Beats macOS ...at what?
Serious, not facetious, question.
The only answer I can think of is "running on non-Apple hardware"
The only answer I can think of is "running on non-Apple hardware"
With KDE I don't need to go find a 3rd party app for decent window snapping, I don't need a 3rd party app to put files on my Android phone over USB, I don't need a 3rd party app to have the trackpad and scroll wheel mouse directions be "natural" and "unnatural" at the same time, I don't need a 3rd party app to be able to use the volume buttons to change the volume level of a sound device connected by HDMI or Display port, I don't need a 3rd party package manager to get the software I actually want to use, I don't need to give my terminal permission to display my fucking documents folder, I don't need to give every 3rd app I install special accessibility privileges to be able to it's damn job, I don't need to do things like manually copy over my R binary so I can use a debugger attached to it, etc.
You can use the web version of Office. You can install Office under Wine. I personally have Office 2010 installed on Linux. It works.
Also Macs taking a more cautious approach to app access to your filesystem and accessibility privileges is a good thingTM actually?
It's interesting that you bring up this point in defense of KDE, because that's exactly my problem with it, especially when contrasted with macOS. Every issue I have with KDE boils down to: "there are too many options, and none of them make the system feel right".
> decent window snapping
In my opinion, no window manager gets it right. I've made a shot at it with my Hammerspoon config[1], it will move/resize/tile floating windows in a 2x2/3x3 grid using custom hotkeys. It's annoying though, that the code works on macOS only - I could probably refactor it to work with an X11 window manager.
[1]: https://github.com/rollcat/dotfiles/blob/master/.hammerspoon...
> put files on my Android phone over USB
I think integration within the Apple ecosystem is what really outshines all competition. I've never had to plug my iPhone over USB to a Mac, and yet I can just copy on the phone, and paste on the computer, like they are one device. Files, mail, contacts, calendar, photos, notes, todos, bookmarks, are all synced - heck I can use the phone camera as a webcam, all out of the box.
> I don't need to give my terminal permission to display my fucking documents folder
Sounds like you never had to fight SELinux or AppArmor. Personally I'm happy that desktop OS's are trying to improve end-user security (why do I have to type the root password to install a game, but I don't need one to run a cryptolocker?), but let's be honest, all attempts so far have ended up half-assed. The root of the issue is that desktop OS's must remain general-purpose tools, otherwise we could just as well call PCs glorified toasters.
That may be, but a good OS should offer the same level of integration with devices of all kinds. Like the good old "Mac vs PC" ads suggested back in the day.
KDE has KDE Connect for shared clipboard, sending files between devices, and such functionality. Which even supports Windows on PC, and allows syncing between multiple mobile and desktop devices, so you can have a shared clipboard across all your devices from all manufacturers.
And while you do need to download KDE connect to get the fancier features on KDE, out of the box you do still get USB file transfer. Which is great when you want to give someone a file that's on your phone. They don't need to download anything, link accounts or need a device from the exact same manufacturer as you. Unless they use MacOS.
And you can run iOS apps on macOS, so nope, this argument is invalid.
Basically every argument about things "not working" OOB on macOS can be reversed and applied to Windows: yeah, macOS won't transfer files over USB to Android, but Windows won't talk to an iPhone either. We have two huge silos (you can keep arguing who's done a better job, but the key point stands: "cross-play" is not here), and third-party efforts like KDE Connect, that require more setup almost by definition.
> They don't need to download anything, link accounts or need a device from the exact same manufacturer as you. Unless they use MacOS.
I know it's another Apple-only tech, but have you seen/tried AirDrop? It uses Bluetooth (for discovery) and a custom variant of P2P WiFi; transfers are insanely fast and you don't need to install anything, link accounts, etc - you just need to be in range of another person's device. People I know who are working in the video industry (>100gb files being common) swear by it, and throw rocks at any and all cables.
Again, most arguments end up applying to both Windows/Android and Apple; as soon as you step outside of your silo (e.g. by choosing the independent KDE), things are getting complicated. Perhaps we should be angry with the whole of Microsoft+Google+Samsung+Apple+etc all doing their own things, rather than sitting down in one room and agreeing on a strategy that benefits the users of all of their devices?
No, it's not the same. That's ARM only, is a limited subset of apps and is NOT the literal app on your phone with whatever data/state is there.
> I know it's another Apple-only tech, but have you seen/tried AirDrop?
Yeah of course. I did try going all in on the Apple ecosystem. It was fine when it worked. At one point I could do all my devices together (iPhone, MBP, Mac Mini and iPad) except the iPhone and the Mac Mini refused to talk to each other. Why? I have no clue all the devices were +-1 year of being introduced from one another and all ran the latest versions of their respective OSs. And yeah you need the ridiculous expectation that everybody is using the same manufacturer which severally limits usability. Google and MS do also have a similar feature they both annoyingly call "nearby share" (the two aren't compatible with each other).
Windows failing to be able to transfer files to an iPhone without iTunes is Apple's fault. Apple is the one who decided they should use whatever proprietary crap to do it. You'd have a good point if the iPhone was using some well established standard MS was just being jerks about not implementing but that's not the case.
You're right that there's plenty of siloing done by all the big tech companies but Apple is the worst and the least likely to play ball. They do the absolute bare minimum.
You mean, standards like USB-C, WiDi transfer, MTP, etc?
Because it's Apple that refuses to use those standards. I can use the same standards, no matter if Windows Phone (RIP), Android, Sailfish.
As long as you're outside of the Apple Silo, everything works fine, no matter the phone, no matter the OS.
It's only Apple that intentionally does its own thing to lock you in.
I don't disagree that Apple is often the worst offender, but let's not pretend like the rest of the industry isn't pulling all sorts of user- or developer-hostile crap all the time.
Linux uses CUPS, even Chromecast uses mDNS, and KDE famously invented WebKit (and still uses it).
It's not these standards people complain about, it's the custom, walled-garden, proprietary stuff.
Like Lightning, which could have been a global standard, if it didn't encrypt all transfers with custom chips, a custom handshake and custom protocol, all of which only apple controls.
> What the fuck? The window manager can barely manage windows!
> What the fuck? The volume mixer can't mix volumes!
These are the core functionality of the desktop environment. It's a whole host of absolute basics that are missing.
This also extends to lower levels. The filesystem has huge chunks of functionality missing to the point that it seems to basically defeat the point of running a CoW filesystem at all. Containerization support is pitiful. What the hell happened to multimonitor support?
Setting up your first Mac as a Linux user ends up feeling like a ton of work involving a ton of disappointing dead ends. That's what GP means by 'unusable'.
It's worth noting that this is not about being accustomed to doing things only one way. Most of these unmet expectations in DE functionality are part of a common minimum among Linux DEs. Sitting down at a GNOME desktop and getting to work is not nearly as frustrating for a Plasma user as trying to limp along with the builtins on the desktop that macOS provides.
How is that a meaningful or interesting defense of macOS? How does it enrich (or challenge) anyone's understanding of the ways that given a different context, macOS can actually seem not just alien but shoddy or incomplete?
It's such a dumb complaint. OSS is just infringing the patent, that's it. That is why no other commercial OS has it out of the box.
As for the rest, sure...but like a lot of them are just silly complaints. Android uses Microsoft's PNP connectivity for data transfer. Once again...OSS.. The Scroll wheel direction thing is eh, personally I use both natural but I get it. The volume button thing has to do something with the display. I have a number of displays including a TCL TV that do have volume control. But fair. That 3rd party bit is a little silly and based on software acquisition preference, Windows also falls into that. I would rather a system that doesn't assume access to user data, it prevents malicious scripts on normal user's machines from just reading data willy-nilly. The accessibility thing is a little silly and needs better names on Apple's part but needing to give software permission is a strong security model.
MS developed MTP but at this point it's a part of the USB standard. Many Android devices lack exFAT support but do support MTP which suggests to me it's not patent encumbered. Google has an app for Mac OS too, so no it's not just OSS once again. It's more like Apple deliberately knee-capping non-iPhones to steer users towards iPhones.
Windows 11 includes a package manager, winget.