Well, I think that analogy to fixed-gear falls apart a little because the Macbook is the defacto laptop for the fixed-gear crowd!
For me, Linux is actually an extremely practical choice, being a software and systems engineer that works 100% with Linux systems at work. Also, I understand enough about the operating system to be able to diagnose problems at a deeper level; in some ways the systems are simpler than Windows (or MacOS) when you get beneath the hood (the irony of the great complexity that goes into making something simple to use).
But there is an element of ideology behind it. I like freedom (as in speech) and I’m willing to pay — or suffer a little inconvenience sometimes — to support that. I love the idea of using tools that have been built, for the most part, by volunteers. It’s a great community and testament to how lots of little unorganized efforts can turn into something greater.
MacOS is a beautiful operating system. But it’s not free. Apple has built their OS on those hundreds/thousands of little volunteer-created tools but decided that they wouldn’t give away what they had built on that foundation. That’s fine; the licenses don’t require it. But it’s why MacOS doesn’t scratch any ideological itches for me.
I suppose there’s an aspect of “soul” here, but it’s more about ideology for me. Maybe the better analogy for me would be the people that believe in buying made-in-USA frames or paying the premium to shop at the LBS. Of course, I do neither of those things, but I think the analogy is fine. And the “purest” bike I own is definitely my carbon road bike — so simple in its focus, and the bike on which I have both had the most fun and endured the most suffering.
And, yeah, salmoning sucks.