To be fair, my first time returning to a Linux desktop after 10+ years of MacOS was marked by feelings of contempt and disgust.
Not to say MacOS is objectively better or that it gets everything right. But any time you’re thrust into an unfamiliar workflow, it’s frustrating. You want things to work the way you’re used to. Eventually you learn to appreciate what works, and work around what doesn’t.
Around 2019, I had a new PC at work and wanted to try out Linux, after more than 10 years of macOS. I had wanted to try a TWM for a while, and the Mac implementations felt... weird. I used to use Linux with KDE as a daily driver up until around 2008, when I got my first MBP, so I was somewhat familiar with the possible quirkiness of it.
After the initial shock of "how do I do anything?!", I started loving it more and more, to the point that whenever I went back to the Mac, I got annoyed by all the animations, window borders taking up half the screen, etc. I went hunting to disable animations. It helped somewhat, but not completely.
I still love the Mac, especially the hardware, and how smooth an 8 yo laptop still is. But I guess that, to your point, I wasn't thrust into this unfamiliar environment, I went and looked for it, and was able to do it progressively. I also recognize I was lucky in that my computer was fully supported out of the box, and haven't had to fiddle with obscure settings or anything.
Not to say MacOS is objectively better or that it gets everything right. But any time you’re thrust into an unfamiliar workflow, it’s frustrating. You want things to work the way you’re used to. Eventually you learn to appreciate what works, and work around what doesn’t.