macOS
Apple's Unix-based desktop operating system for Mac computers.
HN commenters like it as a dependable daily driver that mostly just works12345, built on a Unix core with good defaults and tight Apple ecosystem features.678910 The most common complaint is persistent bugs, runaway background processes and declining software quality11121314151617, with many saying the OS holds back Apple's excellent hardware.1819202122
Why people recommend it
Just works · 3
Switchers from Linux and Windows say it lets them get work done without constant OS maintenance.
“I was a true Linux believer, and I still switched to a Mac because I needed things to just work.”
“Overall, it's an absolute joy.”
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“The operating system is transparent to what I needed to do.”
Daily driver · 3
Long-time users pick it as their primary OS over Windows and Linux after using them side by side.
“it’s what I choose for the daily driver”
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Unix workstation · 3
Valued as a *nix system with a BSD core and Homebrew that still runs commercial software.
“it’s a pretty good Unix that leaves nothing to be desired as a workstation OS”
“whilst it still has home brew and a BSD core it’s great”
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“it's a *nix system that can run the commercial software I need, with a lot of nice little attention to detail features”
Ecosystem integration · 2
Universal Control, AirDrop, universal clipboard and the wider Apple ecosystem are reasons people stay.
“it's a *nix system that can run the commercial software I need, with a lot of nice little attention to detail features”
“the operating system (and ecosystem in general) is one of the biggest reasons I use a Mac”
Quality apps · 2
Built-in apps such as calendars, contacts, Music and Terminal are called better than desktop Linux equivalents.
“I also had a Mac since 2007 and macOS never broke for me?”
“it’s a pretty good Unix that leaves nothing to be desired as a workstation OS”
Good defaults · 2
Some prefer it because it needs less tweaking than a customized Linux setup.
“This is why I prefer MacOS+VSCode these days, which comes with good defaults”
Caveats and dissent
Bugs · 3
Users report broken clipboard, display crashes, kernel panics, freezes and dropped video frames.
“I can never trust the clipboard to actually copy when I tell it to.”
“can get the MacOS Display Manager process to crash if I just enable variable rate refresh and put the computer to sleep”
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“I managed to have it panic multiple times over the last 8y”
Unintuitive UI · 3
Several users find the interface confusing, infuriating or inconsistent, especially when coming from Linux or Windows.
“I have tried a recent Mac, and the system isn't intuitive at all.”
“I find the user interface infuriating and can't get around it”
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“I genuinely hate macOS. Every time I use it, I'm surprised by some weird thing about it”
Declining quality · 3
Long-time users say macOS has steadily declined and updates are now something to dread.
“MacOS has been a steady decline for many years”
“MacOS lost everyone's trust by ruining the experience”
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“The golden rule is becoming, never update.”
Software lags hardware · 3
Many praise the Mac hardware but say the OS gets in the way and wish they could run Linux instead.
“The hardware is great, but the sofware is just unbearably bad.”
“macOS really gets in the way of using the otherwise excellent hardware.”
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“the more I use it, the more I struggle with macOS”
Background processes · 3
System daemons like corespotlightd and duetexpertd can peg CPU cores for long periods.
“I have seen the situation get massively worse since I entered the macOS ecosystem in '23.”
“it’s not getting any better when it comes to zombie processed”
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“macOS has been on a downward trend since Apple started pushing "Services", basically iCloud.”
Old hardware support · 3
Older Macs lose support for new macOS versions and the software users need.
“MacOS in particular doesn't "just work" anymore. In fact it's downright hostile to doing mundane things.”
“macos is great and the best software they've made”
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“The golden rule is becoming, never update.”
Often compared with
15 moved from Windows to macOS
4 moved from macOS to Windows
7 moved from Linux to macOS
3 moved from macOS to Linux
2 moved from Ubuntu to macOS
5 moved from macOS to Ubuntu
9 moved from macOS to Omarchy
3 moved from macOS to Asahi Linux
3 moved from Gentoo to macOS
2 moved from macOS to Gentoo
3 moved from macOS to KDE
1 moved from macOS to Arch Linux
Who recommends it in their own words
Threads where it came up
- I said no and Apple said yes 10 mentions
- Apple introduces M6 and M5 Ultra 7 mentions
- Leaving Linux 6 mentions
- "Gravity is worth asking about." 5 mentions
- Apple has added persistent 'ads' to iOS, and it's driving users crazy 4 mentions
- Apple/macOS removed from official Unix registry 3 mentions
Also written as Mac OS. Data: macos.json. Quotes are verbatim; the verdict and theme labels are written by a model from these comments, and every clause links to its sources.
All comments 53
“macos apparently couldn't render the liquid ass volume control and play the video smoothly at the same time”
“all 3 operating systems are relatively competent”
“I use Linux and I use macOS.”
“The hardware is great, but the sofware is just unbearably bad.”
“the more I use it, the more I struggle with macOS”
“I jumped ship in 2003 and switched to MacOS X before XP SP2 was released.”
“I'm getting tired of MacOS”
“it’s a pretty good Unix that leaves nothing to be desired as a workstation OS”
“macos is great and the best software they've made”
“My niche is more Mac Os System 7 -OS 9 and Be OS”
“I have seen the situation get massively worse since I entered the macOS ecosystem in '23.”
“I decided that MacOS X wasn’t so bad after all after that.”
“These days I'm on OSX mostly because of the frequency of business trips”
“I suspect macOS is at fault. Apple does not seem to care about getting basic functionality right.”
“I use them both and my life is good”
“doesn't MacOS sandbox most apps?”
“Very irritating platform to work on.”
“whilst it still has home brew and a BSD core it’s great”
“at my current job, that was not an option, so I'm on macOS.”
“my main device is limited to (somewhat) trusted software: MacOS, Chrome”
“I'm glad Apple stuff mostly just works”
“You can't even see the update download speed or progress percentage on MacOS, and have to approve 3 times to run a downloaded program”
“Not a lot of good reasons to upgrade to 27.”
“MacOS is my daily driver”
“after a while I realized that was a good thing”
“it’s not getting any better when it comes to zombie processed”
“The golden rule is becoming, never update.”
“now macOS is like Windows -- You can be typing a document in a word processor, and then suddenly for no reason you're typing it into a browser”
“I'll also never buy a Mac again after having been tricked by the mass opinion and forced to work on that hellscape of a UX”
“This Mac system is also very good.”
“I can never trust the clipboard to actually copy when I tell it to.”
“macOS even copied the Windows snap system, and I use it.”
“This "just works" thing is propaganda.”
“I went back to MacOS and life was so much better.”
“I have tried a recent Mac, and the system isn't intuitive at all.”
“I love MacOS and it’s my primary OS”
“it’s what I choose for the daily driver”
“the system isn't intuitive at all”
“MacOS in particular doesn't "just work" anymore. In fact it's downright hostile to doing mundane things.”
“it's also extremely reliable in a way that Linux simply isn't”
“I was a true Linux believer, and I still switched to a Mac because I needed things to just work.”
“I also had a Mac since 2007 and macOS never broke for me?”
“can get the MacOS Display Manager process to crash if I just enable variable rate refresh and put the computer to sleep”
“Overall, it's an absolute joy.”
“the operating system (and ecosystem in general) is one of the biggest reasons I use a Mac”
“This is why I prefer MacOS+VSCode these days, which comes with good defaults”
“The operating system is transparent to what I needed to do.”
“it's a *nix system that can run the commercial software I need, with a lot of nice little attention to detail features”
“find the OS to be annoying. Less annoying than Windows for sure, but I'd rather be running Linux.”
“macOS really gets in the way of using the otherwise excellent hardware.”
“the closed software ecosystem is terrible for taking advantage of it”
“MacOS has been a steady decline for many years”
“MacOS lost everyone's trust by ruining the experience”