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Comment by F7F7F7

2 months ago

Sounds like you should pick something other than MacOS.

Right, all they need to do is convince every end user they’re trying to distribute software to that they’re using the wrong OS and should replace their MacBook with something running Linux. No problem at all.

I decided to get into this subject in my comment before I edited it out because I thought it would be too much of a tangent/ruffle too many feathers.

But, yeah, macOS power users these days seem to spend a lot of time criticizing the OS and the company and never seem to just switch to something else.

Apple is the 4th most popular PC manufacturer on the market. You can use something else. It's not a monopoly, nor a duopoly like with iOS.

I switched to Linux, and I've been beyond shocked at how smooth it's been. It's been better than both Mac and Windows in more ways than I expected. And sure, not perfect, but still.

  • I can charitably believe this comment is not disingenuous, however, there are effectively two options, which are Windows and macOS, regardless of three manufacturers making more Windows machines than Apple at number four with Mac. I would call it an effective duopoly

    • There are effectively two options if you dismiss Linux a priori.

      Which yes, many people do. There are plenty of people who have no desire to try Linux. And if you're a developer then you have to consider those people, because many of the people who use your software are the type with no desire to try Linux.

      But there are fewer and fewer reasons not to try Linux, and that group of "I'd never use Linux", while still large, is slowly shrinking. I'd argue that Microsoft is doing more than Apple is to push people into reconsidering Linux (and, often, discovering that it's actually pretty good these days, and that your techie friend whom you call all the time to help you with Windows is actually happy to help you with your Linux questions instead).

      But slowly, over time, it's making less and less sense to dismiss Linux a priori.

      6 replies →

    • I’m not sure we can say it’s an effective duopoly when the desktop gaming market has more Linux users than Mac users.

      Think about it this way: for every four Mac users there is one Linux user. That sounds quite significant if you ask me, and that’s what the marketshare statistics say.

Unfortunately, your tone deaf comment is in an HN cliche.

1) People complain about the imperfections of what they love.

2) Imperfections are highly unlikely to tilt the benefits from one device to another, given there are few device choices, devices have hundreds of other pros/cons, and people accrue years of familiarity and functional investment.