this post was submitted on 10 Feb 2026
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Unpopular Opinion

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It can't do the literal entire thing an operating system is supposed to do: manage applications and their resulting windows, in a sensible way.

I want to know what application is running.

Sure it's in the dock!

I want to find a specific application window.

Go fuck yourself right to hell.

Wait, the taskbar doesn't show the running windows, like it does on every other OS? It's at least discrete right?

It discretely takes up 1.5cm of the bottom of the screen at all times. It's so discrete it doesn't even need to use the corners.

Uh, alright, well that's all the system space you need right?

Yeah of course just that bottom inch or so .... And a top of screen system level menu bar to display what windows does in the bottom corners.

/sigh/ ok, fine, I just want to be able to full screen a window and still see what else is open.

Burn in hell and die.

I want to be able to easily switch left and right between open windows.

Go full screen or I will shoot you.

I want to move an open window into the other monitor.

You can't because you're full screen dumbass.

I want to let a window present a popup like they normally do.

You can't because youre full screen dumbass. Why would you be full screen?

I want an application like Slack to be able to popup and remove notifications when is appropriate.

Choose to have every single notification persists on screen until you manually remove it, or miss all your notifications.

Can't we trouble you for something in between, where we trust an application and let it manage them in a way that makes sense based on their context?

You can trouble me for something in between these cheeks, shit stain.

Like honestly, I fucking hate what an advertising and AI filled mess Windows is, but it can actually manage your windows and virtual desktops in a way that makes a modicum of sense.

It feels like a single Apple product manager decided that the way that they use their computer (a single application at a time, no windows to manage) is the only way anyone does, so who cares if we implement a nonsensical full screen paradigm, it makes one tiny niche edge case slightly simpler.

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[–] cuboc@lemmy.world 32 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Not only does it have terrible UX designed by the marketing department of Fischer Price, it treats you like a toddler as well.

[–] Matty_r@programming.dev 16 points 1 week ago (1 children)

This is the thing that the Gnome devs are desperately trying to replicate.

[–] cuboc@lemmy.world 7 points 1 week ago

Agreed. I am not a big fan of Gnome either.

[–] blitzen@lemmy.ca 28 points 1 week ago (5 children)

Eh, I don’t know. Kinda feels like it’s more of a reflection on your ability to learn.

Does macOS need some windowing improvements? Undoubtedly. But my 12 year old kid and my senior citizen mom can use it just fine, I’m sure you can too.

macOS has the unique ability to be good for newbies and power users (thanks to its unix underpinnings,) but falls short for people who have just enough computer knowledge to be dangerous (such as yourself.)

[–] jacksilver@lemmy.world 5 points 1 week ago (1 children)

The UX is only serviceable to power users if you own the computer. If it's corporate you're stuck with the defaults, which are years behind Linux and windows.

Not to mention Cmd is in a terrible spot compared to Ctrl on windows. Needing to use your thumb for Cmd + C vs using you're pinky to do Ctrl + C is also terrible in my opinion.

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[–] muusemuuse@sh.itjust.works 24 points 1 week ago (9 children)

Dude, everything in this you claim you can’t do on MacOS I already do on macOS just fine. You are saying it can’t be done because you don’t know how to do it.

Attack them for the enormous corner radius, Liquid Glass, spotlight changing the top result right before you click on it, etc. don’t bitch about problems that literally do not exist.

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[–] Engywuck@lemmy.zip 16 points 1 week ago (1 children)
[–] IntrovertTurtle@lemmy.zip 7 points 1 week ago (1 children)

For real. There's a huge fucking reason most computers in the world run windows and not macos (about 70% and 15% respectively). It's literally not an unpopular opinion, it's practically a hard fact.

[–] boonhet@sopuli.xyz 9 points 1 week ago

There’s a huge fucking reason most computers in the world run windows and not macos

The fact that the cheapest Windows devices are like 100 euros and the cheapest MacOS devices like 1000 euros?

[–] AA5B@lemmy.world 16 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (9 children)

I don’t even know how to limit my Mac to get most of those complaints. What did you do to it? In particular the only reason the taskbar doesn’t show all my running windows is because there are so many. There’s got to be the first 30 or so though.

Nor do I know how to avoid some of them on my Windows box.

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[–] remon@ani.social 14 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Upvote for an unpolular opinion.

But it's pretty clear that most of your PEBCAK

[–] masterspace@lemmy.ca 2 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Lmfao. I use all the dumbass window management features apple provides. Again, they're just objectively worse then the ones that windows provides.

Alt tabbing applications is nonsense when a single application like your browser will likely have multiple windows open, each of which is serving a completely different task.

Making the only way to quickly switch between windows, being switching between full screen windows is literal nonsense.

It fucking sucks at managing applications and their windows. It's designed for writing your novel in café where you have one Google doc open and that's it.

[–] remon@ani.social 4 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Alt tabbing applications is nonsense when a single application like your browser will likely have multiple windows open, each of which is serving a completely different task.

yeah, there is a different hotkey for switching between windows of the same application ...

[–] masterspace@lemmy.ca 3 points 1 week ago (2 children)

Yeah, that's not what I want because again, the application is not the context the user thinks about.

I want to switch between to the last used window, on that monitor, or pick between the different open windows, on that monitor.

On Windows, you literally just three finger swipe left and right. On MacOS you can use mission control to see impossible tiny thumbnails of full screen apps, and if you happen to be on a desktop you might be able to make out which open window is which, but if you're not or have too many open you just can't.

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[–] Limerance@piefed.social 9 points 1 week ago (1 children)

I‘m a long time Mac user and have hated the full screen function since they introduced it. The + button used to zoom/maximize the window according to the size of its content, and it still remained resizable. You can alt + click the + to get the old behavior. There’s also a setting, where you get the old behavior by double clicking the window title bar.

The whole window management has become messy. It was pretty simple and powerful, but then they added more and more features every year, making it harder to use and less useful.

The full screen mode is just bad.

[–] garretble@lemmy.world 2 points 1 week ago (3 children)

Yeah, for real. I miss the old full screen behavior because it'd just grow to the size of the content. But alt+click isn't so bad. OP is just ignorant of that and wanted to rant.

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[–] Perspectivist@feddit.uk 9 points 1 week ago (7 children)

I have an almost 10-year-old MacBook Pro, and I gotta say - of all the tech I've ever owned, it's hands down the most hassle-free experience I've ever had. It might not be for power users, but for shitposting and watching YouTube videos it's been absolutely fantastic. It just works, and there's virtually never any issues with anything.

The only negative things I have to say about it have more to do with its age than it being a Mac.

I'm very intrigued by the Framework laptop, but I dunno - I might just get another Mac instead. Especially now that they've brought back the card reader, HDMI, and a proper keyboard.

[–] blitzen@lemmy.ca 4 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Thanks to its Unix-underpinnings, I think a lot of power users find macOS a pretty solid tool. Of course, not for gaming.

I’m with you on looking at Framework, but I too ultimately went with a new MacBook. Whatever shortcomings the OS may have, the hardware is just too damn good. If you’re happy with your Intel MacBook, just wait until you are on Apple Silicon.

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[–] mx_smith@lemmy.world 2 points 1 week ago

Been a Mac user since early 90’s and I went with a Framework on my last computer and it has been great.

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[–] tiredofsametab@fedia.io 8 points 1 week ago

I have to use Mac for work and hate the window management. So much of it feels counterintuitive, especially anything with two instances running and switching.

[–] spacemanspiffy@lemmy.world 7 points 1 week ago

I fully agree. I feel like an old man yelling at clouds when I try to use an Apple anything. It might be a me problem, I'll admit, but I am so lost when trying to use someone else's iPhone. Not at all intuitive.

[–] phoenixz@lemmy.ca 6 points 1 week ago (2 children)

macOS is an okay-ish OS as long as you don't step out of line. Do not want freedoms. Be a good child and obey.

It sucks, but at least it works.

Microsoft Windows can't even say that.

Fuck both osses, they both suck donkey balls, long love Linux!

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[–] Kolanaki@pawb.social 5 points 1 week ago

Tell me you've never used Windows ME without telling me you've never used Windows ME.

[–] DupaCycki@lemmy.world 5 points 1 week ago

No offense to anyone, but to me MacOS feels like an operating system designed specifically for mentally deficient, disabled toddlers. So much 'time saving' in the background it's actively wasting my time.

[–] djmikeale@feddit.dk 5 points 1 week ago (1 children)

I'd argue window management is a small part of the overall MacOS experience, and yes I agree that it sucks. However, with BetterTouchTool configured sensibly and raycast set up, I really like it.

A few things I really like about macos:

  • you can download an app and just drag it into your apps folder. No installation required. You can also just use something like brew with --cask Param then you don't need to even download the app first
  • You can modify most settings programmatically
  • CMD + , always opens settings in all apps
  • The os (or hardware??) Is very energy efficient, I don't have to worry about running out of battery
  • I like the menu bar is always at the top of the screen, and when using the Search function under "help", it shows me where to find the correct menu item so I don't have to search again next time I need to find it
[–] masterspace@lemmy.ca 3 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (1 children)

you can download an app and just drag it into your apps folder. No installation required. You can also just use something like brew with --cask Param then you don't need to even download the app first

Technically you can do that on Windows without even the application folder, if the app is written to be a portable app, then you can execute that file from anywhere. Admittedly not quite the same thing, but still possible.

You can modify most settings programmatically

I will say, it's easier to edit most setting programmatically on MacOS, if those settings exist in the first place. On Windows the programmatic way to edit some settings is truly ancient and arcane, but on the flip side, windows actually has settings for virtually everything. MacOS doesn't even have a way of letting you have your mouse and your trackpad scroll different directions.

[–] djmikeale@feddit.dk 3 points 1 week ago

That thing with reverse scrolling on mouse vs trackpad was bugging me so fucking much it's ridiculous. I had to download an app to handle this. So yes, completely agree on that point!

[–] ChetManly@lemmy.world 4 points 1 week ago

I have to use one for work. I hate it and its been 3 years now. I'd rather use it than windows though.

[–] tino@lemmy.world 3 points 1 week ago (4 children)

meh, it's ok (use BetterSnapTool)

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macOS=bad
Mac OS X snow leopard= peak

[–] tyler@programming.dev 2 points 1 week ago (1 children)

I want to know what application is running.

Sure it's in the dock!

I want to find a specific application window.

Go fuck yourself right to hell.

right click them, but you're a programmer, why do you even care about the dock at all, you should hide it and use hammerspoon to make your system more suited for you.

Wait, the taskbar doesn't show the running windows, like it does on every other OS? It's at least discrete right?

well this is just wrong. On windows and KDE Plasma it definitely shows just the running application. You can hover over it and get a ridiculously long list of windows but that's honestly just as bad as mac. They're both bad solutions. Either you right click and get a list of text you have to remember, or you get a picture of the window that you have to scroll (I usually have way more windows open than this)

It discretely takes up 1.5cm of the bottom of the screen at all times. It's so discrete it doesn't even need to use the corners.

you can disable this.. like, what even is this complaint. You can literally hide it just like you can on windows. You can actually resize it easier than windows, you just grab it and drag! You can set the size programmatically (defaults write com.apple.dock tilesize -int 42 sets the size to 42 pixels) or completely disable it or set it to hide, like seriously? this is your complaint? https://mikefrobbins.com/2025/05/07/customize-and-automate-a-clean-macos-dock-layout/#dock-preferences

Yeah of course just that bottom inch or so .... And a top of screen system level menu bar to display what windows does in the bottom corners.

you can also set this to hide...

/sigh/ ok, fine, I just want to be able to full screen a window and still see what else is open.

Burn in hell and die.

click the plus button while holding option. it's not hard. You can probably even applescript it or use BTT or Hammerspoon to make it so that it always works that way, but once again, why are you clicking buttons manually? For me to fullscreen an app I click alt+r space to make it fullscreen with no distractions, and for the windows way it's alt+r f.

I want to be able to easily switch left and right between open windows.

Go full screen or I will shoot you.

I can't tell if these are jokes or not.

I want to move an open window into the other monitor.

You can't because you're full screen dumbass.

you literally can. it's the same as rearranging any other space. I can think of no less than three separate ways to do this.

I want to let a window present a popup like they normally do.

You can't because youre full screen dumbass. Why would you be full screen?

FINALLY a REAL FUCKING PROBLEM. holy shit how did it take this long for you to mention something that is actually an issue with mac.

I want an application like Slack to be able to popup and remove notifications when is appropriate.

Choose to have every single notification persists on screen until you manually remove it, or miss all your notifications.

This is a choice of the developer.

Can't we trouble you for something in between, where we trust an application and let it manage them in a way that makes sense based on their context?

You can trouble me for something in between these cheeks, shit stain.

so yeah you literally don't know how it works. it literally is the developer's choice for how long a notification stays up and if it is persistent or not.

How about this. Go try out Hammerspoon, go try out AltTab. If those are too difficult for you then use BetterTouchTool (though that costs money). Your problems are nonexistent besides the single qualm about the popups not showing for 'true fullscreen' apps. But you don't like fs apps anyway! So don't use them!

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[–] donkeyass@lemmy.sdf.org 2 points 1 week ago

This is not unpopular to me, MacOS is regurgitated garbage that forbids you from changing almost any goddamned standard behavior.

[–] tomiant@piefed.social 2 points 1 week ago

Apple as a brand died the day they stopped calling it Macintosh.

[–] Strider@lemmy.world 2 points 1 week ago

Eh, I seemed to do fine when I had to use it a few years at work. It was good in most parts compared to Windows.

However. That fucking keyboard layout is from hell.

[–] oyo@lemmy.zip 2 points 1 week ago (1 children)

It was great up through MacOS 9.

[–] jimmy90@lemmy.world 1 points 1 week ago

peaked at 7.5 tho

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