I asked this to an AI, and it didn’t say anything intelligible, maybe I’m just not smart enough to understand AI.
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Anything Snow Leopard and before > Linux Mint > Current macOS.
But why?
It runs on generic hardware so you don’t have to pay the Apple tax.
Fair point, but also, the M4 Mac mini is $500 for a pretty competitive chip, 16GB RAM, and 256GB on-chip SSD. You can beat that with a PC (and probably get a bit bigger drive, like 500GB, and you’d be able to upgrade), but you wouldn’t save that much money. The Windows license puts it over; of course, the idea is you get someone to sell you one without a Windows license and install Linux. But if they aren’t including Windows, they aren’t selling in enough bulk to get the price down. There are a bunch of little computers from China that are competitive, but do you trust them? Up to you, I guess.
The other option, I went over in my top-level comment, is to find a gently used office PC that can’t be upgraded to Windows 11, like a 7th gen i5. It’s not gonna be competitive, performance wise, against that M4 Mac mini, though, but you might get it for like $100 from eBay or something, so maybe it’s fine.
To add to your point, not only does it run on “generic” hardware, it runs on “whatever” hardware.
The mac mini and mac studio give the user a lot of bang for their buck. Those who say “Apple tax,” I’m convinced, haven’t looked into the Apple settings or used the ecosystem for what it’s typically used for… I actually think Apple is worth the money for a lot of people, it just depends on how you typically use the computer and what you need from it
I’m more asking about why a typical Mac user would switch to Linux mint, wondering this in response to something I heard someone say to me. I think maybe, that person just really likes Linux Mint, and wants everybody to use it.
Well, if you have an old Mac (like Intel era), I think Linux would be a good target if your Mac isn’t supported anymore. I’m not sure what Linux distros run on Apple Silicon. Linux being a bit lighter weight would mitigate some of the issues Mac guys have with certain Intel Macs (overheating). And certainly breathe new life into the machine.
I’m not quite sold on Mac Studio. For high end, I don’t want something that’s all on one chip and can’t be upgraded. But that’s what Apple Silicon is all about. Just seems like someone who needs that much computer would be better served by a different kind of machine. For cheap consumer grade computers, Macs are kinda hard to beat, but at every price point, there are other options. Hard to say what the best is. It would depend on the user.
while you’re probably looking for some very tangible reasons in a bullet list of how its better, there’s really one foundational reason and everything else is a distant second.
Linux (mint or otherwise) is your OS that you use on your hardware. Period. It’s not going to tell you how to use it, what is allowed, what is right, or anything of that nature. It’s yours. Have at it.
LLMs don’t “understand” anything. They are predicting what text matches your prompt. If you don’t understand what an AI is saying, it’s not saying anything
Don’t ask AI things if you don’t understand them and their limitations.
Personally I find the MacOS interface to be horrendous. Window management is bad. The Mac apps are always opening my files instead of the third-party ones I designated as default. It’s messy.
Other than that my primary concern with MacOS is that you can only run it on insanely expensive, irreparable, unupgradeable, disposable hardware.
With Apple, its really important to go into the settings right away. I’ve heard macOS described as extremely easy and user-friendly, and that’s true when it comes to just using the machines, but it’s also very adjustable. The settings is actually a pretty complicated series of menus, even though it seems straightforward, some settings take a few clicks to even find.
The price point is a valid comment… really expensive hardware compared to what one could get for the same amount of money.
I dunno what you mean.There’s nothing in the settings that will solve my problems with MacOS or I would have just made them already.
There’s also the shitty “Gatekeeper” that says “no, we don’t recognize this software, you can’t install it” and you have to go into the terminal and disable it, only to have it re-enable itself at a later time. I’ve also had it refuse to turn off Bluetooth. Anytime my computer tells me “no”, it makes me fuckin irate.
It’s only saving grace is that Apple has not yet filled it with a bunch of ads and tracking.
The stuff you said about opening files and window management can be adjusted in settings.
The other stuff you mentioned, about controlling how to turn off Bluetooth and disabling Gatekeeper without the terminal, is also dependent upon a frankly lengthly and complicated settings menu. If you still use Apple in any context, you should really do some research about settings menus.
On iPhone, knowing your settings is especially crucial. You could have the most private phone possible without a third party OS, or you could have a phone that’s basically open to hackers, and it’s almost totally dependent on how you adjust your privacy and contact settings.
That’s incorrect. They cannot be adjusted. You should really do some research about settings menus.
Yes, they can be adjusted, it just requires multiple steps. The reason I didn’t explain it to you is because it’s exhausting and I don’t remember off the top of my head. I have adjusted how to open files on my Apple machines in the past, as well as the other things you mentioned, you’ve got to look it up, especially since they like to occasionally change the settings menu. If I gave you a tutorial it might not be totally up to date. Facebook, Youtube and Tiktok all have settings tutorials for Apple.
No, they can’t be adjusted. I don’t need a tutorial.
https://support.apple.com/guide/mac-help/choose-an-app-to-open-a-file-on-mac-mh35597/mac
Number 1 search result, contains instructions for multiple versions, I checked that it’s accurate with the last four major releases.
Are you sure you properly designated default apps?
- get info on the file
- change preferred app
- make sure you check the box indicating change for all
Edit: then close the info panel, of course.
Yes I’m sure, I’ve checked a dozen times.
It’s not
Better for what? The question in isolation is fairly meaningless.
The problem is asking a fundamentally subjective question in a way that presupposes it to be objective truth.
If you instead asked,
What are some advantages that Linux Mint and macOS have over each other?
…you might get more useful answers—from people, that is. AI will just give you what you think you want to hear.
OK seems like you knew what I was trying to say, do you have an answer to this question?
What are some advantages that Linux Mint and macOS have over each other?
Why is my chainsaw better than my accord?
It’s not a good question.
You cannot think of any good reasons?
Ever tried clearing trees with your Accord?
I don’t have an accord, I can’t save at bonfires.
You should ask the AI what the advantages are of Linux Mint over macOS. You should then ask the reverse and compare the pros and cons from both angles.
Note that the AI is just going to aggregate Reddit posts and dress up the language a bit. But you should get good information.
As a macOS user typing on a Mac mini (M2 Pro) running macOS 26.2 Tahoe, I will say that Linux is better for gaming via Proton. We have the Game Porting Tool Kit (GPTK) but this is not really user facing. We have paid options like CrossOver, and there used to be a free option called Whisky, but it’s been discontinued. Linux is kind of awesome for gaming and like, most games run on Linux now. (I choose to game on Xbox and Switch, but that’s beside the point.)
I think macOS is a slightly more polished product, but the trade-off for Linux is, you can run it on more hardware (like if you have an ageing PC and you don’t want to get a Mac — or, if you can find a decent PC for the price of an M4 Mac mini, which goes for $500), and you have more control over the software. For example, it just came up again in the Windows communities that Windows 11 can’t move its taskbar to the sides or the top like it’s done since Windows 95 through Windows 10. macOS has a menu bar that is stuck on the top always (always has been) but it has an application dock on the bottom that can move to the left (but not the right, nor can it sit on or under the menu bar at the top). In Linux, not only can you put your system bar wherever you want it, I think you can customise it to have more than one (like you can go macOS and have a menu/system bar and dock, but you can put them where you want them).
I personally wouldn’t choose Linux over macOS, but if I did, I would start with Ubuntu. Personal preference. And, while I wouldn’t trade my MacBook, I could use Linux on the desktop. I wouldn’t hate it. I like my Mac, but if I got ahold of an older PC, like something a company was getting rid of because it can’t run Windows 11 (say, a 7th generation i5 with 16GB of RAM would be nice), I’d wipe the drive and put Linux on it. I would not try to make it a Hackintosh (I’m honestly not gonna do the work). Coming from an office, it would likely be sold without a drive. So I’d get a cheap SATA SSD (like 500/512GB) and put Ubuntu on it.
Bold reply in r/Linux.
Interesting response. I’m not subbed the the Linux community; Lemmy is small enough, I just browse /all. Still, even among Linux users, there’s no best. You got the Arch guys, the Mint guys, the Ubuntu guys, and everyone in between, and hashing out which options are best has got to be an interesting part of it. So if you add Windows and macOS into the mix, you’re not really changing the conversation. Just more pros and cons to toss around. Saying things like “proprietary” and “Apple tax” are reductive and don’t really get anyone anywhere. Like who gives a shit. Really. Though I think a lot of people agree paid Linux and proprietary Linux is seldom good. Like Lindows/Linspire. Nobody liked that shit. There’s a new one that’s paid, or it’s free but has paid options, apparently it’s pretty popular? I forget the name right now. Marketing itself as a better alternative to Windows. And I get it. Support options and all that. It’s a good idea. But the Arch guys aren’t buying it, and I suspect the Mint and Ubuntu guys aren’t interested, either. But a Windows guy who, that’s all he knows? Maybe it’s a nice first step to something else.
Oh, I fully understand what you said, the diatribe wasn’t required. I just thought it was weird, just walking into a chili cook-off telling everyone you don’t like chili.
Only I don’t dislike chili (Linux). What you’re saying is that someone who likes beans in their chili wouldn’t be welcome at a chili cook-off because beans don’t belong in chili in your opinion, and your opinion should be the law of the land.
Or are you saying a person can only attend a chili cook-off (or a discussion about Linux) if they eat chili every day (or use Linux)? Can someone who is merely interested in the subject not partake, Your Holy Imperial Majesty?
That’s a lot of pedantic side-stepping.
Your Holy Imperial Majesty?
Look, I don’t know what you’re trying to get out of this conversation, but at this point, you can kindly fuck off.
Linux = Libre
MacOS = Jail
- it’s free
- runs on a wider range of hardware
- is more customizable
- can run much windows software with wine or proton
- has a large ecosystem of native software
- much of it free and open source
The advantage of Mac is it’s more widely used and thus more widely supported (for things that are supported at all). You can just buy an apple computer from a trusted source and it’ll work. Linux doesn’t quite have that yet. If more people move to Linux , you’ll find better drivers and stuff.
I‘m a big fan of FOSS but it really depends on what you’re looking for. For work I’m completely fine with a Mac because I have a proper terminal and don’t have to deal with windows. It’s a walled garden so I don’t spend any time thinking about what I would do, I just focus on shipping code.
I think the price of Mac Minis and some of the MacBooks is actually competitive for what you get. This is not because I think Apple is good value for money, but because I think other hardware has become so much more expensive.
If you want to run something that you can customize and that’s forever free and yours, Apple is obviously the wrong choice tho
I’m a really big fan of both Mac Mini and Mac Studio. Macbook Pro is good too, but it is overpriced compared to the other two machines. It’s not as ‘idiot-proof’ as some people believe, though. Most people don’t know their settings, I’ve had trouble with this on the Mac too, the settings menu is intense, Windows-level privacy vs end-to-end encryption, all dependent on settings.
Macos doesn’t solve the ownership or customisation of OS problem that windows also has.
Mint does. Don’t like how macos does something? Too bad.
Don’t like how mint does something? Someone likely already has a package to fix it.
