Live data from Hacker News

Why I left Mac for Windows: Apple has given up

char.gd

551–560 of 790 posts

Re: Why I left Mac for Windows: Apple has given up

#551

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I can't agree here. Windows 8 was not usable as a web developer, for me. Windows 10 is something I don't mind using as my experimental box (I still use OSX for day-job tasks).

Windows 8 was worse than Windows 10 which is worse than 7. I should have specified-to me Windows 8 and 10 are both poor, both much worse than 7. To be honest, I had an EASIER time with Windows 8 (company provided laptop) than Windows 10. Windows 7 was the pinnacle windows experience for me and it has gotten worse ever since.

What about windows 7 was so great? The start menu? Windows 10 has a 5 second boot up time, most all annoyances anyone has online can be configured away, and it is insanely stable (haven't had it once crash on me yet).

Re: Why I left Mac for Windows: Apple has given up

#552

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Developers flock to the platform with more users. Which means Apple actually does need to focus on iOS to get more people to keep using mac. Those of us who are ios developers will keep bitching about it but have no alternative so will keep on using macs as long as their iOS ecosystem is doing great.

While this is generally true, it's a little more nuanced. For example: Android has a larger market share (by a lot globally), but apps are frequently developed for iOS first. Why? Because it's easier. Device fragmentation plays a large role in that, but part of the cost of the project is dealing with the development ecosystem (good or bad). As Apple makes the development less appealing (because of sub standard hardwa…

My point is not whether Android or iOS is better. It's that the key to keeping iOS developers around is NOT to make a better laptop but by putting more effort into iOS so that its market share grows.

No matter how great XCode becomes, if everyone starts using Android, people will all jump ship to Android, which means many iOS developers will change to windows.

Re: Why I left Mac for Windows: Apple has given up

#553

I used to be hardcore windows guy... Then 10 years ago I got a mac. I never went back.. But what am I saving money for right now? To build a nice PC again. Mostly because of the exact reasons in the article. I have a fondness for apple... but they have definitely lost their way. First, they were a computer company driven by a man who loved computers ("first" here is the Jobs return era) ... then they became a Compute…

> Now they are a phone company who presides over the death throws of an amazing operating system that is going to be killed off to make it more like a phone. The new "features" every cycle are more "lets put this phone feature on the desktop" it's death throes.

[deleted]

Re: Why I left Mac for Windows: Apple has given up

#554
I'm sure this depends on the toolset one is using, for me personally - switching back and forth between PC/Mac is not a big deal since the apps I'm using - IntelliJ/Android Studio, Atom, Chrome, Mancy, vim, "terminal" (on Windows I actually find myself using git bash more often than the "built-in" ubuntu) etc etc - all of that looks just about identical. Xcode would be the only mac-only thing I can think of that I've ever had to use.

Re: Why I left Mac for Windows: Apple has given up

#555
post #549
post #538

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Check out my Windows-based node dev environment: http://i.imgur.com/nJhqlvX.jpg I am far more productive now than I was on OSX. Switched over when the Windows Subsystem for Linux came out (you can see my ZSH shell running in the corner there) Jelly yet?

Looks very awesome. What term app is that?

That's WSL+ZSH running in ConEmu (w/ Solarized Dark color theme).

I also have this theme installed on Windows 10, which is why everything is dark including the ConEmu's titlebar: http://www.cleodesktop.com/2016/08/after-dark-cc-theme-for-w...

I spend long hours staring at the screen, I need a dark theme for eyesight preserving reasons. I had a dark theme on OSX until Apple decided to give a massive middle finger to the theming scene when they released El Capitain. The built-in dark mode just doesn't cut it. Yet another reason I'm glad im on Windows now.

Re: Why I left Mac for Windows: Apple has given up

#556

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I too have become annoyed recently at really basic stuff not working in macOS, like I can't drag and drop a picture out of Photos app into Pixelmator to edit. In fact, dragging and dropping a picture out of Photos into any application is completely broken and doesn't work. Its as-if the Apple QA team no longer tests to make sure their applications play nice with each other in a way that has been fundamental to deskto…

At the same time, Windows 10 on my Dell laptop will heat up, spin the fan noticably and something called "Service Host: Local System" will consistently use 48 - 52% of CPU when the laptop is sitting doing nothing at all, with no applications open. I really can't understand what it's doing but have a hard time taking it seriously as an operating system.

Yay for false-equivalency <- that's shaping up to be the 2017 "word of the year"

Re: Why I left Mac for Windows: Apple has given up

#557

I used to be hardcore windows guy... Then 10 years ago I got a mac. I never went back.. But what am I saving money for right now? To build a nice PC again. Mostly because of the exact reasons in the article. I have a fondness for apple... but they have definitely lost their way. First, they were a computer company driven by a man who loved computers ("first" here is the Jobs return era) ... then they became a Compute…

Buy a breakable USB cable? I've had MacBooks for 10 years, and I'm ecstatic to see MagSafe gone. Apple chargers have always been shit, and Apple laptops have never been compatible with off the shelf battery packs. Moving to USB-C and detachable, replaceable cables, is a huge step forward. Also, what PC alternative has a MagSafe equivalent?

I'm sure you know that Microsoft Surface laptops all have magnetic power connectors.

Re: Why I left Mac for Windows: Apple has given up

#558

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Buy a breakable USB cable? I've had MacBooks for 10 years, and I'm ecstatic to see MagSafe gone. Apple chargers have always been shit, and Apple laptops have never been compatible with off the shelf battery packs. Moving to USB-C and detachable, replaceable cables, is a huge step forward. Also, what PC alternative has a MagSafe equivalent?

People complain that Apple uses proprietary ports. They ditched MagSafe for USB-C and people still complained.

Good point, and it's because of the status quo bias. When an alternative is proposed, people look at what they lose, and since we don't like loss, we say, "No, I don't want that".

Thought experiment: say Macs had USB-C for 10 years, and the latest Macbooks switched to MagSafe. There'd be a lot of complaints about Apple locking us in to their walled garden, and how we have to buy a proprietary overpriced charger now, which can't charge other devices, moreover.

One technique I try to follow is an anti-knee-jerk reaction: if everyone has a knee-jerk reaction about something, I remind myself of the advantages of the alternative.

Ultimately, the only true test is time. Wait 2 years and let the emotions cool, and you'll know if the outcry was justified.

Re: Why I left Mac for Windows: Apple has given up

#559
post #537
post #370

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Apple is a still computer company, because Phones ARE computers. For the majority of the population in developed countries, and almost all of the population of developing countries, smartphones are the only computer people have or need. I agree that Apple have shifted focus away from "making tools for people to create things and solve problems" towards consumption-oriented mobile devices. But those devices are still…

Wholly agree with you -- in fact I think we're at a turning point in smartphones catching up to being full fledged computers. I've written some thoughts about this previously, if you would care for a detailed elaboration: https://guan.sg/apples-2017/

Thanks, that is a nice write up. I especially like "Imagine a world where the way desktops are meant to function is by plugging your ultraportable into any available set of peripherals: monitor, keyboard and mouse. The interchangeablity and convenience of that, necessarily implies that the brand and type of monitor / keyboard / mouse you plug your ultraportable into doesn’t matter, as long as they’re technically compatible." I have written on the same topic, and that is the future I see. Microsoft had the right idea with Continuam, and I expect Apple, Microsoft, and Google to all try to make this work on the mobile side while leaving it to 3rd party manufacturers to develop USB-C compatible monitors that act as a hub for keyboard, mouse, USB drives, etc.

Re: Why I left Mac for Windows: Apple has given up

#560
I too switched to Windows 10 from OSX about a year a go. Yet, in my humble opinion Apple still makes the best laptop hardware - all other things equal their trackpads remain unmatched. Thus I remain to be an avid MBP user where I first used bootcamp to boot to Windows. And few months back I went a step further and eradicated OSX partition altogether and now my shiny MBP only has Windows 10 partition left.
Post reply on HN