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Linux Journal Likes Mac OS X

Posted by pudge on from the but-it-is-not-free dept.

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.'"

5 of 59 comments (clear)

  1. The key quote by foobar104 · · Score: 4, Insightful

    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. ;-) )

  2. The OS isn't the problem... by OneFix · · Score: 4, Interesting

    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.

    1. Re:The OS isn't the problem... by Daniel+Dvorkin · · Score: 4, Interesting
      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.

      --
      The correlation between ignorance of statistics and using "correlation is not causation" as an argument is close to 1.
  3. Re:OS X(again) and ADC by Daniel+Dvorkin · · Score: 4, Informative

    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.

    --
    The correlation between ignorance of statistics and using "correlation is not causation" as an argument is close to 1.
  4. Not Main Page? Article Refreshing by feldsteins · · Score: 4, Insightful

    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?

    --
    You like your Macintosh better than me, don't you Dave? Dave? Can you hear me Dave?