... but you have to install these in Linux as well? Python, ruby, etc are not required for Linux to run and for a long time we’re not installed by default (I don’t know if they are these days because the regular fresh install dance for Linux just has me autopilot through installation of all the things that are inexplicably not included, which historically included python).
There are many reasons that people choose to use a Mac, mostly when people say “Linux” in this context they mean: posix shell, and the ability to run most other posix software (eg most Linux commandline apps).
It’s not because it has every interpreter on earth installed by default. In fact as others have said the current status is that the system installs of python and ruby are old because updating them breaks software. The solution is to make them not part of the OS so if software does want to use an interpreter they don’t lock the shipping version again.
Linux doesn’t have this problem because it’s assumed that your update process comes from a central repository of all the apps so if you (say) update python you also pull recompiled updates of all the apps you have that depend on python. Software installation on a Mac is generally not all from one source, and even if it were Apple doesn’t have the ability to recompile other developer’s apps.
There are many reasons that people choose to use a Mac, mostly when people say “Linux” in this context they mean: posix shell, and the ability to run most other posix software (eg most Linux commandline apps).
It’s not because it has every interpreter on earth installed by default. In fact as others have said the current status is that the system installs of python and ruby are old because updating them breaks software. The solution is to make them not part of the OS so if software does want to use an interpreter they don’t lock the shipping version again.
Linux doesn’t have this problem because it’s assumed that your update process comes from a central repository of all the apps so if you (say) update python you also pull recompiled updates of all the apps you have that depend on python. Software installation on a Mac is generally not all from one source, and even if it were Apple doesn’t have the ability to recompile other developer’s apps.