That’s a rather backhanded compliment, but yes, when you use slick tools on a daily basis there’s a halo effect. Mac developers have, for decades now, taken pride in writing native applications that run well and look clean.
I suspect this also has to do with the presence of a native first-party GUI toolkit and app framework that deeply integrates with the rest of the system.
There are plenty of developers who also take pride in developing native applications on Linux that run well and look good, but from what little I know about GUI app dev, it's harder to do that in a way that runs well and looks good on the wide range of Linux-based systems that exist out there.
That’s an excellent point, Linux is definitely hampered, but Windows doesn’t seem to have benefited much from having a first-party toolkit and framework.
Windows doesn't have a first-party toolkit and framework. They have a multitude of them, with a new one every few years—each one bringing conflicting philosophies and design patterns.
The fragmentation is almost as bad as on Linux: an admin tool that looks at home alongside Microsoft Management Console will never fit in with the Windows 10 or Windows 11 Settings applications.
Exactly the problem that Android has compared to iOS. There isn't a "wide range of iOS-based systems" that are different enough that you invent your own way of doing things.
Allows for greater control over your own expression, while having to support many possible platforms.
