For whatever reason, the YouTube gods decided to put DHH back in my feed lately. Not that he’s ever really left. I still remember seeing that 2005 Rails demo at work. Magic! The guy’s been opinionated since day one, and loud about it. That’s part of the charm.
The New Obsession: Linux (Again)
Lately, he’s been shouting from the rooftops about Linux. Ditching Apple. Raving about faster test suites at 37signals. Loving the Framework laptop. Finding joy in configuration hell. You know, the usual Linux honeymoon.
I’ve been there. Five years ago, I went full-time Linux too. I spun my wheels hard getting everything just right. You lose a few days (or weeks), but hey, it feels fast. Especially coming from macOS or Windows (especially Windows). I don’t know if it’s just the low overhead of linux or what, but for some reason it just feels snappier.
Is Linux Actually Faster?
Honestly? Sometimes. (DHH claims it’s too fast for 37signals test suite) Terminal stuff felt snappier. Ruby, PHP, Postgres—all seemed to respond quicker. Was it the hardware? Kernel? RAM management? Witchcraft? No clue. But yeah, it felt fast.
Let’s Talk Framework
Now here’s where it gets tricky. The Framework laptop? It’s not better. Not in any real, measurable, daily-use way. DHH even says it: “It’s fine.” And that’s the thing, it is fine. But not great.
- Battery life? Fine… if this were 2018.
- Speakers? Trash. They fire down. The MacBook Pro ones are best-in-class.
- Trackpad? Eh. Not bad. But Apple’s is still the benchmark.
And then there’s Apple Silicon. It ruined me. I can go a whole day on battery. No fan noise. No heat. It’s just effortless. Because of this, I don’t know if I could go back unless one of the x86 guys catch up on performance/watt.
The Price Myth
There’s this idea that Apple is overpriced. Sure, once you start adding RAM and SSDs, you’ll get gouged. But even then, Apple’s base prices are solid. My MacBook Air with 16GB handles almost everything. My M1 Max Macbook Pro with 32GB? Still crushes.
Compare that to a Framework with decent specs: $1,854. That’s M4 Pro money. And if you’re open to refurbs, Apple wins again on price alone.
The Upgrade Illusion
Yes, Framework is upgradeable. CPU, screen, RAM; all swappable. But let’s be real: how often are you going to do that? I rarely upgrade, and when I do, I’m ready for a completely new computer.
Once every 3–5 years? Maybe?
And what if Framework releases a whole new model that’s way better? You’ll want that instead. Suddenly, upgradability isn’t so meaningful. It’s like buying LEGO pieces for a set you’ll just replace anyway.
Understandable, Just Not for Me
If you’re tight on budget or credit, Framework makes a ton of sense. Start small. Upgrade later. I get it.
Or maybe you’re a tinkerer who wants to pop open your laptop and swap CPUs every year like it’s 1999. Cool. Not judging.
But that’s not me. I want premium out of the box. I want everything to just work. And for that, Apple still leads.
Hard to Quit
DHH might have beef with Apple over the App Store. That might be driving his shift. But I don’t have that beef. And right now? I’m staying put. macOS, M-series chips, all-day battery, world-class speakers, trackpad that doesn’t suck. There’s just too much to love.
PC makers still haven’t caught up. If Apple never released the M1, there’s a good chance I would be on a pc. Hell, I even bought the new at the time Dell XPS 9500. I was waiting on that machine. Finally a halfway decent trackpad that wasn’t on an Apple. Decent speakers (not macbook air or macbook pro quality, but close enough). Build quality was/is good. In less than a year, Apple releases the Macbook Pro 16″ M1’s. That was it. I was back to Apple after a 2 year hiatus.