this post was submitted on 02 Jul 2023
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Apple

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[–] tastypoobutt@lemmy.world 62 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago) (2 children)

There’s no one standalone reason why I think macOS is better than Windows for productivity. Instead of a single killer blow, it’s death by a series of smaller wounds.

The only real way of describing it. So many little niceties from decades of attentiveness, even if things have been backsliding in recent years.

[–] octalfudge@lemmy.world 20 points 2 years ago (3 children)

Fantastic description! This is an issue that made it difficult to justify to my management to allow them to allow Macs, but thankfully Apple Silicon was big enough of a game changer to sway the decision

[–] Tinkering_simpleton@lemmy.world 5 points 2 years ago (1 children)

Exactly my case. Apple Silicon was a game changer in relation to performance against cost. Was able to replace my old top PC with a mac mini and improve my work on Adobe suite. Impressive. The ecosystem with my iPhone was also an amazing improvement. Airdrop is fantastic.

[–] instamat@lemmy.world 2 points 2 years ago (1 children)

I haven’t used an apple silicon device yet but I understand they’re insane on battery and performance.

And airdrop is stupid useful in so many scenarios.

[–] NochmalBayern@feddit.de 2 points 2 years ago (1 children)

There’s a nice browser run and open source alternative to airdrop called Snapdrop. It uses web rtc to transmit data from device to device directly and can be self-hosted. I use it to transfer data between my Mac and my windows pc as well as my steam deck.

[–] instamat@lemmy.world 2 points 2 years ago (3 children)

Thanks! I will check that out. Does it transfer from iPhone to a windows pc too?

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[–] kostel_thecreed@lemmy.ca 5 points 2 years ago

This was the reason I switched to Mac for work related stuff, the performance is insane for most of the stuff I need it to do.

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[–] tdawg@lemmy.world 3 points 2 years ago

It just works. Something that can’t be said of how windows feels

[–] bappity@lemmy.world 22 points 2 years ago

this is one of those subjective things that highly depend on what your job actually entails

[–] TCB13@lemmy.world 17 points 2 years ago

This article is ridiculous.

[–] Thorny_Thicket@sopuli.xyz 15 points 2 years ago

I moved from a desktop PC to a 2015 MBP and I've been extremely satisfied with it. It's nothing short of a miracle how little issues I've had with it. It's fast and everything just work. Was expensive as hell but worth every penny.

That being said my next laptop is probably not going to me a MacBook but the Framework laptop. Not only do I not like Apple as a company but I also want to support what Framework is doing and the only way to do that is by putting money where my mouth is.

[–] dekatron@lemmy.fmhy.ml 15 points 2 years ago (1 children)

Anyone trying to batch rename files on Windows should check out PowerToys. It's a first-party app that adds a lot of useful utilities. One of them is PowerRename, which lets you batch rename files using regex for precise search and replace. It also has the option to preview changes before applying them.

[–] Laxaria@lemmy.world 11 points 2 years ago

PowerToys is crucial for making Windows feel productive. Definitely get that installed.

[–] dekatron@lemmy.fmhy.ml 12 points 2 years ago (3 children)

One of the things I still love about my 11" MacBook Air is the ease of using multiple desktops (spaces). Even with the tiny screen, I can quickly switch between apps and keep things organised with the trackpad gestures. Drag and drop is also more seamless in macOS compared to Windows.

[–] conciselyverbose@kbin.social 3 points 2 years ago

I really want a modern 11" (small bezel) MacBook.

Of course I also want the 15" air so maybe I just like cool stuff. But I think there's a place for a real ultraportable that's not trying to kludge any of the awful keyboard cases on an iPad.

[–] Tanel@lemmy.world 3 points 2 years ago

Windows also has multiple desktop “spaces”, but the touch side is way smoother on the mac.

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[–] sourweasel@lemmy.world 9 points 2 years ago (10 children)

I much prefer MacOS over windows due to the spotlight search. The only thing I wish was added is a detailed audio interface. It’s frustrating having to go to a app to turn it up or down.

[–] xts@lemmy.world 3 points 2 years ago

Yeah a volume mixer that isn’t natively built in is a very missed opportunity. I don’t want to have to pay extra money for software that most other OSes ship with lol

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[–] Chadsmo@lemmy.world 7 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago) (2 children)

The last version of Windows I used on a computer I owned is 3.1

Every time I need to use Windows I’m so insanely lost and have next to no idea what I’m doing, like it’s seriously like I’m 80 yrs old and using a computer for the first time lol.

It doesn’t help that it feels like it’s vastly different in how the start menu works depending on which version I’m using.

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[–] zerbey@lemmy.world 7 points 2 years ago (1 children)

macOS is a great OS, and I've used it pretty extensively now. Every time I try to make it my primary OS I end up wanting to go back to Windows soon after. And this is from a die hard Linux advocate. Part of the issue is the cost and lack of easy upgrades for the hardware, the other is I just find macOS to be frustrating for anything but normal "user" stuff. So for me: Linux for servers and hobbyist stuff, macOS if no other option, Windows for just about everything else.

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[–] Lowered_lifted@lemmy.world 6 points 2 years ago (3 children)

This article is ridiculous because it doesn't mention why these differences exist at all. Like for example Macs don't have window snapping because Microsoft patented that feature back in the Windows Vista days. & Batch file renaming is a Unix thing. I have always liked Exposé and hot corners and also mission control, but many windows users hate it. It's entirely subjective and not at all rational. I guess that's the point of an opinion piece but it really lacks the context that would have made this article informative, just a little research would have been cool.

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[–] lobut@lemmy.ca 6 points 2 years ago (3 children)

I'm glad they mentioned rectangle, I found that app amazing. I have however upgraded to Amethyst for my app tiling though.

I'm a dev, so if I'm not doing .NET development. I found windows quite limiting. The new terminal stuff is nice but it's native on a mac. I'm not sure about Docker because that really spins the fans on my 16 Intel Pro.

Also, things like Spaces and virtual desktops have been pretty sweet for a long time now. Windows, I can't recall but it's been a horribly broken PowerToy for so long. I can't believe people were to recommending it. I think some people were telling me it's native now, but like, it's crazy how it wasn't done properly years ago.

[–] sleepybear@lemmy.myspamtrap.com 7 points 2 years ago

I’ve found Magnet to be great for snapping windows about the screen.

[–] nick@campfyre.nickwebster.dev 3 points 2 years ago

Docker uses a feature of the Linux kernel called kernel namespacing, so on macOS (and windows too iirc) it spins up a Linux VM which runs your Docker containers.

[–] herrvogel@lemmy.world 2 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago) (1 children)

Docker is not great on MacOS on Apple Silicon. Docker engine uses A TON of memory, around 8 gigs even with no containers running, and you can run into compatibility issues. My office, where we use Docker extensively, upgraded everyone's workstations to Apple silicon Macbook pros recently. We've been less than thrilled so far because turns out one of the images that we use as the base for many of our projects has trouble running on ARM chips. We fixed the problem, but still it was a whole thing. And there's no guarantee another similar problem won't pop up in the future either, unfortunately.

While it undeniably is a fantastic machine otherwise, I honestly think a higher end Dell or whatever that runs Linux would have been a better choice for the job. At least for the developer staff.

[–] joneskind@lemmy.world 3 points 2 years ago (3 children)

So your problem has nothing to do with ARM architecture or macOS itself, but on a lack of RAM.

Docker uses a lot of RAM on every platform, not only on macOS.

Looks like your company made a bad decision when choosing its hardware.

We use 16Gb M2 Pro to run docker instances running a copy of our infrastructure (ELK, CH, MariaDB, some maintenance batches, video encoding etc) with zero issue.

[–] anakaine@lemmy.world 2 points 2 years ago

I want to go to Mac, but the cost of additional ram is horrendous, and it's directly baked in to the soc. Through work I have a few very high end machines, and even the high end ECC ram I've put in those costs significantly less on a per mb basis than what's going into the macs and cannot be upgraded if required.

The value proposition just isn't there at the scale I'm hoping to play with. 64gb ram would be wonderful for a machine, but that's pushing into high end mac territory which adds a couple of extra grand in local currency to the price tag vs an x86 build.

[–] Lachy@lemmy.world 2 points 2 years ago

Docker for Mac has to run Linux in a virtual machine because macOS doesn’t natively support the containerisation APIs. That’s why it takes more memory and runs a bit slower than it does when running natively on a Linux machine.

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[–] tvbusy@lemmy.dbzer0.com 6 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago) (4 children)

Even before reading the article, I can already guessed that the author uses only the laptop's screen for work. I tried MacOS for 6 months, really liked that I can ultilize many of Linux commands that I only used to manage servers. But using multiple monitors is such a pain with MacOS that I can never understand how people put up with it. I then slowly understand why people keep saying "I can't see you or if you raised your hand" during meetings, it's because they use only one single screen.

I do thing MacOS will have a huge advantage over Windows and Linux if they overhaul the window system. However, seeing how "holding it wrong" consistently coming up in discussion, I don't see any chance soon, if ever.

[–] joneskind@lemmy.world 5 points 2 years ago (5 children)

Lol, is that a joke ???

I use Linux and MacOS. The scaling tools on Linux are the absolute worst. I have a 15 inch 1080p laptop plugged to a 24 inch display and this is a fucking nightmare to make the two working correctly. Whatever the distribution or the GNU, being Gnome, XFCE, Wayland, Sway. Arch or Debian based…

On the other hand I got a 14 inch MBP connected to 2 UltraFine 24 and an 2560x1080 monitor with absolutely zero issue.

I can adapt every single definition on every single screen, and the system remembers the def I set when plugging/unplugging.

MacOS external screen management tools is the best I’ve ever seen.

Your comment shows that you know absolutely nothing about macOS

[–] 2xsaiko@discuss.tchncs.de 3 points 2 years ago

My main PC is a 4k and 1080p monitor, running Plasma Wayland. Using 150% scaling and 100% on the other so pretty much the worst combination you can have in terms of monitor jank (mixed scaling together with fractional scaling). Functionality wise it's completely fine, there are some graphical bugs though. Mixed-DPI scaling used to be impossible on X11 but that's because it's old and not designed with that in mind at all. IIRC sway also worked well for me with that setup. What problems did you have?

Multi-monitor on macOS is fine for my purposes too though. I was actually blown away by how well Continuity display works with my iPad.

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[–] svprdga@vlemmy.net 4 points 2 years ago (3 children)

What's wrong with multiple monitors with macOS?

[–] DH10@feddit.de 4 points 2 years ago (3 children)
  1. M1 only supports 1 extra monitor. (M1 pro does support two, but only through an expensive thunderbolt dock or through two cables from different USB/TB ports.
  2. No volume adjustment of external monitors if they are not from Apple.

There are maybe many more (maybe no window snapping like windows if you count that), but those are the issues that I noticed.

[–] shinjiikarus@lemmy.world 3 points 2 years ago

I am a diehard Apple fanboy and don’t see any viable alternative for any of their main product lines. But their multi monitor performance is comically bad: I have Thunderbolt docks and two monitors work fine through that from a technical perspective. Though dragging windows between monitors is not seamless and macOS even rubs it in your face with some quirky UI hints when you are “leaving” one monitor and enter another like it’s the 90s. Icons and real life data in the menu bar have had scaling issues for a decade now on the screen you are not currently active on with a window (but can still see in real life, because eyes). There is an old desktop wallpaper saved somewhere from when I first connected the monitors that stays on the second one (the first monitor has my normal wallpaper). I know I can change this independently, but why?! When opening monitor settings you can adjust things like refresh rate or color profile independently, which is nice, but each window for adjustments opens on the screen it is adjusting. Apple’s whole multi monitor experience feels clunky and dated and hasn’t been getting any improvements for years, which tells me, nobody at Apple uses multiple screens.

[–] joneskind@lemmy.world 2 points 2 years ago (1 children)

You are saying absolute shit

M1 supports one external 4K display on laptop, two on the mini

M1 Pro supports 2 external 6K displays on laptop, 3 on the mini

You can extend any M1 Capability with an external hub.

Furthermore, you are comparing Linux (an Operating System) to the M1 (hardware). That’s stupid.

[–] aabram@lemm.ee 5 points 2 years ago

M1 supports one external 4K display on laptop, two on the mini

Yea, they key here being 4K. Try connecting 1080p or 1440p which normal people tend to have around and you get terrible scaling.

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[–] instamat@lemmy.world 4 points 2 years ago (2 children)

And not to forget the little Finder function that allows you to create a new folder with all of the items you've selected, which are automatically moved into it.

Oh how I wish windows could or would add this. And hitting the space bar in the Finder to look at a file without opening the requisite app. And just Preview. He’s right, there are tons of little QoL improvements that make macOS feel so superior.

[–] mnrockclimber 5 points 2 years ago (2 children)

Spacebar to preview, command-spacebar to launch apps. I'd die without those two things.

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[–] ParadoxSeahorse@lemmy.world 2 points 2 years ago (1 children)

Peek, another powertoys util, attempts to fill this gap using ^+space https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/powertoys/peek

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[–] mintiefresh@lemmy.ca 4 points 2 years ago (3 children)

I use both MacOS and Windows.

I think both have their uses and strengths. I don't really like putting one down over the other.

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[–] realitista@lemm.ee 3 points 2 years ago

For me, it's mac at home, windows at work. I work mostly in Microsoft Office, and it's just not very good on Mac. Also I prefer the start menu because the way I use it, it has labels so I can see at a glance what document I'm trying to get at. And I can't stand not having tree navigation in finder. Opening two windows to copy something to another folder is super annoying. But for home use with photos and music, I'm quite happy to use mac. The laptops are undoubtedly superior in terms of hardware.

[–] gzrrt@kbin.social 3 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago) (6 children)

MacOS window management is unfortunately a total mess. To the point that I still feel more productive on a dirt-cheap linux laptop, vs. my expensive work-isssued M1 machine with great hardware

[–] GrayBoltWolf@lemmy.world 6 points 2 years ago

Rectangle is the only way I find MacOS to be useful when it comes to window management.

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[–] spark947@lemm.ee 3 points 2 years ago

Kde plasma is working great for me! Just upgraded to bookworm. I'm definitely not going back to a proprietary system.

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