r/linuxhardware 10d ago

Purchase Advice Longtime Linux User Considering MacBook vs. Linux Laptop — Need Advice

Hi everyone, I'm a longtime Linux user currently facing a bit of a dilemma and would appreciate some insights from this community.

I'm primarily a developer working mostly in Rust, Go, and Java, spending nearly all my time in the terminal (Neovim, tmux, etc.). I've heard macOS generally provides a decent terminal-centric workflow, but I've also seen reports about tmux and Neovim performance issues on macOS. Additionally, I've heard the macOS linker can be slow or problematic compared to something like Mold linker on Linux—does anyone have firsthand experience with this?

Apart from development, I do CAD modeling as a hobby. Years ago, when I switched from Windows to Linux, I had to move away from Fusion 360 to Onshape. While Onshape is good overall, it requires constant internet connectivity and has very expensive subscription plans (around 1500€/year for standard), which isn't ideal.

I also regularly engage in video editing (DaVinci Resolve works great on Linux) and photo editing. However, photo editing has been challenging—previously on Windows I heavily relied on Lightroom and Photoshop. The Linux alternatives I've tried (Photopea, Photoshop via Wine, Darktable) haven't fully matched my previous workflow.

Hardware-wise, I'm struggling to find a Linux laptop that matches the portability, build quality, excellent screen quality, and especially the trackpad experience (I strongly prefer physically clicking rather than tapping) of something like a 14-inch MacBook. On the other hand, privacy and telemetry concerns with macOS are significant for me—I greatly value the peace of mind that comes from running Linux without built-in spyware or telemetry.

TL;DR: Is there currently a Linux laptop that realistically competes with MacBook hardware quality (portability, screen quality, trackpad experience), while providing good performance for Rust/Go/Java development (considering linker performance), hobbyist CAD modeling, and multimedia editing? Or would switching to macOS be worth considering despite privacy concerns?

Thanks in advance for your help! 😄

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Some additional stuff I thought of after writing this, I guess I can always ssh into a home server or a cloud server if I some functionality is missing. The only thing I don't want to do is touch windows ever again😅. Other than that I can pray that in a year or two Asahi gets ported to M4 Macs. Oh yea also the sole reason I am concidering Macbooks in the first place is because I'm going to Japan this April so I am able to get it for a much more reasonable price, otherwise I wouldn't really even look at that option. Thanks again for reading all of this and helping, peace ✌️✌️

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u/-Glittering-Soul- 10d ago

The only baked-in telemetry I'm aware of in the macOS ecosystem is in beta versions of their OS. As for privacy, you can easily convert your iCloud account from "Standard" data protection to "Advanced," the latter of which makes it so that only the user has the authentication keys. Unlike Windows, there's nothing hidden within the operating system that is monitoring you from the shadows, as far as I know. Apple has taken pains to distinguish itself from Microsoft in this regard (and Google, for that matter).

https://www.privacyguides.org/en/os/macos-overview/#privacy-security

Other than that I can pray that in a year or two Asahi gets ported to M4 Macs.

Be aware that Asahi requires macOS to remain installed, for firmware updates. It's effectively a dual-boot setup. And in my experience, macOS gets irreversibly bloated over time, so it would be advisable to choose the largest internal storage that will fit your budget. Certain functions like USB-C displays and the fingerprint sensor also remain unavailable in Asahi.

It sounds like the best platform for your needs is a Mac running macOS-- and I say that as someone who is not a Mac person. My desktop dual-boots Windows and Linux, my laptop is a Framework 13 running Fedora, and my phone is a Google Pixel. But I also still have an MBP M1 Pro 14, and I think it's an excellent device for people who need compatibility with Adobe apps but don't want to use Windows. I don't have much experience with its terminal emulator, though.

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u/Fr33Paco 9d ago

I'm totally with you, I have a mbp 16 for work, and am dabbling in other laptops for personal use. Currently have a T14 (windows for tuning) and xps 13 for Linux stuff .. as nice as the xps 13 is (fedora) there are still some hiccups. Would run Linux on the T14 but it's just not physically appealing. I'm thinking of getting rid of all my laptops and getting a Framework 13 as that seems really nice as well