Hi, I’m learning python and I have purchased a 2015 MacBook air. I want to install Linux on it (Ubuntu) but my friend who’s a developer told me to leave the MacOs because they are similar as operative systems. What do you think? Should I change the os and switch to Linux? Thanks. Edit: thank you for your replies. There are still so many things I don’t understand about programming and os, sorry about that.
It’s true that they are both operating systems.
They are certainly some of the operating systems of all time
And they both have terminal emulators installed by default
Depends. Are you happy with MacOS and want to stay in the Apple ecosystem?
If yes, then just keep it. It is perfectly tailored for your hardware.If you are annoyed by it or want to try out something new, then try Linux.
The 2015 MBA has a Intel CPU afaik and general hardware support should be fine from what I’ve heard.Instead of Ubuntu, I would recommend Fedora, either the Gnome or KDE variant. If you prefer minimalism and the coherence/ well-thought-outness of MacOS, then use the Gnome (“Workstation”) variant, and if you prefer customisability, then the KDE-spin.
You could also take a look at the Atomic variants, they are a newer concept with a few benefits (and also drawbacks) compared to the regular versions.
As a small tip: no matter if you decide for the mutable or the atomic versions, use Distrobox! While Python is pre-installed, it is a system dependency, and you wanna keep your dev environment isolated from your host OS. If you wanna change the Python version for example, this might otherwise brick your install.
Gentoo also relies on python for builds. I wonder why older distros shifted to python instead of relying of bash scripts. Isolating your dev environment is quite handy in any scenario. 👍
What’s your reason for wanting to switch to Linux? Python works under Mac OS just fine.
As a Python dev, I think I may understand your desire to get away from Windows. I have often encountered Python tools and frameworks that don’t work on Windows but do on Unix (Linux and MacOS), like Flask, but can’t recall seeing the other way around.
If:
- Your laptop is still receiving security updates from Apple and is performing well,
- And your main focus now is to learn Python
I would not mess with it and just stick with MacOS.
If your laptop is no longer supported or it is getting too slow, or if you want to play around with Linux, that would be a good reason to move away from MacOS.
I think I’ll try the original Os, which should be Monterey, for a couple of weeks. If it’s slow or doesn’t receive updates anymore I’ll move to Linux. Thanks for your advice.
Happy to help! Hope we all didn’t overwhelm you too much and see you in [email protected] , [email protected] , [email protected]
Why not dual boot? It is possible to have both. That is what I typically do and with Mac this can be helpful because sometimes you may need to access MacOS for drivers and such. This way you can cross-compare and have more opportunity to learn.
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See how well the OS runs. MacOS does have a reputation for slowing down on older hardware as newer versions target their newer machines, and I’m also not even sure if a 2015 is supported by Apple anymore?
If the laptop is slow or not recievinf security uodates anymore, then switching to Linux may give you a performance boost and will put you back on to an update secure system.
If MacOS is still running fast on that laptop and it’s secure, then it’d just come down to preference. If you like Linux, or like the degree of direct control Linux gives you then it would be worth installing it.
And if you decide to keep MacOS you should still try and fresh install the OS, as that may also give a performance boost.
Edit: in terms of being similar OS, they are but it’s not relevant. Both run python, and the hardware is what matters more when it comes down to compiling. It’s more about the rest of the OS and what your preferences are.
You sound like you’re a bit new to software engineering/computer science, so I would stick to MacOS. Linux as a Desktop OS is not quite a pain-free experience and you’d likely run into issues that would get in the way of you learning programming.
What people mean by MacOS and Linux being similar is that they are both Unix-based, which basically means that the command-line experience in both OS’s is pretty much the same.
I wouldn’t call Linux a “not quite pain-free experience”.
IMO, the experience has been dramatically improved in the last 2 years or so, and the only pain for most people is just that it’s a new OS with new workflows and approaches.
Or what would you call painful?Just as a background, I’m no IT-guy, just casual user who’s into this weird OS :D
Do what you want. It’s your computer.
Microsoft: OUR computer ☭
We will break your system together friend
Depend if you want to jump into the linux universe or not
For a developer, I’d try PopOS! It is built on Ubuntu, but doesn’t stray far from it. It has a lot of developer tools and packages either pre installed or easy to access. Simple install process and runs well.
I’ll second dual booting. If you want to try linux, I say put Linux Mint or KDE Neon on a flash drive and live boot it. That way you can test Linux without needing to install it right away.
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Mac OS uses Unix, Linux is Unix Like. At the core their structure’s are the same
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however despite being the same they have different software packages.
The question you need to ask yourself is: does MacOS have the software I need to do what I want?
For me I need Xcode for iOS development, so that is a yes. But for you, perhaps you may prefer the Python packages on Linux. Or the ease which new software can be installed.
However regardless on what is better or not, know that you can always re-install MacOS afterwords. Macs have a recovery mode that let’s you wipe the ssd and reinstall. I used it when I upgraded my 2015 Mac from 128GB to 1TB.
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MacOS and Linux are similar for the purpose of learning Python. However I recommend to install GNU/Linux. MacOS hides its internals to provide a better user experience, however as a developer you need to learn how the OS works, and GNU/Linux is much better suited for this.
I’d dump macos unless you have specific needs for it (developing for apple devices for example) and you’re still getting updates.
Use Mint if you really want the Ubuntu ecosystem, it’s much better.
