C dock and my USB 3 Hub and placed them below my monitors and I really enjoy the flexibility they give me to move them around as I need more space on my desk or I need to place something there.
Overall, I love the Mac experience and I love the M1 Mac. I love that I have everything I need, essentially like how I had it on Linux. Now, I would love for an ARM server now to reduce my power consumption and heat output of my server.
I Switched.
This summer I switched from a System76 Linux laptop to a MacBook Pro M1. Which is better? I can’t answer say, but here are some observations (good and bad) In general I’m surprised by how similar Mac and Linux are in practice. Most of my «Linux» stuff on Mac is done through SSH to my home server. I still use the terminal on Mac a lot for web development, but all of that stuff is the same. Since MacOS is Unix based it’s really similar to Linux.
Set Up
When I got my Macbook I had to go into some «deep» settings to allow sudo , and it took a little time to get my Mac working the way I like, it took a lot of Googling to find where the settings I wanted were. In contrast, I automated most of my Linux setup with a script. I also find the settings in every distro I’ve ever used to be easier to navigate than what’s in MacOS. With all of Apple’s rhetoric about security, I was shocked that full disk encryption was not the default with MacOS.
The Physical Machine
Mac build quality is exceptional. I wish there was a Linux option that came remotely close to this. I don’t think there are any Windows PCs that even come close. I used to actually use Linux on a Mac a few years ago back in the Intel days. I’ve also successfully installed Ubuntu Server on a VM on my M1.
(Perceived) Performance
I didn’t do any performance tests, but it seems Mac is MUCH faster and overall performant. The battery lasts a long time, the memory usage is more efficient, and the laptop is extremely quiet (I think the fan has gone on once since I got it).
Rebooting
This might be a distro thing, but I was rebooting my Linux laptop (Mint 20.2) a lot more than my Mac. I think I’d use Debian if I went back to Linux. My current uptime on MacOS is 24 days. It wants me to reboot for an upgrade; I’ll do it eventually, but it’s running really nicely.
FOSS
Mac sucks with Free Open Source Software (FOSS). I knew this going in, but I didn’t realize how bad it was. There is no free equivalent to even Gnome Sudoku. Most things are paid for or ad supported on the App Store, even Sudoku 😡
https://wiki.gnome.org/Apps/Sudoku
Command Line
I mentioned touched on this in the similarity of MacOS and Linux. brew is similar to apt install (or whatever package manager you use). I just wish more software was available through brew . Navigating the commandline is almost the same as in Linux and the filesystem is similar enough that it doesn’t take much to figure out.
The Looks
Speaking of software, software on Mac is a lot more polished LOOKING. This says nothing of functionality (could be worse, same, or better vs Linux). I’ve been enjoying Stage Manager when my laptop isn’t hooked up to my ultrawide monitor.
Trackpad Gestures
Trackpad gestures on Mac is excellent. I know that gestures are in development in many Linux distros. I’ve used libinputgestures on Linux. It gets the job done, but it’s not as smooth.
https://t.co/FNnVvLogeq
Scrolling
For some reason in MacOS trackpad scrolling is the same setting as mouse wheel scrolling. I like to have natural scrolling on my trackpad but regular on my mouse. Can’t do that without 3rd party software. Why are these two settings connected? They’re not in most Linux DEs.
The Battery
I mentioned the battery in Performance and software in FOSS, but they overlap a bit. Both MacOS and POP!_OS (when installed on System76’s in house machines) allow to limit the battery charging when plugged in. This can save the battery from the stress of trickle charging for long periods of time and extend the life of the battery. I installed Linux Mint on my S76 machine so I don’t know how well it works, but it doesn’t work at all on MacOS. I installed fairly expensive software on my Mac. Not happy about that.
Big Brother
I’ve always been concerned about my private data and security. Main stream Linux distributions don’t really have an issue with this. However, especially after the iOS debacle with privacy, I wonder how much of my personal information is actually being shared with Apple.
In Conclusion
I like both platforms. My overall impression is that- for me- I like the overall experience of Linux, but I like the polish of MacOS. I’ll probably dual-boot when Linux becomes more available on ARM.