Most professionals use only a handful of software and don't really care about the OS other than what the OS should do (file management, connecting to the internet, launching software,...). Apple and Microsoft insists on doing other stuff that impedes you while not allowing you to do basic stuff you want. The main issue with Linux is hardware support (which no one other than the manufactures can solve properly) and professional development (The distributions are great, but monolithic development like FreeBSD would have been better).

Linux is best because it lets you use your computer for whatever workflow you need.

What stuff is Apple doing that is keeping me from doing what I want?

I think it's a good thing for 99% of computer users to not be able to just run any random software they download off of the internet. Gatekeeper, XProtect, and notarization are unfortunately necessary in the hostile computing environment we live in today. Aunt Tilly will happily download "PhotoShop" from that sketchy Russian Warez site and infect her machine if these protections didn't exist.

For power users that know what they're doing it is trivial to just use something like Homebrew or to bypass these protections on a case by case basis as needed. I can also run software in a Linux VM quite easily as well for open source software that isn't well maintained on macOS.

This is about using the computer in a professional settings. You don't go and download Photoshop randomly (and if you do, that's irresponsible). But you install Windows Pro and there's a slew of random tiles and widgets everywhere. And you can't remove Apple apps (Like TV or Music) from the M series computers.

I’d argue those protections are even more important in professional settings. You probably know how to properly obtain third party software in a safe manner, but Tina in graphic design probably doesn’t.

Regarding the built in Apple apps, I’m not sure what is gained by removing them other than a negligible amount of disk space. If you remove them from the dock they become out of sight out of mind. Same thing with the pre populated widgets and tiles on Windows.

I'm a professional who is often forced to suffer Windows nonsense. At work Windows routinely wastes my time with absolute bullshit I couldn't care less about and which makes me negative dollars, even though it is basically a glorified Chrome launcher.

Professionals should absolutely take it seriously because time spent updating Windows or even just waiting around while it gets its shit together is time you could have spent doing your job and making money. In fact, Windows and its spontaneous updates with obnoxious focus stealing prompts are major risks to the integrity of your work and might cause you to have to redo it from scratch, lowering the value of your time even further.

Linux boots in less than ten seconds and is already ready to use. There are distributions for all levels of expertise, and if there's an IT department it should be managing those boxes anyway. All that's missing is the Microsoft Office suite and in the end that's what the Windows vs Linux battle always boils down to. People put up with it because they just need muh Excel.

I'll take him seriously on it. MacOS and Windows are terrible for professional purposes, for a number of reasons:

1. Requires Windows Pro or Apple Developer license to unlock full featureset

2. Cannot reasonably disable targeted advertising or ad data collection from either OS

3. Neither come with package managers and do not respect third-party packaging either

4. Can be "managed" insofar as your buggy CPM software allows, often glitched by the OS itself

5. The experience is always getting worse since Apple and Microsoft share a united front of making people spend as much money on useless shit as humanly possible

Now, that's not to say nobody should use these OSes - certainly people are locked into them for some purposes. But as a programmer it's genuinely hard for me to be productive on these OSes because I end up fighting them just for everyday, non-programming purposes.

I think it's entirely possible that MacOS and Windows can be inherently terrible experiences while also being mandatory for certain workflows.

I consider my usage of my Macs to be "professional."

1. An Apple Developer license is only required for distributing software in App Stores and notarizing.

2. I'm not sure what ads you're talking about in macOS. I've only ever seen them in the completely optional App Store.

3. Installing Homebrew is literally a one liner. I've never used it, but Macports appears to be similarly easy as an alternative.

4. I can't speak to this point, so I'll take your word for it.

5. I only started using macOS since the Apple Silicon era, but as far as I'm concerned the experience just keeps getting better and better. Every release of macOS has added features I enjoy and use constantly. Just the seamless integration between all of the Apple products in my house was worth switching from my previous mix of Windows, Linux, and Android.