While I am all for people using linux. Many users might not be able to do that. Especially in a professional environment. So this wasn’t really an useful comment.
More generally speaking this is an issue not sure for opensource but also for commercial programs. So we are all in the same boat and should work constructively in solving this challenge together. We are in the nice situation to have so many opensource projects on one platform here, all of them will run into similar issues and we can share solutions.
For the same positive attitude, I changed your post to a more respectful spelling.
It seems to me Mac is already there. I’m a retired coder who sticks to a linux desktop at home but still uses a Mac laptop on the road. I could buy a linux laptop but I’m spending my fixed income on other things instead, like lenses.
Mac is already a PIA for someone who has time and skills invested in open source softwares. It has been for a long time now.
I’m slowly but surely evolving from former Mac fan to disgruntled and resentful occasional user. But I realize (as a software guy) I’m not the public-at-large. We’ll see what happens.
Someday somehow someway software vendors like Adobe and Autodesk will be forced to make Linux versions of their commercial softwares. Because the market demands it. Once that happens Apple and Microsoft will be wet toast.
Mac has already made it very difficult to install software from so called “third party” sources (I.e., not the app store). You have to turn off some so called “security” features to do this, which involves some use of the terminal. IMO, this is where most “regular” users are lost already from using any open source alternatives on Mac. The situation on Windows is a little better, if not perfect either. I’m not saying FOSS should totally abandon Mac, but Apple is, IMO, purposefully making it difficult. Since various Linux OS are so easy to install, and since there are now more manufacturers than ever selling computers with Linux preinstalled, I think it only makes sense for FOSS development teams to put their major efforts towards the systems that will work best and attract the most users: Linux and Windows.
(PS. I regularly teach a university class that requires students to install several pieces of FOSS on their own laptops. Every semester, it’s the Mac computers that have the most issues just trying to get things installed. )
I did not say linux can not be used in a professional environment. But I know quite a few artists who prefer to stay on Mac for their work. And they have tried hard to work on linux.
I won’t judge them about it. In the end everyone should work where they are happy.
And the discussion should not be about switching those people to linux, but if we want our tools to be available on mac as before. And if we can keep them fast speed wise to keep up with commercial tools.
Devs have just as much work with changes in the opensource eco system as they have with changes in commercial platforms. Just look how long it took many opensource projects to migrate to GTK3. or Qt5
Man, I wish I had a little time to learn how to make on OSX package of GIMP. I must check the downloads page at least twice a day. I know I could probably build one, but there’s already so much on my plate. If someone does make a DMG anytime soon; we should all give that person a hundred dollars each! I’m sure we all could do better supporting our favorite open projects.
No one should be without the GIMP… Not even on OSX!
People could use Halide, which can output to whatever backend API, like OpenCL, OpenGL, CUDA, CPU vectorized instructions, Arm NEON, Qualcomm Hexagon DSP…