A Linux User At MacWorld

usermilk writes "Linux Journal just posted a pretty cool article, A Penguin Angle on the Ox: Day One at Macworld. It features a Linux user's perspective on MacWorld, OS X, Darwin, and how all these things play together. Most interestingly, he comments on the large number of open-source-Unix bigwigs who are now on Apple's payroll. There's also a pretty concise description of the difference between Apple building off of BSD compared to Microsoft trying to also reap the benefits of open source." Doc Searls' perspective makes a great companion to the report from the floor (and part II) that chrisd posted.

Comments

it's kind of funny

[markj02]

It's kind of funny to hear the Apple marketing force extol the virtues of UNIX, when until OS9, they wouldn't have given a UNIX programmer the time of day and would have argued that the OS9 systems architecture was perfect. I also don't think OSX, while being UNIX-compatible, should be called a version of UNIX--it has almost none of the original UNIX source code, and it has little of the traditional UNIX architecture.

Still, despite these historical ironies, it's good to see Apple have an OS that is somewhat related to, and compatible with, UNIX. Apple desparately needed this, and going with a UNIX-like personality makes so much more sense than if they had cooked up another proprietary system for the core OS APIs.

Re:Darwin Mascot

[dimator]

They chose a platypus? Seriously, are all other animals taken, or what? The end result looks way to Duck Tales to be taken seriously.

Re:Apple really has something here...

[ichimunki]

So what you're saying is that they are using their position as the maker of the pre-installed OS to eliminate competition from other software vendors by making interesting features part of the OS? Aren't we normally complaining about such behavior when some other OS maker does it?

Re:A Mac from the view of a Linux Newbie

[Paradoxish]

Like I've said before, I have absolutely no problem with OS X. From what I've seen of it, I think it's great. But I absolutely refuse to give up my PC hardware and my windows level of compatibility for it. When it comes to Linux it's not an issue - I have six computers in this room with me and there are more elsewhere in the house. None of them are Macs and any of them will happily run linux or *BSD, along with Windows.

I built them all to my specifications and they all look exactly as I'd want them to look. I really think it's too bad that Apple insists on keeping their OS exclusive to Apple so-trendy-it-makes-me-want-vomit hardware.