I work in a web development shop where more than half the programmers have Macs. I only have to reboot my desktop Mac when I return from a trip during which I turned it off! Linux tends to contain the best suite of low-level tools like sed, grep, awk piping, and so on. Tools like these are used by programmers to create things like command-line tools, etc. Many programmers who prefer Linux over other operating systems love its versatility, power, security, and speed.
The most reliable way to run Mac apps on Linux is through a virtual machine. With a free, open-source hypervisor application like VirtualBox, you can run macOS on a virtual device on your Linux machine. A properly-installed virtualized macOS environment will run all macOS apps without issue. Where does Linux fit in? Why is there this perception that many software developers use Macs? The inevitable next question, then, is this: Why do so many software engineers prefer Macs?
Macs come with a reliable Unix-like command-line environment while also offering a pleasant user experience featuring a number of high-quality applications. A command-line environment allows you to interact with a computer by typing commands instead of clicking on graphical elements. This was the primary way people interacted with their computers before GUIs graphical user interfaces were popularized.
However, command-line environments are still popular among programmers, system administrators, and other IT professionals to this day, given the benefits they can offer.
Is having an excellent command-line environment really that important, though? The answer might depend on the type of programming you do. When you take into account the fact that Linux runs on most app and web servers around the world, adopting a command-line environment that is compatible with it becomes even more advantageous. The second half of the Mac success dyad is, as mentioned, its pleasant and elegant UI and its wide availability of high-quality applications.
Why was that such a game-changer? The popularization of Apple products—especially MacBooks—among developers coincided with an era when web development started to become increasingly sophisticated and to require more specialized tools. So, more and more developers started adopting these machines due to the—accurate—perception that they offered the best environment for development.
That generates an interesting virtuous circle: The platform attracts developers, who then create more tools to make their lives easier. There are three main reason I'm on Mac specifically Macbook Pro now for my software dev needs: Great hardware.
It's based on Unix, and it's great for Ruby development. I have my terminal too. Amen on your last point. Once you know what are the general tools for your development environment, I don't think there is too much difference. Many of your reasons can be solved in a trivial amount of time on Windows though.
Windows does come with a lot of crap-ware pre-installed, but I can just remove it. The interpreted languages you cite can be installed in a matter of minutes. I don't have anything that even approaches VS in terms of quality and ease of use on the MacBook that I type this from. I like my Mac a lot, but I have a much easier time developing on Windows. Ed: I actually do C "serious" development in a Linux environment.
And you're completely right. I was just giving some reasons as to why other people prefer using a Mac for development. Windows does support python and perl unsure about prolog but it's not as friendly to the command line just my opinion.
I'm must more comfortable working in a bash shell rather than the Command Prompt, and Macs offer the nicer option. No it's not as friendly on that end of things, you're right. I would love to be able to switch over more of my development work to my Mac, I have just found it really painful. I've been spoiled a bit. Don't use the preinstalled versions. They are obsolete, unpatched and have 'improvements', like annoying pop-up whenever they throw exception. For example Python's community recommendation is very clear: download Python, python.
Show 1 more comment. Also, MacBook Pro is a rather nice piece of hardware; if your employer can afford you it, why not take it : You can run Linux on it if you want, too.
The only reason? That's a reason, but the only reason? DKuntz2: I'm amazed at what people on the Internet will argue sometimes. First of all, the kernel is open-source, and Apple is responsible for most of the major modifications to it. Anyway, you didn't argue that Apple didn't write most of the code; you argued that OS X -- and in particular, the kernel -- is "locked up", which is demonstrably false. Show 11 more comments.
The fact is that it doesn't really matter. You will see your productivity increase regardless of the OS you choose. Jose Faeti. Nikhil have you tried power shell? I do have used power shell, but i rarely use it. It has too many different concepts, still use old telnet, No script By default Copy-paste feature is horrible.
OS X has both a really good terminal as well as a really good UI, should you need it and I suspect you will occasionally. Your first two sentences seem unconstructive. Either delete them, or, if you're being sarcastic, make the sarcasm more evident.
Sarcasm typically works badly in a text-only medium, and particularly on the Internet: no matter how sarcastic and ironic you are on the Internet, there are people who will assume you're serious and agree with you.
David, I understand your concern. However, it is true that Apple product owners blindly follow Apple, without questioning why. Aren't you old enough to have seen the Apple's original ad from the 84 against IBM?
The roles have reversed now, but nobody realizes it. I can remove any hints of sarcasm, and you can bump me down twice :- — CMR. It doesn't address the question, and seems to exist only to insult a group of people with opinions that differ from yours.
The question was, "why do programmers use or recommend mac-os-x? The Apple attitude is the same since You can -1 all you want, but you have to stop and think whether or not it is herd mentality.
Show 12 more comments. Charles E. I experienced similar things you'd experienced, such as the disaster with registry. I used Mac for past 4 years and recently tried using Windows 7. I thought.. You should give it a try when you get a chance. Btw, that weird drive letters still persist! Windows 7 does have a nice collection of desktop themes, but I haven't found any features that are personally compelling.
I was more impressed by the transition from XP to Vista. I thought it really improved the security model, and I thought Powershell looked interesting. At the same time I was discouraged because Vista made it clear how sloppy a lot of app writers were about gratuitously using Admin privileges. And sloppy is the exact word to describe my general lack of excitement for Windows.
Just because it's UNIX doesn't mean it can't be compromised. A single clueless user wields the power of millions of mob programmers every time they type 'sudo' : — Tim Post. I agree, that's why I said viruses, not trojans. I love macfanbois "solutions" like "you can compile everything yourself", "you can google it" etc. Sorry, I like OS to make my life easier, not harder. You still haven't answered what niche apple caters to according to you.
Show 18 more comments. If you have to use a mouse, go with gvim. Editors on Mac The suckitude seems to be here, not on Linux. Like you said Linux has several choices, gedit, nedit, kedit, kate, Eclipse, netbeans, etc. Mac has Sounds like somebody has never really tried to edit without a GUI. And since when does vim or emacs crash and lose my data? Don't think I've ever had that happen Anyway, -1 for asserting that Mac apps don't crash and Linux apps do. Thats just blatant FUD.
These include achieving proficiency in vi in I don't require other people agree with my preferences - I'm not I'm sorry you think my factual statements and opinions are FUD, but so be it. It sounds to me like somebody — Bob Murphy. Dang online editor Also, I don't criticize other people for having different personal preferences or try to convert them to mine, or accuse them of FUD for recounting factual experiences.
It seems you do - you seem like a "my way or the highway" kinda guy. Remind me never to split a pizza with you; I doubt we could agree on the toppings. Show 5 more comments. If you're writing iPhone or Mac apps, you need a Mac, period. Two years ago, I was able to write iPhone app on a Hackintosh Just replacing the hardware and not the system doesn't change much for developing apps..
I am a Windows dev but used to use macs for audio-engineering It used to be a bear, but Ubuntu or Mint make it ridiculously easy to get around. Display Name, its not completely wrong. It can be done illegally using a Hackintosh or virtual machine but speaking from experience, its not worth the time and effort. It's a beautiful, trouble-free working environment.
I use a Mac as my personal computer, so I know my way around it. The hardware is fantastic. So what if they're a little more expensive? Trouble-free developing is quite strange imho: if there really were no troubles you shouldn't have to develop anything for it? I think with trouble-free developing the poster means that the OS doesn't get in his way. The computer, including the OS, just works. If I need to migrate the complete system to another machine, that's done with a few clicks and half an hour of waiting, and I can go on working as if nothing happened.
Of course, this is not exclusive to development, but I want my working environment to get out of the way. The Mac does - granted, Windows machines nowadays do, too. That's my personal preference. I only use Ubuntu and Windows for testing purposes.
But the question was why developers would use OSX. Instead you could have native Ubuntu with Win7 in VB or vice-versa. No, I'm saying the advantage is that it runs all three operating systems. The price tag is the main barrier from me getting a Mac. You certainly don't need a Mac for web development.
It's based on Unix as well as Linux but both diverged a bit and now you need to virtualize docker for example and it's inefficient in comparison against Linux. You can get "Creative software" on it but Are you a web dev or a designer?
If you are a dev, you need dev tools. I can't figure out what pro makes sense on the name. I really tried it many times on last 10 years but i couldn't get a reason for using a Mac. What exactly is the argument you are making here? Why is macOS the "perfect choice"? Can you elaborate on the "programming on it can be quite troublesome"?
Is it a performance issue? Is it a usability issue? What metrics are you comparing? How exactly is creative software support limited on Windows and Linx? Are you saying graphical applications from Adobe et al lack support on Windows and Linux?
In what way? What were the difficulties you experienced on Windows and Linux to conclude that macOS is better? As for your section on Multiple browsers support , are you saying that the only reason macOS is better is because of the availability of Safari?
What about the small percentage of users who still use Internet Explorer? Would using something like Browserstack solve browser testing issues regardless of the operating system you are on? I use a MacBook Pro at work, and these reasons are hardly the reasons why I would choose it. The biggest advantage for me is macOS's amazing ability to manage full-screen workspaces among multiple monitors.
Otherwise, I can make do with Linux or Windows. Actually for me in , taking into consideration that any development needs will need some setup, the only reasons I use a MacBook pro are Xcode and good laptop builds with good value. Other than the need for IOS development you can do anything just fine in a well customized Linux distro or even windows with the latest efforts. Mac is more stable? IMHO in if you don't need to develop for IOS, do buy whatever you like more, take in consideration important things like keyboard, display, build quality, price.
I do like my macbook, but it is so damn expansive that it annoys the f out of me when something like the external display looks so bad, or that I need to buy some third party windows management software to do half of the things I can do natively in windows and in so many Linux GUIs. It's just that the competition is so fragmented and doesn't have the simple straightforward marketing message that Apple has, but if you really look at what you get hardware, software then I'd say that Apple's offering is WAY too expensive.
Apple offers you an integrated package of hardware and software, off the shelf, which while expensive "just works" Now, look at Linux which normally runs on PC hardware and right away the story becomes complicated and confusing - go to your local computer store or web shop , look for desktop or laptop hardware, and right away you have a problem - in most cases they will come with Windows preinstalled!
So you then have to choose whether to put up with Windows which, admittedly, did became more attractive with WSL , or wipe your system and go install Linux. And then look at how many brands and models there are - the choice isn't nearly as straightforward, people suffer from "choice fatigue" - Apple makes it simple. So there you have it - Apple has a clear and simple but pricey offering and a great marketing "message" - the alternative is way more fragmented, fuzzy, confusing and not as straightforward - but also much cheaper, more flexible, and potentially WAY more bang for the buck.
Truth has been spoken. No other reasons than that. I'm a big fan of Unix but today you can do almost everything on Windows with it's new Linux kernel. Your section about creative software makes no sense. It would make sense if you mentioned Sketch, but you didn't. You just mentioned Adobe CC, said it is supported on Windows, and then started talking again about MacOS being Unix-based being better for programming.
That has nothing to do with creative software support. Buy me a coffee and I'll tell you. So what do you think about Apple's recent announcement that they're planning to move from Intel to ARM for their Macs:.
I believe in Apple as the one company that can make such transition happen. Aravind Sanjeev - Nov 8.
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