Why I Switched from macOS to Linux: A Developer’s Journey and Practical Guide

Background

I bought a Macintosh Performa 475 in 1994 and used various Macs for over 25 years, appreciating their ease of use, friendly desktop, and creative tools such as KidPix and HyperCard.

Motivation to Switch

Over time macOS became more closed and slower: iPhoto, iTunes, and the forced app store felt restrictive, and the hardware grew bulky. The increasing heat and fan noise of my MacBook Air made it feel outdated, prompting me to look for a more open, customizable environment.

Choosing Hardware

Two years ago I started using a Dell XPS 13 Developer Edition (7390) with a 10th‑gen i7 because its thin form factor resembled the MacBook Air and reviews praised its keyboard and touchpad. The machine ships with Ubuntu, allowing deep customization.

Daily Linux Experience

Desktop Environment

I installed the GNOME desktop, which is lightweight, minimal, and intuitive. GNOME’s built‑in tiling works with the Super key plus arrow keys to snap windows left, right, maximize, or restore. Custom shortcuts can be defined via the system settings.

Terminal and Tools

Most work happens in the terminal. I use Ctrl+Alt+T to open GNOME Terminal and Alt+Tab to switch between windows. Homebrew on macOS was replaced by the APT package manager, which provides a far larger software selection.

Importing iPhone Photos

Install the GVFS backend: sudo apt install gvfs-backends Find the iPhone’s serial number and trust the device, then run: lsusb -v 2>/dev/null | grep -e "Apple Inc" -A 2 Open the file manager and press Ctrl+L, then enter afc://<serial‑number> to browse the DCIM folder.

Alternatively, navigate via terminal:

cd /run/user/1001/gvfs/afc:host=<serial‑number>

Software Stack

Productivity

Atom, VS Code, Vim/Neovim for editing

LibreOffice Writer for Word documents

Xournal for PDF annotation and signing

Media

Spotify and PyRadio for music streaming

Rhythmbox (default on Ubuntu) for lightweight playback

Graphics and 3D

Krita as a Photoshop alternative

Inkscape and Scribus for vector graphics and publishing

ImageMagick for command‑line image processing (pre‑installed)

Blender for 3D modeling and video

Unity 3D and Godot for game development

Conclusion

After three months with the XPS 13 and two years of dual‑booting Linux, I find the workflow simpler, faster, and less cluttered than macOS. I have no intention of returning to macOS and am happy to stay in the open‑source ecosystem.