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Ask HN: What's the one software stopping you from switching over to a Mac?

8 points by b0ner_t0ner ↗ HN
For me, it's Shapeshifter Clipboard Manager and it pretty much copies anything. Hold down Ctrl + V and select what to paste from your list of copied items. AFAIK, there's nothing close to this for OSX. If there were programs like Shapeshifter for Mac, I would switch in a heartbeat. Non-Mac users, what's the one software stopping you from the switch?

43 comments

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swah
I'm actually planning on selling my Mac and having a Windows box for gaming/browsing and a Linux box (or VM/VPS) for development.

Can't reconfigure my brain, I use Windows at work.

polar8
SolidWorks and Altium
kstenerud
Apple's filesystem layer, and Apple's SMB implementation.

If not for those, I could deal with the other warts.

cweagans
Out of curiosity, what are the specific problems with those things?
tonyarkles
The filesystem is annoying but not a deal breaker for me. The biggest problem is that it's a "unixy" filesystem, but it's (by default) case insensitive. You can format it to be case sensitive, but there are some apps that break; a major example in the past was the Adobe suite.

When I was doing web development, I used my Mac because it basically had the good parts of Linux and Windows for what I was doing. Both Ruby and Python work great, and http://pow.cx/ makes Rails development really nice when you're working on multiple projects. On the flip side, I could use Photoshop when I needed to without needing a VM or dual-boot.

Linux is a way better ruby environment than Windows is, and Windows is a way better environment when you're dealing with clients (Word docs/PPT, PSDs, etc). OSX is kind of the sweet spot in the middle.

Now that I'm doing more DSP and embedded type work, I still use the Macbook occasionally, but most of the work is done on a dual-booting Windows/Linux Lenovo. Linux for writing code (arm-gcc-none-eabi) and Windows for CAD.

newdaynewuser
PHPEd
giaour
Try PhpStorm if that's really the only thing keeping you on Windows.
newdaynewuser
I tried it. It is significantly slower than PHPEd.
adnanh
It's possible to increase Java VM heap and memory sizes to gain some performance if you have extra RAM, default values are set pretty low imo.
J_Darnley
It is Winamp that keeps me on Windows. (Not that I would ever switch to a mac anyway.)
IpV8
Really? I always thought that Itunes was better. Haven't used Winamp in a long time though (since the 90's).
J_Darnley
To each their own.

I didn't much like the brushed metal interface they both had back then. While I've never used it iTunes on Windows did have a reputation for being bloated and unstable (if I remember that last part correctly). Quicktime didn't exactly help that reputation either. Thank god for free alternatives.

angdis
It really isn't about the software. Software isn't what keeps people from using macs. You can boot windows on a MAC with bootcamp and it runs as a very nice PC with no limitations that I am aware of.

The real reason is COST. Macs are more expensive for any given spec. It is that simple.

Says, me, the visual studio user that has an iMac.

jhildings
At least they could implement a way to switch or at least configure the window manager, withe everything from behaviour to look and feel.
cweagans
I switched from Ubuntu to a Mac in ~2010. This was one of my initial complaints, but over time, I found that not having so many configurable things made me much less likely to be fiddling with configuration that ultimately doesn't matter, which frees up my time to work on things that do.
jhildings
the main thing that annoys me is that it is not possible to turn of the animation for desktop switching, window switching and so on. after three times those become annoying...
cweagans
defaults write com.apple.dock workspaces-swoosh-animation-off -bool YES && killall Dock

^ turns off the animation.

Someone1234
No software, just cost overall.

The cheapest way to buy into Mac is a Mini, but even the "top" $999 one has no SSD, only 8GB of RAM, and a older i5. Compare that with a $500 PC, you can get a legitimately high end developer machine including [basic] monitors and the whole works for that.

Then you need to buy Parallels at $99/year and a bunch of Mac/Apple specific accessories which add up fast. This is particularly important since Bootcamp is garbage, Parallels is the only good way to run Windows or Linux side by side (which in our multi-device world is important).

I could likely even afford to spend $1K on a Mac. I just don't feel like if I did so I'd wind up with a good developer machine that will last me three or four years. Seems like $2400 is about the minimum buy-in.

dkonofalski
No way... I bought a Macbook Air for $700-$800 that runs extremely well as a development machine. Most of my long term storage is online anyways. As long as you get a decent HDD, there's no issues. You don't have to buy Parallels unless you plan on running Windows concurrently for some reason.

I own a Macbook Air, a Macbook Pro, and I have a custom PC that I built for gaming. After looking at all the ins-and-outs of what you get with a Mac and using them for a while now, it's well worth any extra cost. To suggest that that cost is $2400 minimum is nonsense, though.

cweagans
That really depends on what you're developing. A Macbook Air, for instance, definitely doesn't do what I need. I have a top of the line MBP from Fall 2014 (~$2500), and I'm always running into resource constraints.
Someone1234
A Macbook Air goes up to 8GB of RAM per Apple. On the machine I'm currently sitting at my utilisation is 6.7 GB and that isn't running Parallels or two operating systems. The Air is has all of the same issues the $999 Mac Mini does.

> You don't have to buy Parallels unless you plan on running Windows concurrently for some reason.

Most developers cannot avoid Windows or Linux entirely. I am talking about development as a job, not my Ruby side projects. Business customers utilise Windows and Linux regularly. It cannot be ignored simply because it isn't as fashionable.

> To suggest that that cost is $2400 minimum is nonsense, though.

I said development machine, not minimum. You might be able to do it cheaper, but you'll either wind up with a HDD instead of an SSD, or an SSD so tiny (128 GB) that you'll soon regret it.

In 2015 I'm looking at 16 GB of RAM, i7, some kind of graphics acceleration, minimum 512 GB SSD (or a 256 GB SSD + internal HDD). That's what my desktop and Windows based laptop offer, to get it on Mac I am looking at $2K+ easy.

The top end 15" MBP meets all of my requirements but it costs $2,499 + tax.

usaphp
> I just don't feel like if I did so I'd wind up with a good developer machine that will last me three or four years.

What kind of a PC can you get for $1K that will be a "Good development machine" in the next 4 years? I had a top of the line Sony laptop about 6 years ago, it became obsolete in the third year of usage, at the same time I still have my 2012 rMBP which is still running insanely good (same 3 years of use) for my tasks ( I do heavy photoshop web design work and code frontend)

wingerlang
I bought a second hand Macbook late 2008 around 2012 I think. It was ~470 USD. No need for accessories. Still rocking this laptop today.

Sure it is not a super speedy machine today but it works very well for me, running xcode/photoshop and the whole kit.

$2400 sounds ridiculous.

edit: you seem to have super hight requirements, so my comment is more of a: if someone wants to dip their toes into it, it is not so expensive and it will work pretty well if you have some patience with the occasional slowness.

angdis
Curious, why do you say bootcamp is "garbage"? It works just fine.
tmaly
nothing, I made the switch in July. I was originally planning on using a VM to run linux, but homebrew had everything I needed. I use iTerm2 which is great, and I love the resolution and font on the terminal. It is worlds better than what I stair at on my redhat machine at the office.
BorisMelnik
Not about software at all for me, its about flexibility, experience and ability to customize OS. Even Linux that lacks a lot of software (mainly Photoshop) makes up in so many different ways. I'm amazed that Mac has become the OS of choice for software developers. I do get that it is POSIX based, but for me Macs have always been for non-savvy users.
cweagans
And what about the people that know Linux really well, but don't want so many levers and knobs to fiddle with? I use Linux for just about everything except my workstation. Mac OS is the clear winner there because I don't have to/can't really mess with any of the really low level settings, so I can actually work on things that matter. It's an appliance that makes me productive, not a pile of software and hardware that has to be endlessly configured (I used to run Ubuntu, then Slackware, then Arch).

And is it really so surprising that Mac OS is so popular? You have a stable, non-moving target to build your software for, and you don't have to worry about "Well, what if they have version x of this lib instead of version y? Or what if this kernel config option isn't toggled on? Or.." and so on. There's something to be said for homogeneity, especially for software development.

tedmiston
I wouldn't leave OS X because of the high standard for app quality and UI that isn't there (consistently) in the Linux/OSS world. Even cross-platform GUI frameworks like Qt feel like lipstick on a pig next to a native Mac app.
ilaksh
I stopped using Windows years ago. Right now I have a Chromebook from Walmart that cost $150. I also put Debian on it with crouton. Blender works fine. The shell works great and I do my work in vim over ssh. WebGL games work. Youtube works.

Works great, does what I need it to, isn't a ripoff.

Also, I don't think anyone should use PCs or Macs because I am against fascism and elitism.

pasbesoin
Speaking of clipboard managers, since significantly leaving Windows, I've rather missed the Ditto clipboard manager.

http://ditto-cp.sourceforge.net/

That said, probably the biggest Mac barrier for me is that I cannot stand the large palm rests, including and especially with (but not only because of) their sharp front edges.

I'm also not especially fond of glossy displays.

Software-wise, I bump up against some instances where Apple exerts its control to stifling effect: 1) Yanking the rug out from under FinalCut users having some... "legacy" requirements; 2) 30% because we can, milking the "walled garden" for maximum effect; etc. On the other hand, someone needed to fire the first bullet into Flash and some of the other Adobe corporate BS.

And to "go Retina". And to advance AES deployment into the ARM hardware environment.

But, these days, my concerns software-wise run towards "open" -- full stack -- ain't gonna be / can't be taken away (content as well as functionality), and real usability as opposed to what appears to be an increasingly self-serving cadre of "graphic design".

hacknat
Macports is terrible, bash is always out of date, gdb no longer comes with, I've gotten seg faults on OSX that I've never been able to reproduce on Linux or BSD, virtualization is harder. There are weird things like really low per process file descriptor limits. If you're a web dev, fine. If you're a software engineer it is an unacceptably cumbersome and outdated experience.

In my experience developing I've always found it easier to resolve dependencies on Linux than OSX.

The software that's stopping me is the OS itself.

ArkyBeagle
The very fact that Apple does not allow running OSX in a VM pretty much ends the matter for me.
tonyarkles
You can run OSX in a VM on a Mac :)

It seems like a somewhat useless feature, but I found it super useful for putting together scripts for prepping developer machines. Snapshot a clean install, run the script, fix things that aren't quite right, revert back to the snapshot and re-verify.

achow
May be relevant or provide a different perspective.

I want to desperately switch to Windows and Surface (Pro or Book). What is stopping me is unavailability of Sketch (a UX Design app) on Windows.

bluejellybean
OSX stops me. I try and follow the vegan diet of the software world by mostly using FOSS. This can be hard to do for some software (games, photo editing) but for the desktop, GNU/Linux handles my needs quite well.

Assuming Apple went FOSS tomorrow, cost is the other large factor.

irremediable
I'm lucky enough that my lab bought me a Macbook, overcoming my main objection -- cost.

I still wouldn't use one as my home PC, though, because I like to play the occasional videogame.

andymoe
Flycut [1] pretty much works just as you describe including the keyboard shortcut (shift+cmd+v is the equivalent on the mac). It's installed on every single Mac at my office and works really well. Now go buy yourself a shiny new mac today and report back... for science!

[1]https://github.com/TermiT/Flycut

(It's MIT licensed and also in the app store... there is a link to the app store version on the github page)