Moving From Linux to Macos as a Programmer

Introduction

Two years ago, I bought my first Apple product at the age of 32. Apple products have always been on my radar since the first iPhone came out. However, I've always thought that Apple products are overpriced, and they are not worth my attention while there are many alternatives out there. I still think so, but not to that extent. I will make my point later on in the article.

So, my first Apple gadget is the 2021 MacBook Pro 16' with 16 GB of unified memory and 512 GB of SSD storage. For the color, I've chosen the Silver because it seemed nicer to me over the Space Gray.

It was a very risky deal to make because it was the first year of the war in Ukraine. To order a laptop from the Kyiv for $3000 via mail service is not the same as buying it in the local Apple Store for $2500 in a peaceful time. And yeah, in Ukraine, the Apple products were 20% pricier than in the US. The same goes for all the other imported stuff.

If you are one of those people who are planning to buy your first MacBook for a programming related job, you are in the right place. Because in this article, I'll go through some interesting topics that I've noticed moving from Ubuntu desktop to macOS.

I will also discuss some pros and cons of buying such an expensive laptop, and my general thoughts about macOS and MacBook Pro. I'll touch on the topic of Linux Desktop, and share thoughts about my previous experience with Linux-powered laptops that I still have.

My work

I work as an IT-specialist and in my daily routine I use a lot of PHP, Go, Vue, React and TypeScript. These languages and frameworks don't require a powerful laptop like MacBook Pro, but it's pretty pleasant to have some extra power for the future needs. Especially if you are planning to get in into mobile apps' development.

Out of work, I do a lot of open-source, pet projects and writing the blog. The MacBook keyboard is definitely a big addition to my productivity, but I cannot say that the previous laptop was awful to type on. It was still a solid machine except for a couple of defects which I was annoyed by. I'll explain some of those defects later in the article. As for the keyboard, laptops like Lenovo ThinkPad certainly have a better keyboard to type on.

First Linux laptops

The first laptop was the Dell Inspiron 3567. I still love this machine until this day, even though it was a budget one. It costed around $400 at that time, but I was fully satisfied with it because my work didn't require any powerful hardware or IPS matrix, which I didn't have in the Inspiron model.

The second laptop was also powered with Ubuntu. Linux was one of the requirements for choosing a future laptop, even though I could just buy a Windows laptop and replace the operating system with Linux. But still, I've picked the Dell Vostro 5590 because it was powerful enough for my daily job, and it had Linux preinstalled, which was nice for me.

With these 2 guys, I could easily complete any task that I needed, even though Inspiron was pretty slow with Yarn and Composer. Still, it was a wonderful experience with each of them. I haven't had so much satisfaction with the MacBook Pro as I had with my first laptop. Not because they are better but because they were first. It's like your first kiss, it might not be the best one, but the most memorable.

Transition to macOS

Transition from one operating system to another mostly depends on the person itself. Some people just adapt quicker in software than others. It greatly depends on your technical skills and how confident you are in navigating around the software of your current operating system.

In general, moving from Ubuntu to macOS is pretty easy and smooth, there are no major problems that I would face. The most difficult thing was to get used to different keys and key binds. On Apple laptops, we have “Option” and “Command” keys that are not present on Linux-powered laptops, and as soon as you start using a MacBook, you'll make mistakes all the time until you get used to it.

The most annoying one was to get used to “Command + c” and “Command + v” to copy and paste stuff. It took around 4 days to get used to that, not a big deal. I'm sure you can set copy and paste key bindings the same way as we have them on Linux and Windows, but I wanted to embrace the macOS workflow and get the same experience the most people get.

Everything else was mostly straightforward. All the programs that I had on Ubuntu, I was able to install on macOS. There is even a GIMP photo editor available for Mac that I was using all the time on Linux. It's the best free image-editing tool that I've found so far, and it's open-source.

Pros and cons of macOS

I haven't really noticed the advantages of using this operating system apart from its stability and configurability. Everything works as expected, everything is configurable and works stable. Usually, when I want to change the behavior of any program, all I need is to search for my question on the internet, and I'll find the answer in about 30 seconds.

There were a couple of bugs that I were annoying related to the external monitor, but they both were fixed later in the next updates. And that's what you notice immediately when you work on Mac, any issues are fixed in the next releases. On Ubuntu, I used to wait for a while to get the bug fix for some annoying problem.

The number of bugs is also a lot smaller than I had on Ubuntu. A big reason for that is probably the hardware, since macOS is designed only for certain hardware, it is much easier to avoid bugs compared to Ubuntu, that runs on different CPUs, GPUs.

MacBook's pros and cons

Before buying the laptop, I've watched several reviews on YouTube, and some of that information wasn't correct in my opinion. One of the reasons is that we as people are unique and perceive the world differently. Some people on YouTube were complaining about the notch, and some were complaining about the size of the 16.2' model, saying that it's huge and heavy.

So, I was about to buy a 14.2' model based on their complaints. At the very last moment, my brother talked me out of it and said to buy a 16.2' model, and I did, and I don't regret it. The size of the screen is literally perfect enough for me to not reach for the external monitor every single day. I would have regretted the smaller screen size for sure, even though it's more compact and easier to travel with.

The size of the MacBook is almost the same as my previous 15.4' Dell Vostro 5590 laptop, even though it's 0.8 inches (ca. 2 centimeters) smaller. I would have felt myself uncomfortable on the smaller model. If you are moving to a MacBook from a 15.4' laptop, and it was fine for you, buy a 16.2 model.

The other thing that I've heard about the 16-inch model is that it's too heavy. It is 2.18 kilograms (4.8 pounds). I can't say for everyone, but it's neither heavy nor light. I would say, I don't feel uncomfortable carrying this thing around. But of course, the 14-inch model is 1.59 kilograms (3.5 pounds) lighter.

If you are planning to carry this device around all the time, the 14-inch model is a perfect fit for you. I would even look for a MacBook Air model because the Air model is perfect for people who are traveling and moving around a lot.

1. Performance boost with M1 Pro chip

The most obvious advantage is certainly an M-series chip, if you are aiming for the Apple Silicon model. The laptop is fast, quiet and doesn't heat up so much. It blows my mind how Apple were able to pull this off.

2. Build quality

The build quality is 10/10, but that's what you expect from a laptop for $3000, right? For comparison, the Dell Vostro 5590 cost me $1100, and its build quality is awful. Not only it has a terrible display, but also lid hinges problems which led me to a choice of buying a new laptop.

3. The trackpad is huge

Almost everyone mentions the trackpad, it's big and comfortable to use. I entirely agree with that. Since I've bought the MacBook, I don't use a mouse anymore. The only time when I would reach for the mouse is when I'm editing images in GIMP photo editor. I'm also one of those geeks that uses VIM and touch typing, and it's just harder for me to reach for the mouse when I have a big trackpad under the home row. I've tried using a mouse for a week, and went back to the trackpad because it's outstanding.

4. The keyboard

The keyboard is pretty nice to use, but I also like the Dell's. The keys are much bigger than on regular laptops like I had. For people who write a lot of text, it will definitely be a big plus to productivity. After 2 years of using the MacBook, the most used keys will be polished, take a look at the photo:

Apple needs to make something with this keyboard to prevent it in the future devices if they want to the best on the market.

5. Battery

The battery is good. I love the fact that you can work for a long time without worrying about the battery life, and even if you need to charge it up, the process is fast compared to what I had on Dell Vostro.  I know that the fast charging is probably bad for the battery, so the first year I was charging it with the fast charger. The second year with the iPad charger, which is slower but doesn't hurt the battery eventually.

So far, after 2 years of using MacBook Pro 2021 16', the battery health information looks like this:

Health Information:
  Cycle Count:	452
  Condition:	Normal
  Maximum Capacity:	97%

Tip. If you are going to use the laptop with the external monitor, make sure that it's charging. When you connect any laptop to the external monitor, the battery drain is increasing, and it will lose charge faster.

Tip. If you use a laptop without the monitor, don't charge it to 100%, try to keep the charge from 30% to 90% to preserve the battery life.

Tip. In the macOS settings on your MacBook, you can enable the options "Low Power Mode", which will decrease the performance of your Mac and disables Pro Motion, but the battery drain is much slower.

Linux is growing

I'm sure that Linux is a great starting point for new developers to get into a Unix system and get more familiar with the terminal. I'm still a Linux and Open-source ecosystem fan. Even though I had some problems with my previous laptops, it had nothing to do with the Ubuntu operating system itself.

I had a great pleasure working with it, and still have an urge to go back when I see the latest versions of Ubuntu.

Every year it becomes more polished and more functional. And the fact that Linux is free is mind-blowing, so much work had to be done to make all of that working, and now we are getting it for free. Do you want to play games? Okay, you can do it nowadays, Linux is also adapting for that.

Of course, Linux will never become the next macOS or Windows, nor should it aim to. There are distributions like Linux Mint that provide a user-friendly desktop experience for those who seek it. With various distributions catering to different needs, you can undoubtedly find one that suits you.

Conversely, macOS won't feel entirely foreign either; it resembles another Linux distribution. Being a Unix-based operating system, macOS supports most Linux commands in the terminal.

Privacy

It is impossible to discuss Linux without addressing privacy, a key area where Linux excels. In light of recent scandals involving major companies misusing user data without consent, Linux offers a compelling alternative. Distributions such as Ubuntu, Debian, Arch, Mint, Fedora, Kali, and many others are open source, meaning their codebase is publicly accessible and subject to scrutiny by anyone.

Who would you trust more: a stranger or someone whose entire history you know? I wager it's the second person. The same principle applies to operating systems. While Apple doesn't have a poor reputation regarding privacy, I still have reservations because their codebase is not transparent, and I can't see what they are doing.

Given these considerations, it's clear that transparency and openness are critical factors in establishing trust. By opting for an open-source operating system like Linux, users gain the assurance that their privacy is safeguarded through community oversight and accountability. In an era where data privacy is increasingly under threat, the ability to verify and understand the underlying code becomes a significant advantage, making Linux not just a viable option but a preferable one for those who prioritize security and privacy.

Conclusion

Before buying a MacBook Pro, I often wondered if I’d regret spending $3000 on a laptop. My answer now is no, but with some reservations. After two years, I’m considering switching back to Linux because I like the direction Linux distros are heading, unlike companies like Microsoft and Apple. I’m not sure if Linux is the future, but I hope it is.

The great thing about Linux distros is that they add features users actually want, whereas Apple and Microsoft often add features they think users want. That’s a big difference. The recent macOS updates have been so dull and useless that I’ve stopped following their release notes. It feels like Apple doesn’t listen to their users anymore.

In the end, whether you’ll regret buying a MacBook or not is hard to say. Personally, I miss working with Ubuntu. My last experience with it was spoiled by a defective Dell laptop, which was Dell’s fault, not Linux’s. The good thing is that I still have that machine with me. The bad thing, I can't use it because I've tried to update Ubuntu and something went wrong. Now, I can't even restore the OS or load it in safe mode.

I would suggest buying devices only from the official store with the warranty. If you think that Apple doesn't ship products with defects, I can disappoint you, in the middle of 2023 I bought the iPad Mini 6, and after 4 months of using it I got weird screen glitches. It's difficult to see in the photo, but that's the only photo I got:

Regarding the MacBook, it truly enhances my daily work experience and productivity. After two years, I've noticed a significant performance boost compared to Intel-based laptops. I believe that in the future, Linux-powered machines will also run on ARM and compete with Apple's M-chips.

The operating system is stable, the build quality is exceptional, the screen is large and pleasant to look at, the battery life is excellent, the keyboard is a joy to type on, and the speakers are loud and clear. There's likely even more to appreciate about the MacBook Pro. What more could you want from a laptop?

However, it's an expensive machine. If I were just starting as a software developer, I wouldn't buy it solely due to the cost. The build quality is undeniably top-notch, earning a solid 10/10.

You are welcome to leave a comment below if you need any clarification. I'll respond quickly and add more information to the article if needed.