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Mac is so far behind it isn’t even close. WSL2 for most people is perfectly fine and is 100% Linux. macOS docker support is just bad in comparison.

The sad part about all of this is that Mac hardware is on another level and you can’t buy anything like it for other oses.



I run dozens of linux VMs on my Mac without a sweat. I run docker if needed in such VMs.

Nowadays there’s no disadvantage in using Macs (silicon ones) I would say.


WSL is fine as a user and can be really helpful... but one thing that I've noticed is that a lot of Windows devs use that as a shortcut and will target applications at WSL, which usually don't work on actual Linux whatsoever. They only work on WSL. A part of that is their fault, a part of that is WSL, but it sucks either way.

Most AI projects are like this because Python is especially horrific to work with package wise. I've also noticed this phenomenon with Windows Docker. Idk what it is exactly, but the Dockerfiles these guys write work on Windows Docker, but fail miserably on Linux Docker. Its like "how is this even possible?"

So its nice for Windows people, but not nice for literally everyone else.


I’d be curious to hear what is bad about macOS docker support as compared to WSL2.


It's slow, volume support is worth calling out separately as extremely slow and the whole thing is... not exactly unstable, but unexpectedly brittle. I had to resort to really obscure commands and clean up files in weird locations when the desktop app broke on multiple occasions.

Now the really truly bad part is that most of it won't ever be fixed because of how docker needs to run on a VM (I'll happily and vocally admit I was wrong if Apple releases a mac subsystem for linux.) I don't care about the desktop app, I'm perfectly fine with running docker from the command line, hence why WSL2 makes so much more sense for me.


So far behind how?




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