Apple in 2019 Is Linux in 2000

Note: this post is an ironic observation about the cyclical nature of history. This observation carries no practical value, but its point is rather apt, so I decided it was worth sharing with the audience.

Last week, the laptop I use for macOS development informed me that an XCode update was available. I tried to install it, but the system reported that there wasn't enough free disk space to run the installer.

"Fair enough," I thought, since I'd been meaning to do some cleanup anyway. I went through my files and deleted tens of gigabytes of old projects, downloads, and other digital detritus. Then I tried the install again. Same error.

I realized it was time to fire up the terminal. And indeed, according to df, there were only 8 gigabytes of free space on the disk, even though I had just deleted over 40 gigabytes of files.

After some googling (approximately 45 minutes — anything past the first page of results), I found the answer on Reddit. It turns out that APFS has a "reserved space" feature. When you delete files, they aren't immediately freed — they go into this reserved pool that the OS is supposed to automatically clear "on demand." Except it doesn't always do that.

The solution was a pair of tmutil commands with arguments that looked like they were randomly generated:

tmutil thinlocalsnapshots / 999999999999 1
tmutil listlocalsnapshots /

After this bit of shamanism, the space was freed and the update went through successfully.

When my blood pressure returned to normal levels, I was engulfed by a feeling of déjà vu. This whole situation was painfully reminiscent of my experience working with Linux in the early 2000s. Random failures with no visible cause, solutions buried in the depths of forums, incomprehensible console commands that look like they were written by a cat walking across the keyboard.

Having pondered this further, I realized the parallels go much deeper.

External Monitors

Linux, 2000: You connect a second monitor. It either doesn't work, shows the wrong resolution, or displays a garbled mess. You spend 3 hours editing xorg.conf. On forums, they say your video card "isn't fully supported."

Apple, 2019: You connect a projector for a presentation. It either doesn't work, shows the wrong resolution, or displays a garbled mess. You spend 3 hours trying different adapters and cable combinations. On forums, they say the projector "isn't fully compatible with Thunderbolt 3."

Software Installation

Linux, 2000: You must install everything through the package manager. Anything outside the package manager — may God have mercy on your soul. You'll spend hours resolving dependencies, compiling from source, and figuring out why ./configure can't find a library that you definitely installed.

Apple, 2019: You must install everything through the App Store. Anything outside the App Store — may God have mercy on your soul. You'll deal with Gatekeeper warnings, broken code signing, apps that refuse to launch because they "can't be verified," and mysterious quarantine flags.

Hardware Compatibility

Linux, 2000: A limited set of hardware works out of the box. Your printer might work. Or it might print everything in magenta. Or it might cause a kernel panic. Nobody knows why, and the only driver was written by a Finnish graduate student in 1997 and last updated when Bill Clinton was president.

Apple, 2019: A limited set of hardware works out of the box. Your external drive might work. Or it might corrupt your data. Or it might cause a kernel panic. Nobody knows why, and the only workaround was posted by someone named @dongle_wizard_42 on a forum that hasn't been updated since 2016.

Tech Support

Linux, 2000: If the answer isn't on the first page of Google results, you're on your own. The IRC channel will tell you to RTFM. The mailing list will ignore you. The one person who had the same problem posted "nvm, fixed it" without explaining how.

Apple, 2019: If the answer isn't on the first page of Google results, you're on your own. The Genius Bar will "run diagnostics" (which means they'll Google it). Apple Support chat will read you the same search results you already found. The one person who had the same problem on the Apple forums posted "nvm, fixed it" without explaining how.

Laptop Features

Linux, 2000: Two USB ports maximum. Wi-Fi doesn't work out of the box. Battery life is a joke. The touchpad has one mode: "erratic." You need a bag full of dongles and adapters for basic connectivity.

Apple, 2019: Two USB-C ports maximum. Your old peripherals don't work out of the box. Battery life is good until you actually do something. The Touch Bar has one mode: "accidentally triggering Siri." You need a bag full of dongles and adapters for basic connectivity.

Undying Love

Linux, 2000: Despite everything, a passionate community of arrogant computer geeks insists that Linux is superior to everything else, that it's the future of computing, that everyone will switch any day now, and that all your problems are actually features that you're too unsophisticated to appreciate. They will defend their choice with religious fervor and dismiss any criticism as ignorance.

Apple, 2019: Despite everything, a passionate community of arrogant designer hipsters with lattes insists that macOS is superior to everything else, that it's the pinnacle of computing, that everyone should switch immediately, and that all your problems are actually features that you're too unsophisticated to appreciate. They will defend their choice with religious fervor and dismiss any criticism as ignorance.

Conclusion

History doesn't repeat itself, but it rhymes. Twenty years ago, I was that arrogant Linux geek. I knew my OS was better. I accepted its flaws as the price of superiority. I looked down on Windows users with benevolent pity.

Now I watch Apple users do the same thing, and I understand: it's not about the technology. It's about the tribe. We pick our team, we defend our colors, and we pretend the obvious problems don't exist — because admitting them would mean admitting we might have chosen wrong.

The irony is that in 2019, if you want a desktop operating system that "just works" — the thing Linux promised but never delivered, the thing Apple promises but increasingly doesn't deliver — your best bet might be Windows 10. And I can't believe I just wrote that sentence.