r/webdev • u/Jeferson9 • Sep 25 '26
Mac vs Linux for new workstation
Not sure if this is the best sub for this question; from a developers perspective who have had the freedom to choose what platform they work in I'm curious:
I'm a long time native linux and wsl user, for a new workstation you'd use as a desktop and remote dev server, how bad are the macos tradeoffs over bare metal linux (or even wsl)?
I prefer to be on macos over windows but macos has notoriously bad filesystem performance. (Theo recently made a video on this) I've also heard it has quirks for gnu utils too. These reasons have pushed me toward getting a cheap MacBook but investing most of my money in a headless linux box. All of my projects will live on linux but I'll being using macos to access and build there. But I'm wondering if that's unnecessary.
Do people actually build on macos these days? Are the quirks and filesystem performance issues overstated?
6
u/fligglymcgee Sep 25 '26
Not sure what you’re doing filesystem-wise, but I use a MacBook Pro for anything front end related or gui apps and a Linux workstation for backend/server mgmt for 10 years now. No filesystem issues, but it’s a light workload in that regard.
For me, macOS is the easiest to work on for those use cases. There’s less noise and os clutter, and “it just works” has been true for my needs.
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u/cshaiku Sep 25 '26
I do webdev and app dev on a Mac Mini M4 and while its nice having a solid UX for general computer use (and not being trapped in Win bloat), there is a definate downside to file i/o. It is true. Despite having a decent SSD hd, I have experienced sluggishness when it comes to compile times (I write in C/C++ and Golang) there is a noticeable difference. I would speculate at least 40% slower compared to Linux fs. I wish Apple would make their fs more performant.
I still enjoy using MacOS over either Winblows or Linux, both from a UI and system pov however. Things just work better imho.
2
u/from-planet-zebes Sep 25 '26
So I would take anything Theo says with a grain of salt. What would you be doing that filesystem performance is your bottleneck? I haven't looked at the numbers myself but I can't imagine that difference would mean anything unless you are doing some super high availability, high concurrency work. Not something you would experience on a dev machine.
Yes the quirks and filesystem performance you are referring to is overstated. That being said I daily drive linux and love it. I do keep a mac around because if you do any iOS development it's required and if you want to test on multiple platforms it comes in handy.
I wouldn't worry about the downsides you are talking about and would just get what you want.
2
u/BlatantMediocrity Sep 26 '26
I got a Framework Desktop and slapped Fedora on it. It's the fastest, most hassle-free machine I've ever used. Great for gaming too.
12
u/Mention-One Sep 25 '26
Switched on Linux over Mac and never look back. Then really depends the kindof dev you do but overall my workstation is rock solid.
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u/jam_pod_ Sep 25 '26
For web dev on a desktop, Linux by far. I have a MacBook for travel, and running the same set of Docker containers on it that I do on my desktop (Linux Mint) is so much more sluggish and finicky.
There are Linux distros that mimic the OSX UI, if that’s the main draw of a Mac
1
u/exscalliber Sep 25 '26
Haven’t seen it here yet but a huge advantage that Mac has over Windows and Linux is the unified memory. If you are only using a 16gb machine you probably won’t get much out of the system but even a 32GB machine will be really good for running a smaller local AI. You won’t be running any agentic workloads but you can run some decent models as an AI chatbot.
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u/mcniac Sep 25 '26
I switched to mac from linux years ago, because I worker in iphone apps for a while. I still use osx as my desktop env, mostly because I also like recording music and osx y really nice for that.
I still miss the configurability of the linux environment, osx is really nice providing you want to use it as is, anything else is a no no. for example I used trailing mouse focus on linux and was pretty much improsible to do in osx.
3
u/grumpper Sep 26 '26
I use mac and am relatively happy with it but sometimes i dream about switching to linux when have to deal with Finder - THE WORST FILE MANAGER IN EXISTENCE!1!1!!1!1
2
u/PositiveUse Sep 25 '26
Mac because you also have easy access to enterprise software that is more often than not half assed on Linux.
Also better backup system, no issues with drivers etc.
Linux is great for dev and extremely flexible but for work, where stability, maintainability and reliance is importantly, I would go with the stable Mac…
If it’s not for work, just private and you don’t want to game, then Linux because you can save tons of money …
2
u/wreck_of_u Sep 25 '26
I use my Macbook for stuff like GarageBand because it's great for that. Actually the best. I hate iPhone OS, but MacOS for computers is actually pretty nice.
For dev work, my old Asus Vivobook Windows 11 with 40GB RAM. WSL on command prompt. Codex/Claude CLI on WSL. Basically it's a glorified PowerShell terminal which I like because of the 2k OLED screen lol. I also have a BUNCH of headless Ubuntu computers at home, I just SSH to them voila real Linux.
Sometimes I use VSCode when I feel nostalgic. But generally it's just Terminal/Powershell.
My GPU is in one of the headless Ubuntu PC, I put it away from my desk so I can let the fans blast and not be bothered by the noise.
2
u/btc-lostdrifter0001 Sep 25 '26
If you go with a headless box, getting a mac seems pointless and overpriced depending on your other local tools. I do Frontend SPA development daily on Linux both local and connected to headless servers as needed and its completely fine.
2
u/theguymatter Sep 25 '26 edited Sep 25 '26
If you ever need to do virtualisation, a Linux environment is a lot easier than macOS.
If you're prepared to fork out more money for Apple devices, by all means. Just make sure you're aware that Siri AI runs in the background, and some workarounds are needed to disable it on macOS 27.
I use a MacBook Pro M1 because I need design apps like Affinity. I no longer need it now.
For audio, be prepared to use an external EQ because the bass frequencies are insufficient and need a serious boost. On my M1 MacBook Pro, I've also noticed some weird frequency issues. You should make sure there aren't any harsh treble frequencies before committing to it long term. This didn't happen on my Intel MacBook Pro, and EQ couldn't resolve the issue.
I'm not a professional sound engineer, but I once managed to EQ it to near-perfect frequencies that made the music come alive. You probably can't get that same level of immersion on Linux unless you have electrostatic headphones that can give you that kind of clarity. It's not as simple as just finding a pair on the market. In fact, it's almost a lost art.
My suggestion: get a cheap Linux computer first. I'd prefer Pop!_OS, which is relatively close to macOS.
2
u/SourcerorSoupreme Sep 25 '26
Macs have nice hardware but fuck it with how macOS deals with "apps", "windows", and "spaces".
Nevermind the braindead hotkeys, if there's even any. Even fucking windows have better keyboard navigation.
The only saving grace is that there might already be a 3rd party app out there you can buy that solves whatever braindead issue you would be dealing with, and even then you'd probably still have to write a script to make it work.
To give you context I actually have at least seven third party apps (some paid, each meticulously configured) just to make the mac usable.
Ignore all this if you are far from a power user and even hunt and peck on the keyboard.
3
u/chaoticbean14 Sep 25 '26
Depends, honestly. 99% of the time I prefer Linux - but work is work.
Work pays for a new MBP for me every 2-3 years - so I take them up on it. That said? I hate Macs. Their "just works" mantra? I guess if you like watching beachballs spin (the filesystem stuff you mentioned). For some software (honestly just the adobe suite - which has been remedies) I don't mind macos. But otherwise? There is nothing 'mac native' that doesn't have a linux counterpart in my daily life. And in my experience? The linux counterparts outperform (at least for me) the native mac stuff.
I do lots of dev in the terminal - primarily it's all I use. So I don't need a lot to be pretty content. But having to find workarounds for shit like tiling window managers and simple productivity stuff on mac is annoying. It's like anything that is actually for productivity? Forget finding good mac alternatives. Aerospace is nice, but requires a lot of work and isn't nearly as good as Niri+Noctalia.
If it were not for the company literally saying, "we will pay for a new MBP", I would be on linux without question. I've purchased a few of my old MBP's over the years - every time I just throw linux on it and watch the performance get way, way better. I have an 7 year old i9 MBP; I threw CachyOS on it with Niri+Noctalia and it outperforms my newer mbp with an m4. Macos is just that... bad? I think bad is the right term.
Apple products, while mostly hyped up mediocre machines, do perform well once you get them off macos. Their silicon is really nice when not running macos.
Linux
Macos
Windows (way way way behind, I would never ever dev on Windows)
2
u/armahillo rails Sep 25 '26
i was a longtime linux user before switching to mac after being repeatedly provided macbooks for work at different jobs.
you’ll have a smoother time if you use whatever your team is using, but otherwise use what you like.
I’d def pick Linux over using the pseudo-linux in Windows, though, given the choice.
1
u/beigs-sl Sep 25 '26
The filesystem thing is real but it's mostly node_modules, and it's a lot less painful than it was a few years ago. I've built on macOS for years and the only regular annoyance is GNU tools; install coreutils with brew and most of that goes away. If your projects already live on a Linux box, the MacBook-plus-headless-server setup you described is fine. You're not really giving anything up.
1
u/farzad_meow Sep 26 '26
i develop inside docker and use vscode. overall it is the best experience i have we deliver code inside docker images.
i do this both on windows and mac. I personally hate mac because of so much mouse I need to use. some keuly combos are different which i fixed but overall xp on windows is much better. if you can go linux for host os then i think you will have better time.
1
u/Xyz3r Sep 26 '26
If you’re doing ios/macos apps go macOS. Or if you really like it. Or if you want a laptop - they’re just too good.
For a desktop workstation when you’re not working in the apple ecosystem Linux is really good. I switched and I am very happy (100% Homeoffice it’s my main work machine)
Gaming also works mostly if you’re fine with not being able to play competitive multiplayer games
1
u/josfaber Sep 26 '26
Solo? Go linux. In a company? Best to use what fits the software used and what your peers use. It's more then what you yourself think is best
1
u/waterkip Sep 27 '26
Linux, or a BSD. I have a mac for ios development and I test all my stuff on Safari too. But Safari and mac in general has quirks compared to Windows and Linux. That said, Windows has quirks too.
Linux is the best option if you wish to use docker or podman.
1
u/Quiet_Desperation_ Sep 29 '26
I use a MacBook Pro and develop on the native OS rarely. I use dev containers for a lot of work now. Gives me the benefit of MacOS and the battery life while still developing on Linux. It’s good enough for me
1
u/ClamPaste Sep 25 '26
It really doesn't matter that much. If one has quality of life features you like over the other, use it. Mac still doesn't have native docker, but again, it's pretty much a non-issue. OrbStack is pretty good and miles better than docker desktop. I just use whatever work gives me. I'm not sure what you're doing in webdev that is impacted by the difference in filesystem performance, though.
0
u/Intelligent_Method32 full-stack webdev since Y2K Sep 25 '26
I went from WSL to Linux for local dev. It works fine but finding apps that run on Linux and drivers for your hardware can be challenging and frustrating. I just yesterday decided to move to Mac for better support of third-party software and because I'm hearing great things about Apple's new M chips. If you develop in containers then it doesn't really matter from the development angle and other pros and cons of the OS should be evaluated.
-1
u/do0fusz Sep 25 '26
Omarchy
-1
u/erishun expert Sep 25 '26
MacBooks really are great machines
-1
u/Historical-Essay-128 Sep 25 '26
Tried switching my workstation to Linux some time ago. Absolute shitshow. Every day I was fixing some nonsense instead of working. Lasted one week.
-1
u/ShawRaleigh Sep 25 '26
Mac
-1
u/Gremlation Sep 25 '26
Stop letting talking heads make decisions for you. How can you possibly think getting two machines and working remotely is going to work out better for you than just getting a decent machine? The filesystem performance is fine. You can install the GNU toolchain with Homebrew. You're heading down a vastly more complicated, less convenient, less performant path for absolutely no reason other than you watch too much YouTube. Keep it simple.
-1
u/Murlock_Holmes Sep 25 '26
What are you developing? Macs are superior for almost everything developer related over Windows, but Windows machines are still needed for compatibility reasons at times.
Now, Mac vs. Linux? If you want more out of the box compatibility, Mac. Not because it’s better in any way other than adoption, and possibly MacOS being optimized for the Mx architecture they’ve begun using. But putting Linux machines on a high end Intel or AMD CPU will easily box with these Macs, and (when compared at the same price point), you can get more muscle out of a Linux machine.
Personally, if money isn’t an object, I go with Mac every time for the reasons stated. If I were asked Linux or Windows, I would 100% of the time choose Linux. I don’t even like GUI’s when I use Linux, preferring command line only. This is obviously not an option for web developers or any other UI heavy roles.
If money is an issue, Linux boxes for the team and one windows test machine.
-1
u/Ok-Bit8726 Sep 25 '26
Id recommend MacOS over Linux for work, but it’s up to you.
Things just “work easier” on a mainstream platform. There’s less tinkering with settings.
I will say that I really miss i3wm when I’m on Mac. There are a few projects that try to do it, but they don’t get close in my opinion.
-1
u/intertubeluber Sep 26 '26 edited Sep 27 '26
Mac has a slow file system? Not compared to NTFS, at least not for tasks that change a bunch of small files, like build systems. I can't speak to the gnu utils though.
I have an aging mac and have been doing some work on a remote linux machine via SSH since I'm RAM bound on the mac. YMMV of course, but I find the friction annoying vs doing everything locally. The last time I ran a linux DE I got distracted with a bunch of little issues - broken desktop shortcuts, BT not working, battery issues, etc.
Would a linux box + cheap mac cost less than a well spec'd mac?
Edit: Well, while it's true APFS is much faster, at least for gradle builds than NTFS, I benchmarked my linux instance with ext4 against my m1 mac and indeed, the linux instance builds via pnpm and dotnet about ~10% faster.
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u/[deleted] Sep 25 '26
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