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How Unix-like is MacOS X?
prospective_user asks: "I
am a heavy user of Unix, spend most of my time running Linux and am
considering getting myself an iBook, after seeing a considerable
amount of exposure Macs/Apple have in both Slashdot and the O'Reilly
Network. Given that MacOS X is based on FreeBSD/Mach, I suppose that the usual
Unix libraries and environments (like ncurses and tcl/tk) are
available in MacOS X (which I hope is true, for text-based
applications). In fact, I'm concerned about the Unix side of MacOS X
and also plan on running Debian/PPC on it, but I plan to primarily use
MacOS X. So, before having an (uncertain) investment in a new platform, it
would be reasonable to have a bit more of background on it and thus,
the questions: how well does MacOS X support traditional Unix
applications? For instance, how do the following applications run
under MacOS X (which I use the most): teTeX, GNU Emacs, mutt and
fetchmail?" Note that the submittor isn't asking if OSX is or is
not a Unix; we've fielded
that question already. No, the question here is where does OSX
differ from the other unicies.
"Also regarding the investment in a new platform and coming from the
x86 world, I'm a bit interested about the PowerPC performance in
comparison to what I could get with a x86 notebook. I've read some
articles and pages that suggest that PowerPCs may not be fast (or, in
fact, may be quite slower than their x86 counterparts):
Some of the sources I've read are:
these
pages, from
D. J. Bernsteins's website, and
this article on
processor performance from the
GMP website.
Also, as some later questions, can the portable Macs be plugged to
non-mac monitors? And does MacOS X feature a packet filter like Linux
or other BSDs do?
Any comments and experiences with these machines are welcome.
Thanks."
No /etc. Well, technically, there is a /etc, but it is incredibly empty compared to what you may be used to in FreeBSD or Linux. None of the system's configuration is included in standard POSIX text files; Apple has opted to move everything into what they call a "NetInfo" registry. This is awful, to say the least.
/etc, each with its own syntax and gotchas, is somehow more elegant than a registry-based solution? The registry is something I wish some Linux distro would get around to doing, to be honest, and one of the few good ideas Microsoft has ever had.
Why is this a bad idea? The concept of a system registry is fantastic in theory; in practice, on Microsoft's operating systems, it is a trainwreck. Why must Apple's attempt immediately be classified as such, as well? Do you honestly think managing 100 different little config files in
- A.P.
"Remember when the U.S. had a drug problem, and then we declared a War On Drugs, and now you can't buy drugs anymore?"
The Unix directories are completely hidden from the Find
This is an option. You can turn the hiding of the Unix directories on and off. It's off by default.
likewise one cannot start GUI apps from the console.
This is just plain wrong. There exists a utility called open (/usr/bin/open). To open something, simply run it with the path to whatever you want to run.
ie: open ./iTunes.app
There is none of the tight CLI-GUI integration seen in AmigaOS or BeOS or even Windows.
Bah, just look at the consumer Apple is marketing to. They don't even want to see the CLI. Apple is attempting to make it possible for people to use the environment efficiently without a person ever having to use a shell.
All editorial writers ever do is come down from the hill after the battle is over and shoot the wounded.
No /etc? There are 72 files in my MacOS X 10.1.2's /etc. Why so little? /etc/rc.* was moved to a new structure in /System/Library/StartupItems (and 3rd party in /Library..), which has 380 files.
As far as NetInfo goes, it's just like the NIS your familiar with on other UNIX's. (and can be hooked into NIS or LDAP). In fact, everything in NetInfo, except for maybe printers, is found in NIS. And if you don't think NIS is UNIX-like, you've never ran more than 3 machines.
As far as the other two, others have countered that.
(Score:-1, Offtopic)
The titanium powerbook is an awesome piece of kit. Shame on those that don't have one.
Yes, the Ti PowerBook has a lot going for it. Yup, it's thinner than thin. Uh-huh, beautiful screen. Ooh, built-in Gigabit Ethernet. Pretty fast, too, and it comes with a combo DVD-ROM/CD-RW. Hard to beat.
But it's not perfect. To install an AirPort card, you have to skin it completely. And the sexy titanium skin is so thin, it scratches and dents very easily. And titanium is one of the most conductive metals on the periodic table; after an hour, the bottom of the laptop gets hot enough to make your thighs and the palms of your hands really uncomfortable. The joke going around the office after we bought ours was that Apple was planning to make the next one out of copper.
It's an awesome laptop, but in my opinion it's just a little bit too delicate. I love my iBook. I throw it in my backpack and hit the road. Over $1,000 cheaper, too.
Give people the benefit of the doubt, okay? I've never written an Ask Slashdot without thoroughly checking out all the other resources I can find, and there's no reason to believe that other posters don't do the same. The whole idea of Ask Slashdot is for users to benefit from the knowledge of the community -- which is supposed to be one of Unix's strengths. The "RTFM" attitude is helpful to nobody. Remember, what goes around, comes around.
The correlation between ignorance of statistics and using "correlation is not causation" as an argument is close to 1.