Why do I have to buy simple functionality for my mac?

Otherwise, no complaints so far

After a life using Linux/Windows machines, and vague hatred of using WSL over the last few years, I treated myself to a macbook. Overall, I’m highly impressed! 16 gigs of memory is somehow plenty for workflows that normally munch up notably more than that.

Something that has surprised me is things I would consider “functionality” being provided by paid apps.

I want a little cross so I can close a bunch of windows at once. It seems like basic functionality.

Oddly, Reddit suggests using a paid app? $10 to close tabs/windows/whatevertheyarecalled! This feels very unfamiliar to me. This Reddit thread isn’t the only place that this app is spoken about either.

It’s not as though this is particularly complicated functionality. A buggy version with effectively the same functionality can be vibe coded in a lunch break.

I’ve found other apps addressing issues in a similar vein. It’s easy to find recommendations for a paid copy-paste history manager.

I don’t hate paid software, in fact it’s fairly cool that people are getting rewarded for micro bits of software. However I think this is a pretty odd experience to run into after buying a premium device.