It is all what you're used to. I switched from a Linux KDE desktop to a Mac 11 years ago. I ended up switching back to Linux & KDE after about 6 months of use, and giving the Mac to my inlaws.
What it came down to for me is that I've been using the same window manager shortcuts since the late 80s, and I can't make them work with OSX. Eg, I use focus-follows mouse, and some strange mouse-button + ALT key combos to move/raise/iconify windows. The loss of focus follows mouse is what really drove me nuts. I was forever deleting emails because I'd move my mouse to a terminal or emacs window and start typing, like I'd done for the last 20+ years, but without a click "random stuff" was happening in Mail, which was still getting the keystrokes.
Ubuntu is far less consistent with keyboard shortcuts and menu bars from app to app (OSX has this nailed). This is overwhelming my biggest problem. cmd+c, cmd+v for copy and paste across all apps. Not all apps minus terminal. Double click URL portion in firefox, entire url is highlighted, double click url part in other places, only that word/segment is highlight (I guess it's this 8 year old bug? https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=611162)
Sublime sometimes opens with the menu shown, sometimes with it hidden (I've tried to script this, doesn't always work). Sometimes the window shows up minimized (scripting this catch 90% of the cases)
On quit, Firefox always restores the DDG and Amazon search options, but not the other ones. Why can't it remember this? (there are other cases of partial configuration amnesia for various apps)
"Ubuntu Software" doesn't list available updates for installed "Add-ons", you have to remove and and re-add when you know one exists. It also doesn't let you "search" installed even if you're on the installed tab.
When my I wake my screen up, there's a brief flash of my unlocked screen (someone could theoretically take a picture) before the lock screen comes up.
In OSX and android I just enter my carriers free wifi settings and it works. In Ubuntu, I'm given a bunch of detailed options, and I've yet to find the magical combination that works.
While on battery, the time remaining can be comically off when waking from sleep (23 hours, really?!). I've also had it say 10 minutes left when it shut down.
There are plenty of apps on extensions.gnome.org (available in "Ubuntu Software") that constantly crash gnome. Go through systemd logs, find which ones are causing the problem, try to fix or uninstall.
The list goes on and on. Correct battery time, configurations that stick, consistency from app to app are polish, not preferences.
> This is overwhelming my biggest problem. cmd+c, cmd+v for copy and paste across all apps. Not all apps minus terminal.
I really wish one of the major *ix toolkits/desktops would make some effort to attract or accommodate Mac refugees or dual OS users. I just wanna type Ctrl-W to erase a word and GUI-W to close a window — consistently.
Note that you can change terminal to use ctrl-c and ctrl-v for copy/paste. Then if you want to interrupt a running program, use ctrl-shift-c (which as far as the shell is concerned is the same as ctrl-c).
Yes the issue with Linux terminals using different shortcuts than the rest of the system drives me absolutely bonkers, probably more than any of the hundreds of small cuts found in the desktop Linux experience.
> Sublime sometimes opens with the menu shown, sometimes with it hidden
After a year of using Sublime on Ubuntu for work, I have yet to have this issue happen. Even if it does happen, it seems like an application issue not an OS issue.
> On quit, Firefox always restores the DDG and Amazon search options, but not the other ones.
Same case, Firefox on Ubuntu for years and never had any kind of application amnesia.
> When my I wake my screen up, there's a brief flash of my unlocked screen (someone could theoretically take a picture) before the lock screen comes up.
What DE were you using, and what screensaver application? The only time I've had that happen was on old hardware without much support, and I'm still not sure what the entire cause of the issue was.
> While on battery, the time remaining can be comically off when waking from sleep (23 hours, really?!). I've also had it say 10 minutes left when it shut down.
That seems like an issue with hardware as much as with the OS. The only time my battery has reported inaccurate information was when the BIOS was also having trouble detecting battery stats.
Everything you've mentioned has been pretty anecdotal, as has everything I've mentioned. The biggest advantage of OS X is that you have guaranteed hardware support so you don't have to worry about half of the issues you've mentioned. I admit that it does take some tweaking occasionally, but for the most part Linux just works now.
"The loss of focus follows mouse is what really drove me nuts."
This is a killer for me and I am trying to solve it currently ...
I ran Snow Leopard from 2009-2018 and had FFM due to "mondomouse" but that is no longer published or supported.
Now that I have upgraded (my 2009 mac pro) to Yosemite, I sort of have a FFM solution with a tool called dwellclick and one modification[1] but it's not perfect.
HOWEVER, it appears that there is a new accessibility option in High Sierra that allows you to turn on FFM without third party software. Not helpful for me because I can't install High Sierra on a 2009 mac pro ...
Do you have more details about the new accessibility option in High Sierra that allows you to turn on FFM? I can't seem to find it, both by looking at the Accessibility menu on my laptop or by googling. Thanks!
Yep, I'm a long term Windows user and developing on a mac for the last 6 months, and I find it pretty terrible, I'd rather be using Ubuntu. But I'm happy to admit it's because of what I'm used to.
What it came down to for me is that I've been using the same window manager shortcuts since the late 80s, and I can't make them work with OSX. Eg, I use focus-follows mouse, and some strange mouse-button + ALT key combos to move/raise/iconify windows. The loss of focus follows mouse is what really drove me nuts. I was forever deleting emails because I'd move my mouse to a terminal or emacs window and start typing, like I'd done for the last 20+ years, but without a click "random stuff" was happening in Mail, which was still getting the keystrokes.