Linux Journal Likes Mac OS X

sobchak writes "In an article from the latest issue of Linux Journal, Doc Searls and Brent Simmons review Mac OS X. It's a fair and balanced analysis, but is a definite thumbs up for Mac OS X from (yet another) respected Linux source. They stop just short of calling the new OS 'developer nirvana,' but did say, 'Last week we put Mac OS X on a Titanium laptop. It blew our minds.'"

Comments

Can't we all just get along?

[KillerKane]

It's nice to see, for a change, an article that doesn't pit Linux and OSX against each other, but instead focuses on how they can be complementary and what benefits there are for both camps. The article seemed very even-handed to me. It seemed to say "Linux is cool, OSX is cool, and the cross-pollination of advances in each is even cooler". Bravo.

The key quote

[foobar104]

Since the server is currently curled up in the corner, whimpering and mewling, I can't cut-and-paste and must paraphrase from memory. But as I remember it, the best one-liner from this article went something like this:

"When it comes to OS X and Linux, it seems that the market logic is AND, not OR."

(You may now begin the tired and meaningless flames about the difference between AND, OR, and XOR. No one will read them. ;-) )

Re:blown away?

[TTop]

I think you're confused -- the quote said Mac OS X blew their minds, not a Linux distribution.

The OS isn't the problem...

[OneFix]

As a former Amiga user, I can say that the single thing holding the Mac down is its hardware...not that the hardware is bad (far from it), but it's the closed architecture.

It's true that a closed architecture can have a signifigant advantage (I won't go over that argument), but the Mac is close enough to the PC in its price range and target audience that the comparison to PeeCee hardware is valid.

If a potential Mac user doesn't fit into a mold of what Apple has designed a system for, then that user will not find "value" in the Mac.

As well, hardware manufacturers (in general) have always treated non-PC hardware as an afterthought. I know there have been some advances here as well, but the fact still remains that support is generally less than stellar for anything not wintel.

There is also the problem of percieved cost with Mac vs. PC. Alot of ppl look at a cheap Mac and say, but this PC is so much cheaper. Apple has attempted to fix that with the iMac, but I don't see it happening...

Don't get me wrong, the Mac has a great OS, and I personally belive that the 68k and PPC processors are superior to x86 based processors, but this is the problem that Apple & the Mac community as a whole should be addressing.

Re:The OS isn't the problem...

[Spencerian]

I disagree, but understand your opinion.

By "closed architecture," I make the assumption that you mean that you can't go and build a Mac like one could do for a PC. True.

But then, you don't run out to your auto store to build a Jaguar. I know, the car analogy is cliched now, but it illustrates the point.

Apple doesn't expect every person to switch--only the people who consider the value of the Macintosh (both OS and hardware) worthwhile. Even if they get a fraction of Windows users to switch, they're successful.

Apple has been getting away from the "hardware proprietary" model since 1998 pretty well. Today, in their G4 towers, the only proprietary hardware (outside of the chassis) is the motherboard and perhaps the processor. Everything else can be bought and installed as you would a PC. I'm probably not telling you anything new.

I think Apple's computers meet a greater flexibility than a typical PC because they hold a tighter grip on the true standards. Some PCs offer the same standards but implement them strangely. The feel of the machine also is different from PC to PC. That's rare from a Mac perspective.

You're right on the cost--but people do seem to look a little more at looks now, too, as they would with cars. I think Apple needs to address how easy it would be to MOVE from Windows to Mac, and make it easy by making systems with Virtual PC bundled and a tool for moving data from the PC to the Mac.

I see one thing about the iMac that few have realized: Sales are through the roof and Apple is having a hard time with demand--for their HIGH END, MOST EXPENSIVE version!!! Imagine the sales numbers for the lower priced models once they work out the supply issue.

I guess baby steps is better than no progress at all in terms of turnover to Mac tech, however.

Re:The OS isn't the problem...

[Daniel Dvorkin]

Most ppl wouldn't touch their fuel injectors in their vehicle, but it is common for someone (even those that don't build their own system) to switch things such as printers, CD-ROMs, CD-RWs, and DVD-ROMs...even adding memory and harddrives.

Um ... no it's not. The vast majority of home computer users have never opened up their cases and never will. Businesses may be a little more likely to upgrade, but these days it seems they're more likely to buy new machines and sell the old ones to employees, or donate the old machines to local schools for a tax writeoff, or whatever.

The car analogy is a nearly exact one in this case. People who upgrade their own processor or replace a CD-ROM with a CD-RW at home are the "shadetree mechanics" of the computer world, equivalent to car owners who will put in a new exhaust system to get some extra horsepower. Far more common are those who will take their [cars / computers] into a dealer for [a new set of performance tires / installation of more RAM]. But both groups are vastly outnumbered by those who use the machine until it breaks down or is rendered obsolete, and then buy a new one.

Re:OS X(again) and ADC

[Spencerian]

Many common software and docs are available from the online (free) subscription to ADC. Just register online, and you should be able to get SDK and tool packages by download until your eyes bleed.

For beta participation and other NDA software, you'll need to fork over cash for a stronger ADC membership, but there is a student version if you qualify. Go for it.

Re:OS X(again) and ADC

[Daniel Dvorkin]

What Spencerian Said. I've been an ADC student member for some time and I think it's worth every penny -- I got a big (one-time) discount on a new Mac, and I get the latest releases of the OS almost as soon as they come out, which easily pays the cost of membership and then some. OTOH, the regular (non-student) membership is pretty expensive, and probably only worth it if you're doing professional Mac development.

Not Main Page? Article Refreshing

[feldsteins]

This really should be on the front page of Slashdot.

Anyhow, it's nice to see anyone outside of Mac users discussing Apple products without a sneer (let alone the uber-geek *NIX crowd!). "Refreshing" doesn't even begin to cover how it strikes me.

Does anyone know how to make a "smug" face in ASCII?

my favorite line

[cappadocius]

my favorite line:

[Aqua] includes variably translucent windows and other stuff Microsoft can copy later

Re:OS X(again) and ADC

[Graymalkin]

Yeah, I know two people who've gotten the student discount. Of course the thing to remember is it is a one time discount, both people that used the student discount got the most ultra top of the line Mac they could build and then applied their discount to it. The stipulation of the student membership is that you have to be enrolled at the school you say you are and when applying for a hardware discount they most likely will run a check.

Heard it all before

[darkov]

The most interesting thing about the article is the way these unix hackers are swooning over the Mac usability, the very thing that many such folk have mocked for years. You plug something in. It just works. You unplug it. It still works. You change it all about. It still works.

If only the entire open source movement could have this sort of eye-opening experience, Microsoft would be running scared.