Best OS for programming? Mac vs Windows vs Linux debate settled

Summary

In this video, the speaker humorously explores the choice between Mac, Windows, and Linux operating systems from a software engineer's perspective. They recount their experiences with each OS, highlighting the strengths and weaknesses. Mac offers the best hardware but is restrictive and expensive. Windows is flexible and can run Linux through WSL, but it's historically been less developer-friendly. Linux is powerful and customizable but has a steep learning curve and less commercial software support. The video suggests that the choice depends on individual needs, wealth, lifestyle, and desire for control, ending with a playful flowchart to help viewers decide.

Takeaways

• 💻 The choice of operating system (OS) as a programmer is significant, impacting both work and subconscious mindset.
• 📜 By agreeing to terms and conditions, users may feel they join a collective, such as the 'Windows Collective' or 'cult of Apple'.
• 🛠️ The speaker suggests that compiling the Linux kernel is a path to open-source freedom, contrasting proprietary systems.
• 👨‍💻 Personal experiences with Windows, Mac, and Linux have shaped the speaker's perspective on their utility for software engineering.
• 🔧 The speaker humorously notes that FreeBSD is superior but prefers to keep this opinion a secret to avoid controversy.
• 💼 Early career experiences with Windows led to the use of Java and Oracle, but the speaker found remote work on a MacBook more liberating.
• 🔄 The transition to Linux was prompted by hardware failure and the allure of the 'hardcore developers' preference for the OS.
• 🔧 The speaker advocates for the use of a versatile IDE like JetBrains, which supports development across different OS platforms.
• 🍎 Macs are praised for their hardware but criticized for their proprietary nature and limited upgrade options.
• 🐧 Linux is described as the king of servers, offering freedom, flexibility, and a learning opportunity about how computers work.
• 🖥️ Windows is criticized for its commercial software, privacy concerns, and updates, but praised for the Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL).
• 🤔 The final decision on which OS to use is presented humorously, suggesting it depends on wealth, personal life, and desire for a divinely designed OS.

Q & A

What is the significance of choosing an operating system as a programmer?

Choosing an operating system is significant for a programmer because it impacts their development environment, the tools they use, and how they interact with the system for potentially thousands of hours.

What is the 'Windows Collective hive mind' mentioned in the script?

The 'Windows Collective hive mind' is a humorous term used in the script to describe the community of Windows users who agree to the terms and conditions and use the Windows operating system.

What does the script suggest about the experience of using a Macbook Pro for development?

The script suggests that using a Macbook Pro for development offers a sleek and portable experience, allowing for remote work in various locations, but it also implies that it can be expensive and has limited upgrade options.

Why did the speaker switch to using Linux?

The speaker switched to using Linux because they realized that many hardcore developers were using it, and after their Macbook Pro stopped working, they built a PC and installed Ubuntu.

What is the speaker's opinion on the term 'Linux' in the context of their usage?

The speaker clarifies that by 'Linux,' they actually mean 'GNU/Linux,' emphasizing the importance of the GNU components and utilities that make a fully functioning system as defined by POSIX.

What is the speaker's stance on the idea of a perfect operating system?

The speaker believes that there is no perfect operating system, as they use a combination of Windows, Linux, and macOS, each for different purposes and development needs.

What are some of the advantages of using Mac OS for development according to the script?

Mac OS is Unix-based with a good file system design, comes with developer tools like Zell, Git, and Vim out of the box, and offers a nice terminal experience and package management with Homebrew.

What are the drawbacks of using Linux mentioned in the script?

Drawbacks of using Linux include its complexity, the need to choose from various distributions and desktop environments, and the lack of support for commercial software and drivers for some hardware.

How does the script describe the evolution of Microsoft's approach towards open source and developers?

The script describes a shift in Microsoft's strategy from trying to extinguish open standards and being antagonistic towards Linux to embracing open source and creating features like the Windows Subsystem for Linux to win over developers.

What is the Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL), and how does it benefit developers?

The Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) is a feature that allows developers to run a full Linux distribution inside Windows, providing the ability to use Linux terminal apps and GUI apps, offering the best of both worlds.

What is the final recommendation in the script for choosing an operating system based on certain personal criteria?

The script humorously suggests that if you are rich, you should choose Mac OS; if you have a girlfriend or a life, Windows is optimal; and if you want an operating system designed by God, you should choose Linux or Temple OS.

Outlines

00:00

🤔 The Dilemma of Choosing an Operating System for Programmers

This paragraph discusses the significant choice a programmer faces when selecting an operating system (OS) among Mac, Windows, or Linux. It humorously suggests that choosing an OS brands you as part of a collective, such as the 'Windows Collective hive mind' or the 'cult of Apple'. The speaker shares personal anecdotes, starting with using Windows and building websites with Java and Oracle, then transitioning to a MacBook Pro for Ruby on Rails development. The paragraph emphasizes the influence of Richard Stallman and the transition to Linux, particularly Debian and Gnu/Linux, which is part of a fully functioning GNU system. The speaker concludes that while there's no perfect OS, using multiple OSes is beneficial and highlights the importance of a versatile IDE like JetBrains, which is the sponsor of the video.

05:01

🛠️ The Pros and Cons of Developing on Different Operating Systems

The second paragraph delves into the advantages and disadvantages of developing on Mac, Linux, and Windows. It starts by outlining the high-quality hardware of Macs and the limitations of their upgradeability and the proprietary nature of the ecosystem. The speaker appreciates Mac OS's Unix-based system, which comes with useful developer tools and a pleasant terminal experience. However, the paragraph also points out the complexity and learning curve associated with Linux, which is the dominant OS on servers but less user-friendly for personal computers. The speaker mentions the flexibility and customization offered by Linux, as well as its drawbacks such as limited support for commercial software and hardware drivers. The paragraph also criticizes Windows for its cost, privacy concerns, and update policies, but acknowledges Microsoft's efforts to appeal to developers through features like the Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL). The speaker concludes with a flowchart to help developers choose their OS based on their financial status, personal life, and desire for a divinely designed OS, humorously suggesting Temple OS as the ultimate choice.

Keywords

💡Operating Systems (OS)

An operating system is the software that manages computer hardware and software resources and provides common services for computer programs. In the video, the main theme revolves around choosing between different operating systems—Mac, Windows, and Linux—as a programmer, which is crucial as it impacts the development environment and tools used.

💡Windows Collective Hive Mind

This term metaphorically describes the community of Windows users who are bound together by their choice of operating system. The video suggests that by agreeing to the terms and conditions of Windows, one becomes part of a collective mindset, indicating a sense of conformity or standardization among Windows users.

💡Cult of Apple

Refers to the dedicated and sometimes zealous following of Apple products, particularly in the context of the video, the MacBook. The script implies that by purchasing and using an Apple product, one joins a group with a strong brand loyalty and a shared identity.

💡Open Source Freedom Fighter

This phrase is used to describe someone who advocates for and uses open-source software, which is software whose source code is available to the public for use and modification from its original design. In the video, the term is used to contrast with the proprietary nature of Windows and Apple ecosystems, suggesting a sense of rebellion against closed systems.

💡GNU/Linux

GNU/Linux is a free and open-source operating system composed of the GNU tools and the Linux kernel. The video explains that while Linux is often referred to as an operating system, it is technically the kernel that is part of a larger GNU system. This distinction is important for understanding the philosophy and structure of free software.

💡Integrated Development Environments (IDEs)

An IDE is a software application that provides comprehensive facilities to computer programmers for software development. The video mentions JetBrains IDEs, which are popular among developers for their sophisticated code completion and integrated tooling, as an example of an IDE that supports development across different operating systems.

💡MacBook Pro

The MacBook Pro is a line of laptop computers by Apple known for their sleek design and high performance. In the script, the MacBook Pro is used as an example of the type of hardware that developers might use, particularly for developing applications like Ruby on Rails.

💡Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL)

WSL is a compatibility layer for running Linux binary executables natively on Windows. The video highlights WSL as a feature that allows developers to use Linux tools and applications directly on Windows, which can be beneficial for those who prefer the Windows environment but need Linux capabilities.

💡Commercial Software

Commercial software refers to software that is produced for sale, typically with proprietary licenses. The video mentions that Linux has limited support for commercial software like Adobe products, which can be a drawback for users who rely on such software for their work.

💡Right to Repair

The right to repair is a movement advocating for the legal right of consumers to repair their own electronic devices and equipment. The video touches on this concept in the context of Apple products, where hardware components are often difficult to repair or upgrade due to design choices that discourage user modifications.

💡Linux Mint

Linux Mint is a user-friendly Linux distribution based on Debian. The video script mentions it as an example of a Linux distribution designed to be more accessible to users who are not as technically inclined, contrasting with more complex distributions like those in the Arch family.

💡TypeScript

TypeScript is an open-source programming language developed and maintained by Microsoft. It is a strict syntactical superset of JavaScript and adds optional static typing to the language. The video mentions TypeScript as an example of a modern programming language that developers might use, particularly in conjunction with Microsoft's Visual Studio Code.

Highlights

The choice of operating system (OS) as a programmer affects not only the time spent with the OS but also has a profound impact on one's subconscious.

Using Windows OS means joining the 'Windows Collective hive mind' and being part of the Apple ecosystem when using a Mac.

To break free from proprietary systems, one can compile the Linux kernel from scratch, embracing open-source freedom.

The speaker has experienced using Windows, Mac, and Linux OS for software development over a decade.

FreeBSD is considered superior by the speaker, although it is not widely known.

The speaker's first job involved using Windows and technologies like Java and Oracle database to build websites.

After being fired from the first job, the speaker transitioned to remote work using a MacBook Pro.

The transition to Linux was prompted by the failure of the MacBook Pro and the influence of Richard Stallman.

Linux, or more accurately GNU/Linux, is part of a fully functioning GNU system with essential components.

Using multiple operating systems requires a versatile IDE like JetBrains, which is platform-independent.

WebStorm by JetBrains is recommended for web developers, featuring AI assistance for coding.

Mac OS has the advantage of being Unix-based with a good file system design and developer tools.

Linux dominates the server market due to its free, open-source, and reliable nature.

Linux offers flexibility and the opportunity to learn more about how computers work through customization.

Linux has drawbacks, including limited support for commercial software and hardware drivers.

Microsoft has changed its approach, becoming more developer-friendly with tools like VS Code, GitHub, and Azure.

Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) allows running a full Linux distro within Windows, combining the best of both OS.

Windows can be installed on any hardware, allowing for easy upgrades compared to Mac.

A flowchart is provided to help decide which OS to choose based on personal circumstances and preferences.

Transcripts

Mac windows or Linux that's the single

biggest Choice you'll ever make if you

decide to become a programmer not only

will you spend tens of thousands of

hours with your OS but it also has a

profound impact on your subconscious by

clicking I agree to the terms and

conditions you are now forever a part of

the windows Collective hive mind when

you unbox that Sleek new Macbook you

unknowingly just join the cult of apple

and the only way to break these

proprietary shackles is to compile the

Linux kernel from scratch to call

yourself an open source freedom fighter

who will be your supreme leader jobs

dates or tour vaals in today's video

we'll look at the differences between

Mac windows and Linux from the

perspective of a software engineer for

more than a decade I've enjoyed the

Pleasure and Pain of all three of these

operating systems and have realized that

FreeBSD is superior to all of them but I

don't want that secret to get out in

many years ago when I got my first real

job I was assigned a Windows machine and

got introduced to beautiful Technologies

like Java and Oracle database from my

cubicle I use these tools to build

crappy websites for a failing Fortune

500 company it sucked but luck through

divine intervention I was fired from

that job and started doing remote work

full-time with my brand new Macbook Pro

this bad boy had a dual core CPU and a

full gigabyte of ram I traveled around

the country from Starbucks to Starbucks

drinking so lattes while developing Ruby

on Rails applications on my MacBook but

eventually I realized that the real

hardcore developers were using Linux as

fate would have it my MacBook Pro

stopped working right on schedule

exactly 2 years after I bought it so

that's when I built my first PC from

scratch and installed Ubuntu around this

time Richard stallman called at spyware

so I experimented with a bunch of other

dros but have mostly stuck with Debian

what I'm referring to as Linux is in

fact G new Linux or is I've recently

taken to calling it G Plus Linux the

ganu plus Linux system Linux is not an

operating system unto itself but rather

another free component of a fully

functioning gnu system made useful by

the ganu cor Libs shell utilities and

vital system components comprising a

full OS as defined by posix what I've

learned over the years is that there's

no perfect OS like today I use windows

but use the windows subsystem for Linux

for development and always keep a

MacBook Pro along with my ski goggles

available for traveling now when using

three different operating systems it's

important to have an IDE that runs on

all of them and there's nothing better

than Jeet brains idees the sponsor of

today's video their legendary family of

integrated development environments are

used by millions of developers every day

and famous for their sophisticated code

completion and integrated tooling as a

web developer I'm a big fan of webstorm

which contains everything you'll need

for the craziness of JavaScript

development but can Now understand and

write code even faster thanks to the AI

assistant it's a programming optimized

model that can offer suggestions

describe your code and write your code

while understanding the context of a

large project but most importantly the

IDE is reliable and fun to use it's got

an intuitive minimal interface but tons

of power under the hood so you don't

need to install a bunch of plugins to

start being productive and best of all

you can try out Jeet brain's idees for

your favorite programming language with

a 30-day free trial use the link in the

description deson but now let's talk

about the pros and cons of developing on

a Macintosh Apple by far makes the best

hardware but to obtain it you must pay a

large tribute like $1,000 just for a

stand in addition another major drawback

is that you can't upgrade these machines

if you want to add more RAM storage or

gpus the upgrade options are extremely

limited on top of that that ecosystem is

designed to lock you in if you want to

build apps for iOS or the Apple Vision

Pro you'll almost certainly need to own

a Mac and if your Hardware ever breaks

you'll find that the components are

glued or soldered into place which means

it's impossible to repair without going

to the Apple Store and there's been a

lot of controversy around the right to

repair but nobody really wants to repair

their old MacBook by the time it breaks

there's going to be some awesome new

thing that you'll just have to buy but

more important than the hardware is the

software and one thing that's really

nice about Mac OS is that it's Unix

based Unix has been around since the 70s

and has a really nice file system design

that uses forward slashes and Mac comes

with a bunch of good developer tools out

of the box like Zell git vim and so on

in addition you can use package managers

like Homebrew to easily install and

manage different development tools the

terminal experience on a Mac is nice and

tools in the guey look really nice

although they can be pretty annoying to

use I'm looking at youf finder but most

importantly everything works out of the

box with zero configuration Mac OS

prevents you from going down

customization rabbit holes spending days

configuring Pointless Stuff on your

machine instead of writing code that's

actually useful but if you want to get

really good at computers you'll need to

learn Linux on the server Linux is King

the vast majority of servers running in

the cloud powering the world's

infrastructure run Linux and that's

because it's free open- source and

reliable however very few normies

actually use it for their personal

computers why is that it has to do with

complexity to use Linux you first need

to choose a family like Debian Arch red

hat genu and many others then you have

to choose a Dro in that family like

under Red Hat you've got Enterprise

Linux vedora sentos Rocky Linux and many

others then you'll have to choose a

desktop environment like gnome KDE and

so on then finally you'll need to open

up the terminal type in a bunch of

commands to resolve dependencies compile

things from Source update file

permissions then a few weeks later you

should be good to go some dros are

designed to be extremely userfriendly

like the Debian based Linux Mint but if

you really want to be an apex Alpha

programmer you'll likely want to go with

something in the arch family allowing

you to legally say I use Arch by the way

not only is Linux free but it offers you

the most flexibility for customizing

your machine and in turn you're likely

to learn a lot more about how computers

actually work when you use it and if you

really want to get into something like

penetration it drrs like Cal Linux are

highly optimized for that activity in

addition if you're deploying

applications on Linux servers you'll be

much more familiar with the Linux

ecosystem when you use it every day and

there's all kinds of amazing developer

tools you can use on Linux that may have

a higher learning curve initially but

can dramatically improve your

productivity but there are quite a few

drawbacks the support for commercial

software like Adobe products and a large

number of games and drivers for Hardware

is just nonexistent Linux only has a

single-digit market share of personal

computers and many developers just

choose to ignore it all together but

Linux is not the only open source kernel

if you're really Brave you can use other

kernels like open BSD Minix or redo but

then you'll really be on your own and

ultimately when you have to configure a

lot of things by hand it makes the

entire system more brittle which means

you'll eventually break something stupid

and end up spending two days debugging

your bash profile which is one of the

leading causes of a neck beard Linux can

be painful at times but you need that

pain to grow you don't know real pain

though until you've tried to develop on

windows at first you're going to need to

charge your mom's credit card $199 for

Windows Pro then when you install it

it's going to try and sell you a bunch

of crapware like Microsoft Office and

one drive even if you decline you'll

still need to log into a Microsoft

account is so it can spy on you in

perpetuity in order to resell you that

same crapware every day for the rest of

your life when you boot it up you'll

find artificial intelligence everywhere

you'll need a co-pilot just to manage

all your co-pilots now if you're coming

from Unix you'll notice some weird

things like it uses backs slashes for

file paths and every day or two the

system will shut down an update to make

sure you have the latest spyware

installed when it comes to open source

software Dev velopment Microsoft has

some skeletons in the closet in the 9s

it had a strategy to embrace Open

Standards extend them in incompatible

ways in order to extinguish them later

on and Balmer once called Linux a cancer

how much do you think this Advanced

operating environment is worth but

nowadays things are different even

though I hate Microsoft I use Microsoft

VSS code to write my Microsoft

typescript code then push it to

Microsoft GitHub and install my

Microsoft mpm packages then deploy it to

Microsoft Azure from my Microsoft

Windows machine at some point Microsoft

realized the way to win over developers

was to become less like Windows and more

like Linux and the killer feature for

that is the windows subsystem for Linux

which allows you to run a full Linux

drro inside of Windows not just an

emulated one which gives you the best of

both worlds you can use all your

favorite Linux terminal apps and even

run Linux guy apps like VLC and in

the past I used to dual boot Windows and

Linux but WSL has made that unnecessary

it's not perfect and there are some

random issues that come up and WSL can

be painfully slow at times but it's a

pretty awesome feature overall and one

huge benefit of Windows over Mac OS is

that it's not kept in a Walled Garden

Windows is proprietary but it can be

installed on any hardware which means

you can easily upgrade your RAM CPU GPU

Etc but now that brings us to the final

question which tribe should you join

well I've created a handy flow chart to

help you choose the first question is

are you rich if you answered yes then

the answer is pretty easy Mac OS but if

you answered no the next question is do

you have a girlfriend Andor a life if

you answered yes then Windows is the

optimal choice then your final question

should be do I want an operating system

that's designed by God himself if you

answered no then Linux is your best

choice but if you answered yes then the

obvious choice would be Temple OS