Why Are Many People Abandoning Windows to Switch to a Combination of Linux and macOS

Discover why are many people abandoning Windows to switch to a combination of Linux and explore the main causes.

This led people to think about why they could only choose one operating system. So, they decided to try using both at the same time as part of their daily setup, and some of them thought they had found the perfect setup for themselves.

Linux is really great at some things. and terrible at others

Power, freedom, and sometimes headaches

Many people have been using Linux for almost six years now, but the complete switch is relatively recent. Only in the last year or two have they managed to completely convert all their non-Apple devices from Windows to Linux. And they are quite pleased to be one step closer to truly owning the devices they already have.

The current setup is fairly simple. You can run CachyOS purely for gaming, as it easily delivers the best performance ever seen on a Linux distribution. If you're a gamer and use your ASUS ROG Ally as your primary gaming device, then running Linux on it is truly fantastic.

Whether you're playing handheld or connected to a monitor, the experience is very stable. It surpasses Windows in many important aspects. For everything else, use Fedora Silverblue. It's stable and quite easy to use once you get used to the idea of an immutable operating system.

Even tinkering with Linux has become quite a hobby, and it's a deep pit when you start customizing your desktop environment or changing the kernel.

macOS fills the gaps left by Linux

This is where macOS comes into play, and it quickly proved its worth. Innovative applications work better on macOS. There are excellent open-source alternatives on Linux, and let's respect those who have invested the time to master them.

When it comes to heavy creative work, applications like Logic Pro and Final Cut Pro are things everyone knows and trusts. Nobody wants to relearn their entire workflow just to demonstrate open-source software. Or, for iOS app development, the sad reality is that there's no other option than owning a Mac.

Many people still firmly believe that Mac hardware, especially MacBooks, is currently unrivaled. They've been using Apple Silicon since its inception, and it's easily been Apple's favorite product for a long time.

Currently, there is no product that offers excellent performance, great battery life, a superb keyboard and trackpad, a fantastic display, all without the need for a cooling fan.

You work more efficiently because each operating system has a clearly defined role

The perfect blend of two worlds

Although macOS and Linux have completely different philosophies, they are actually quite similar. macOS is built on a Unix-like (Darwin) core, while Linux is also a Unix-like system inspired by similar ideas. Both also use fairly similar shells (bash and zsh).

Even at the command line, they feel familiar. Both rely on shells like bash and zsh, meaning many terminal commands work exactly the same on both. People use a lot of terminal applications, and being able to switch between Linux and macOS without having to rethink their workflows is a huge advantage. Scripts, tools, and habits transfer seamlessly. Nothing feels alien when switching machines.

Linux is where people play games, experiment, and tinker. It's where they try new setups, fine-tune the system, and do whatever they can. If something goes wrong, they can always quickly get back to it.

And equally important, it means you don't have to throw away perfectly good hardware just because you have to use a Mac. Installing Linux on older machines is the easiest way to keep them useful for many more years, without turning them into electronic waste.

macOS is the operating system used for classrooms, for taking laptops outside the home, and for tasks requiring concentration. It's better suited for programming and writing; keeping that separation means you don't mix experiments with the work you actually need to get done. Because macOS and Linux are quite similar internally, switching between the two operating systems is easy. Use the operating system best suited to each task!