Timeline for How to tell your boss that you don't want to use the expensive MacBook he bought you, as you are used to Linux/Windows
Current License: CC BY-SA 4.0
20 events
| when toggle format | what | by | license | comment | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 4, 2020 at 2:07 | comment | added | rooby | @user91988 true. It also doesn't account for whether or not people are forced to use those OSes for their job. That doesn't make the claim that macs are ahead of other platforms in terms of developer productivity any less ridiculous. Aside from a small number of non-cross-platform tools, it is entirely whatever a person is used to and their personal preferences. There is no legitimate argument I can think of for non-mac OSes being antiquated. I can name a number of things I like and dislike about any major OS platform. It's about how much weight those pros & cons have for you personally. | |
| Aug 3, 2020 at 13:49 | comment | added | user91988 | @rooby SO developer surveys are basically anecdotal too. | |
| Aug 2, 2020 at 23:51 | comment | added | rooby | @user91988 Your evidence is anecdotal. Personal preference for one thing doesn't mean something else is becoming obsolete. The stats of the latest SO developer survey don't really agree with you. After 5 years on mac I'm recently back on Windows and am happier. Better value for money on hardware too (although I'm happy with my apple hardware). I also prefer Ubuntu over OSX. For the particular work I do (mostly web & mobile app dev) the only thing I have to have a mac for is iOS dev & cross platform testing. There is nothing else I do that I find better on a mac. Most tools are cross platform. | |
| Jul 31, 2020 at 16:05 | comment | added | user3067860 | @user91988 For me, the problems with the track pad were OS/software related. Specifically, the horrible delay after drag and drop which seemingly can't be removed. The hardware itself seems fine. Also, do you have any other improvements besides "better chips" to list? As long as my application builds and deploys quickly (which ime has to do with your build setup more than processor speed) I'm not sure what "better chip" is getting me. My text editor is hardly straining my processor or video card... | |
| Jul 31, 2020 at 15:30 | comment | added | Joe | If you're a dev, and you think that you'll need to tweak packages that are getting installed, macports might be a better option over homebrew. (it's more like BSD ports, where it patches the distribution and you compile vs. downloading pre-compiled binaries) And I whole heartedly agree with iTerm2 (it's pinned in my dock, although it's rare that if it's not running). There's also lots more options for text editors these days, but I'm still a fan of BBEdit. | |
| Jul 31, 2020 at 13:59 | comment | added | user91988 | @rooby It kind of is, though. Especially with Apple's custom chips coming. Macs have kept getting better and better over the past 20 years while the others have stagnated. There's a reason the majority of developers at major tech companies use Macs. They can all choose whatever they want, and they prefer Macs. As a programmer myself, I get it. It's not just personal preference. Macs are better at a lot of things in regards to development and programming work. That's how they become personal preference. | |
| Jul 31, 2020 at 1:45 | comment | added | rooby | "If you fosillise in any technology field, you risk being left behind. My advise is to learn some new stuff, sorry." - I'm not sure that this is really valid in the context of comparing competing OSes. It's not like windows and linux are old and mac is new and if you're not on a mac you're stuck in the old days, haha. | |
| Jul 30, 2020 at 18:28 | comment | added | user91988 | @KevinWells I certainly agree with all of that, as I've already said, and I think everyone else here does, too. All I'm saying is the trackpad isn't a reason to dislike a Mac—their trackpads are best in class. A criticism I could understand, for example, is that they don't have enough ports. Or not liking the touch bar. Both perfectly valid. But criticizing the trackpad is insane. | |
| Jul 30, 2020 at 17:55 | comment | added | Kevin | @user91988 I would not argue that the Mac trackpad is bad in particular, in fact I think they are more usable than most, but I would argue that trackpads are bad in general for development. Some people have become quite good with them and can make them work just fine for development, but I've also seen people use all kinds of strange input devices that I wouldn't recommend for people who have other choices. | |
| Jul 30, 2020 at 14:06 | comment | added | user91988 | @Flater Yeah, what you're talking about is not being used to how much better Mac trackpads are. The floatiness you mention is actually speed (once you get used to it). Other trackpads feel sticky in comparison. | |
| Jul 30, 2020 at 10:45 | comment | added | Flater | @user91988: I've only used a Mac for a few minutes. I'm not saying that the build quality of the trackpad is bad, but using it feels off. That may just be a matter of Mac using a different configuration (sensitivity etc) and me being used to different settings, but I've used many laptop brands and Mac is the only one where the different cursor response stood out. It feels "floaty" to me. Hard to describe but I didn't like it. Not saying I couldn't get used to it after a while, but I understand Criggie's annoyance. | |
| Jul 30, 2020 at 1:55 | comment | added | user91988 | @Criggie Well, yeah that's one of the best things about it, so I'd say give it more time (and turn tracking speed to fast). But I get it, I always prefer to use a mouse too. I just don't mind the trackpad much. | |
| Jul 30, 2020 at 1:02 | comment | added | Criggie | @user91988 its probably partially me "getting used to it" and partially that the entire surface of the track pad is a physical button that moves down when pressed. As I said, a normal USB mouse makes things much more "normal" | |
| Jul 30, 2020 at 1:01 | comment | added | Criggie | @gerrit yeah - serial console ports for hardware that needs it, like routers and switches. A good USB/serial adapter helps, a cheap janky USB/serial adapter is painful. I still have a ~12 year old centrino laptop because of its real physical serial port. | |
| Jul 30, 2020 at 1:00 | comment | added | Criggie | @nomen by "apple button" you mean "command" which is left of the space bar. | |
| Jul 29, 2020 at 20:31 | comment | added | nomen | One tip for the switcher: embrace the Apple button. It's so much easier than doing the stupid pinky reach for copy-paste etc. I haven't used OS X daily in years, but I still miss using my thumb. | |
| Jul 29, 2020 at 14:18 | comment | added | wfaulk | @gerrit I'm sure he's referring to an RS232 serial connection, which is still often used for console connections to hardware devices. I'm not sure how that's notably relevant here, though. | |
| Jul 29, 2020 at 14:16 | comment | added | user91988 | Can you name a laptop with a better trackpad? Genuinely curious, as Apple is well-known for having the best trackpads in the industry. The keyboard on that one run of MBPs was terrible, but otherwise their keyboards are known for being great, too. | |
| Jul 29, 2020 at 11:57 | comment | added | gerrit | Confused about your serial port point. USB is serial, what are you referring to here? | |
| Jul 29, 2020 at 1:51 | history | answered | Criggie | CC BY-SA 4.0 |