Can you slim macOS down?

Original Article ↗ Hacker News Discussion ↗

Asahi Linux and alternatives to macOS

  • Asahi Linux is suggested as the “no‑restrictions” option for Apple Silicon owners, but missing/immature features (Thunderbolt, DisplayPort over USB‑C, battery life) keep many from switching.
  • Some see the project as stalled; others think it’s fine for desktop/server use and are optimistic features like DP over USB‑C will land.

Why “power users” pick macOS vs Linux

  • Pro‑macOS points:
    • Excellent laptop hardware (screen, trackpad, speakers), battery life, suspend/resume, and thermals.
    • Reliable drivers and “it just works” behavior, especially valued by people who don’t want to sysadmin their own machine after doing that at work.
    • Access to commercial/pro apps (Adobe, Office, pro audio/video tools, photography/colour workflows) and Apple ecosystem features (Continuity, iCloud, Find My).
    • Unix‑like terminal, full dev stack, package managers, and container/VM tooling while retaining consumer polish.
  • Pro‑Linux points:
    • Full control, ability to build from a minimal base (Arch, NixOS, etc.) instead of trying to rip out unwanted macOS components.
    • Better fit for users who enjoy configuring everything and dislike macOS UI decisions (window management, multi‑monitor behavior, Dock/Finder quirks).
    • Avoidance of Apple’s increasing lock‑down and “death by a thousand cuts” (notifications, nags, opaque services).

Lockdown, SSV/SIP, and user control

  • The article’s claim that SSV prevents disabling daemons is challenged: SSV and SIP can be turned off, and virtually all system protections can be removed, at the cost of security and update fragility.
  • Some argue the piece is incomplete for not exploring this; others say widely advertising “turn off SSV” to a mostly non‑expert macOS audience would create support and security disasters.
  • A recurring theme: many users want fewer intrusive features and more toggles rather than maximum performance gains.

Is macOS “Unix”?

  • Long subthread on Unix certification: macOS 15 is officially UNIX® 03, but certification requires temporarily weakening protections (e.g., disabling SIP, altering mount options).
  • One camp says this makes the author’s “macOS isn’t, and never has been, Unix” technically wrong; another reads it as a cultural point: macOS is a consumer OS with a Unix‑like core, not a traditional Unix in ethos.

Minimal/headless macOS and CI use

  • Several people want a trimmed‑down or headless macOS for Mac mini servers and CI VMs; historical macOS Server is cited as insufficient and buggy.
  • Current workarounds include small VMs, Tart/Apple’s virtualization tools, and a new Docker‑like system for macOS guests; existing Intel‑focused solutions (e.g., Dockur) are considered obsolete for Apple Silicon.

Processes, performance, and energy use

  • Some argue hundreds of mostly idle processes are fine: bursty use on efficiency cores, aggressive idle, and VM/compression mean little real RAM/CPU cost.
  • Others report bugs where indexing or filesystem daemons (Spotlight, mds_stores, mediaanalysisd, fseventsd) spin CPU, heat machines, and potentially stress SSDs, pushing them to disable or tame these with tools like App Tamer.
  • There’s concern about aggregate wasted energy across millions of Macs, even if each daemon does little individually.

Broader OS comparisons and article reception

  • Compared to Windows, macOS is widely seen as less obnoxious (ads, Edge nags) and more coherent, though some feel recent macOS releases are drifting toward Windows‑style bloat and user‑hostility.
  • Linux is praised on desktops but many still find laptop support (sleep, docks, HIDPI/HDR, audio) and DE stability lacking.
  • Some readers call the article a “misleading” or lazy “you can’t” answer; others defend the author’s long track record on macOS internals while conceding this piece is weaker and overreaches on claims about Unix-ness.