Dumping LinuxPPC For MacOS X?

batobin writes: "In the PowerPC industry, MacOS is the mainstream OS. When a user needs features that the mainstream cannot provide, they seek alternatives. In the past years, many Mac users have sought out Linux for a number of reasons. Whether they were looking for a system that was open source, faster, or more reliable, Linux was a viable alternative. But now Apple is close to releasing MacOS X, and it solves many of the problems that drove Apple customers away from MacOS. Will these LinuxPPC users switch back to Apple's OS when OS X comes out? This article tackles the subject."

Comments

Speaking as a Mac User

[Auckerman]

Couple years ago, before I sold my Performa 6116CD and bought my Rev C iMac, I tried installing MKLinux to see if I could breath new life into it. I found out, in a word, no. I could not breath new life into it. I didn't have the time to learn how to "properly" set up "linux". Then I tried LinuxPPC 2K on my iMac, just to see if that progressed. Nope, couldn't do that either. Then, 5 months ago, I built a x86 based PC to use as an additional web browser (MacOS X PB running NATD sharing PPP). I downloaded BeOS R5, Mandrake 7.1, RedHat 6.5, RedHat 7.1. I couldn't get any of the Linux distribs to what i consider a useable state. All supported hardware. I could get BeOS to a useable state in a matter of minutes.

Point of the story. I wanted Linux to work. I wanted to try it. I'm not uneducated. I work on IRIX 6.5 all day at work (3 years now). I just don't want to think about my home computer. Linux made me think significantly more than MacOS X (which by the way, the ONLY thing I set up was PPP, the rest "just worked").

So, I would expect MacOS users to choose MacOS X over Linux any day. I will buy a G4 to get the most out of MacOS X, even if it is more expensive than a PC. At least with a Mac I wont have to struggle to work with my computer, the computer will work for me.

already done

[iso]

well as i've already commented here, i have a lot of trouble finding a good reason to use LinuxPPC over MacOS X

i've used many incarnations of Linux on Apple computers, including LinuxPPC and Yellow Dog. i found that in both cases they were akward and buggy compared to similar Linux installations on my x86 box. i run linux regularly on this x86 machine but after years of trying LinuxPPC, i have given up on it completely except when i absolutely need it.

i found that just about every software program that i use on x86, including relatively "critical" software, like my window managers and GUI (WindowMaker, KDE, Gnome) were completely unusable due to the number of bugs i encountered. Linux PPC was outright useless on my Powerbook G3, as i would experience at a kernel panic every couple of days. and despite getting help from the Usenet, mailing lists and web boards, i just couldn't find a suitible fix for the problem. i've been a linux user since 1994, and i have never had as many problems running linux x86 in all those years as i've had running LinuxPPC in the last two years.

with regards to MacOS X, i've been running it since DP3, and i've been very happy with it. it's been very stable, i'm quite fond of Aqua (though it did take some getting used to) especially with the recent changes in the latest developer builds. it runs all my old MacOS 9 programs, it's got all the command-line utilities i could ever want, and Project Builder is a joy to develop in.

MacOS X isn't perfect of course: it's quite sluggish and requires a lot of RAM, but this is getting better with each new build, and isn't a problem at all if you don't need to run classic (and with any luck, the applications i'll need will be carbonized soon, and i can do away with classic all together). actually the speed of MacOS X without running classic is completely reasonable, even on my old G3.

what it comes down to is that Linux is really meant for x86. all major development is done for Intel first, and porting to PPC is an afterthought at best. this is certainly true for any third-party applications. i can't see using LinuxPPC as a server, as that seems like a job that would be more cost-effective done on an x86 box. and as a desktop machine, MacOS X beats it hands down. i will glady throw away LinuxPPC as soon as a reliable X-Server can be run on MacOS X.

so remind me again why i should be running LinuxPPC? maybe it sounds like i've been drinking the Apple Kool-Aid, but i'm completely sold on MacOS X.

- j

Re:MacOSX is already a failure

[maggard]

Perhaps because you're running a beta? In-development OS's aren't tuned, they're still in the process of being assembled. From all reports the later internal releases of MacOS X are an order of magnitude faster then the general beta releases.

Tell, me - do you complain about the texture of a cake when you've pulled it from the oven 1/2-baked?