readline VS website

That's nice, were you aware of readline?

Do you want to build an interactive shell or a cli tool? For a custom shell I have used https://github.com/chzyer/readline before, but I did not work on it a lot.

I also wanted custom completions based on context and this readline implementation was decent for that.

On first glance, it seems like the Mac layout would be less convenient with Linux due to the alt/option key being further from the spacebar and more awkward to hit with your thumb. This makes a lot of commonly used keybindings (such as the standard readline keybindings, https://github.com/chzyer/readline/blob/master/doc/shortcut.md, commonly used in bash and other shells amongst other applications) harder to hit. Linux GUI applications use alt/option more frequently than super/command as well.

The authors keep a crib sheet here: https://github.com/chzyer/readline/blob/master/doc/shortcut.md

but that's the readline shortcuts which are the same no matter which Unix terminal you are using, on macOS, Linux, cygwin, git bash, WSL...

https://github.com/chzyer/readline/blob/master/doc/shortcut....

I hear you, but they've all moved along in leaps and bounds. Some options if you ever look again -

* ElementaryOS(https://elementary.io/)

I’ve seen Raycast adjacent apps for Linux, but I don’t know what the current go-to all the kids are using these days. I used Quicksilver on OS X back in the day, which kind of defined the category I think. But these days I try to keep it simple.

Elementary OS seems to be trying to solve for the design issue, but it’s not as polished as macOS and there are still all the 3rd party apps to contend with. I’ve tried it, and it didn’t have me considering a full time switch.

https://elementary.io/

For me, one of the big things keeping me on macOS is the sync between devices. 20 years ago it seemed much easier to move to Linux, because I didn’t have to worry about my contacts, calendar, etc being in sync everywhere. Having all that stuff, and the handoff between devices, just work is a huge benefit. There are probably ways to sync various things between iOS and Linux, but then researching all the options, setting it up, and keeping up on it all, becomes a hobby. That’s not a hobby I want at this stage of my life.

I thought ElementaryOS was dead due to infighting between the two cofounders, but it still seems to be going: https://elementary.io/

(I installed it on one box a few years ago and liked it, but moved back to Ubuntu once I learned about its conflict in the team.)

As an alternative to the other (great) suggestions, check out ElementaryOS.

But get an old laptop, download and install on it https://elementary.io/, or PopOS or Debian (they all resemble macOS) or whatever distro you like the most. And start tinkering.

I would suggest installing elementaryOS inside a VM, and follow their getting started guide

Elementary OS e un distro de Linux cu aspect de macos

Maybe take a look at https://elementary.io/? It was one of the better "out of the box" linux distros when I was last using linux.

It warms my heart seeing all my fellow linux users here! 😊 I personally use elementary OS because the desktop is pretty 🥺. Also, the lead of the project is a trans woman!