Short answer

• There’s no single “best” OS for every developer. Pick the one that matches the platforms you target and the tools you rely on:
  • Need to build iOS/macOS apps → macOS.
  • Need Windows-only tools (Visual Studio, certain enterprise software) → Windows 11 (with WSL2).
  • Want a lightweight, server-like, highly customizable dev environment or parity with Linux servers → Linux (Ubuntu LTS, Fedora, Debian, etc.).

Why Unix-like systems (macOS, Linux) are often recommended

• Native POSIX shell, common command-line tools, and package managers make development workflows (build scripts, Docker, CI tooling, SSH, Git) easier.
• Most servers run Linux, so developing on Linux reduces “works on my machine” issues.
• Cross-platform tooling (VS Code, JetBrains IDEs, Docker, Node/Python/Rust/etc.) runs well on both.

Quick pros/cons by OS

• macOS
  • Pros: Unix underpinnings + commercial apps, excellent hardware integration (Apple Silicon), required for iOS development, polished UI, good terminal and Homebrew.
  • Cons: Apple hardware cost; some Linux server-to-desktop differences (though small).
• Linux (Ubuntu/Fedora/Debian/Arch)
  • Pros: Free, highly customizable, close match to production servers, many distros to choose from, excellent for cloud/devops/embedded.
  • Cons: Hardware driver issues sometimes; steeper setup for certain commercial apps (or use Wine/VM).
• Windows 11
  • Pros: Best compatibility with Windows-only enterprise tools and Visual Studio; gaming and some design apps.
  • Cons: Historically less Unix-like, but WSL2 now provides a full Linux environment; some CLI workflows still friendlier on Unix-like systems.

Practical recommendations

• If you want a single “best” pick for general-purpose development and can afford it: macOS (Apple Silicon or Intel) — because it’s Unix-like and supports both native mac and cross-platform development.
• If you want the closest experience to production servers, full control, and low cost: Linux — choose Ubuntu LTS (stable, lots of documentation) or Fedora (newer packages) unless you like bleeding-edge (Arch).
• If you must use Windows apps or are doing Windows-targeted enterprise/.NET Framework work: Windows 11 + enable WSL2 (use a Linux distro inside WSL for CLI tools) and Docker Desktop.
• Consider cloud or containerized dev (GitHub Codespaces, Gitpod, devcontainers) if you want consistent environments regardless of host OS.

Tools to smooth cross-OS development

• VS Code or JetBrains IDEs (cross-platform).
• Docker and devcontainers for reproducible environments.
• Homebrew (macOS/Linux), apt/dnf/pacman on Linux, and Chocolatey/scoop on Windows.
• Use virtualization (VMs) or dual-boot if you need full access to a different OS.

One-line summary

• If you need iOS development or a polished laptop experience: macOS. If you want server parity, customization, or free software: Linux. If you require Windows-only tools: Windows 11 with WSL2.