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Freshmeat Launches Mac OS X Section
Liedra writes "After announcing Mac OS X software surreptitiously within its main section for the past several months, freshmeat has now launched a section totally devoted to the platform. Read the article by scoop and visit the section directly." Since I switched my primary laptop to OS X, I'm glad to see scoop do this. (Note, Freshmeat & Slashdot are both owned by OSDN.)
That took a while, I don't use OS X but I figured it would have been included on most major software sites by now.
Banaaaana!
I can only find one piece of software listed in the section - HTML Converter 2.0.
IIRC, someone here on slashdot speculated that OSDN was going to attempt to be bought out by Apple, hence the significant number of Mac-only topic icons here on slashdot, plus the dedicated apple.slashdot.org address.
Though it makes plenty of sense for freshmeat to have a dedicated Apple section, this certainly provides more fuel for the Sell-to-Apple hypothesis...
-A
A Mac section but refusing to list Windows software? Why the bias towards one platform?
If Freshmeat isn't going to restrict itself to Unix OSes, they ought to allow submitted software for all platforms. Yes, Mac OS X does have a lot of Unix software you can run on it, but the same is true of Windows with or without Cygwin. Both platforms have their own weird microkernel and various layers on top, of which some provide a Unix-like API.
Allowing Windows software on Freshmeat would be very useful in practice - I don't just advocate it out of some sense of 'fairness'. There must be many Freshmeat users who have to use a Windows PC at work and would like somewhere to look up software. And the increasing number of Windows-based free software projects could do with somewhere to make announcements.
-- Ed Avis ed@membled.com
One of the things that's kept the Mac software distribution under the radar of most sites like FreshMeat is the fact that for quite some time they've had VersionTracker doing quite well at it. VersionTracker's just starting to get into the PC aspect of things, and remains highly Mac-centric even though PalmOS software is supported as well. VersionTracker may be a pay service, but I discovered a very nice set of features is available with the "Pro" subscription for $50 a year. Not only do you get the daily list of new software updates, but a nifty little application to run on your machine that acts as a new app ticker. Quite nice. But the really nice part is the fact that for your $50, you get 10 licenses and are able to use the Pro software on both PC and Mac platforms.
Maybe someone ought to look into getting a *nix section started with VersionTracker?
My own pointless vanity vintage computing page
So, my second idea is to create a small piece of open source code that could be embedded in all open source software, perhaps as a part of GPL requirements - sort of an EULA, if you will. This code could then connect to a master server owned by a corporation who's job it is to track all OSS usage and report monthly metrics. Perhaps it should be a government organization, since a company might not want to take such a thankless task.
I love it! I think you should implement this plan immediately!
Watch out RMS, Hubbard's stank is going to bring tears to your eyes. *BSD is dying...my fsckin' ash it is!
Maybe they'll need a section for projects currently being sued by Apple.
Since I switched my primary laptop to OS X, I'm glad to see scoop do this.
The great Taco isn't using Linux? Oh, what sad times are these when passing ruffians can say "OS-X" at will to old ladies. There is a pestilence upon this land! Nothing is sacred.
I'm not a prophet or a stone-age man,
I'm just a mortal with potential of a super man.
Good job getting that plug in!
Strange women lying in ponds distributing swords is no basis for a system of government.
Sure. Lets have the government monitor open source application use. It'll just make it that much easier to track us down when Microsoft makes it illegal!
/sarcasm ... I hope.
My own pointless vanity vintage computing page
That section would probably end up with more listnings than any for osx itself.
Don't be such a troll. Apple users are neither geeks or creative anything. They are morons that are just trying to be diffrent.
rather above the usual sophistication. Perhaps not quite art, but definately at least craft.
Now I'll take it more seriously anyway.
The business model isn't the only one by which one can measure "success" or "failure."
Clearly the measure of "success" for an open source program is whether or not *I* find it successful. This is the reason that all Linux needs to "succeed" is for one geek sitting in a basement somewhere at three in the morning going, "Oh, wow man."
The rest is all sound and fury, signifying nothing.
KFG
This is the best idea I've heard in a long time. (Why it got modded troll is beyond me.) Micro$oft uses FUD against us all the time saying how nobody uses OSS and you're better off with the standard. How can we complete against that unless we have data to back it up? Every internet-connected Linux system needs to periodically send a little message to a server somewhere. That way we'll know that there are exactly that many Linux machines on the Internet at any given time, and we can start winning the hearts and minds!
That would be what I most want to see on freshmeat, a Cocoa port of Evolution. Increasingly that looks like OS X's only hope for native Exchange compatibility. MS doesn't seem to be budging on Outlook. If we users ported Evolution, Ximian would surely give us Connector. They can make money selling Exchange connectivity to Mac users.
I would start the project myself if I were competent.
It is cowardly, and a betrayal of whatever it means to be a Jew, to act as a white man
-James Baldwin
I think that too many people are afraid of the open source movement. And Mac OS X, while partly open source, is a good intro into what Unix/Linux is all about. I have met alot of people, who are afraid of implementing Linux, but have no problem with Mac OS X. While widly different, it is nice to have a stable version of linux on my system that all my *nix commands work with (Unlike windows where i have a hard time remembering a Display Directory is DIR and not LS) I think Mac OS X is going to open the world up to *nix because Apple has done what many people have tried to do, Put a Pretty Face (Aqua) ontop of an Ugly Operating System (BSD). This is going to help out in the long run especially if they release their I-32 version of the OS.
---
Keep in mind that ALL computer geeks represent less than 5% of all the people in the world. They suck and the sooner they realize this and die off, the better.
I write in my journal
WHAT AN AAAAAAMAZING IDEA!! (the extra A's are for AAAAMZING!)
If it's anything like the whole
Windows stuff is here. There's tons of it... far more than OSX stuff.
:)
The Windows people are just, generally, more concerned with getting stuff done than whether or not they get their own cool unique hostname like whiney Mac people demand...
In other words, "We can't win, so we'll just say we're playing by different rules."
;-)
I write in my journal
They should really add an RSS feed to that. Just for me. Like a Christmas present, you know? That would be great.
Same goes for apple.slashdot. That would be like *double* Christmas.
with a killer tennis serve.
Yes, playing to different sets of rules is perfectly legitimate. People do it all the time.
An outfit like Red Hat or Mandrake can be evaluated by standard business models because they accepted that rule set and are playing that game.
Red Hat and Mandrake != Linux.
If I may speak metaphorically ( and I may, because there really isn't anything you can do about it) the business model of success is similar to that of Chess.
Linux is a bit more like Go, where not only the rules but the very concept of "winning" is somewhat different.
KFG
OS X is OS Ten...Please remeber [sic] that
First of all, what's your point?
Second of all, no it's not. The official name of the current point version of the OS is "Mac OS X version 10.2". It's a completely different beast than, and has a different name than, say, "Mac OS version 9.2".
One is called "Mac OS X", the other is called "Mac OS". Yeah, maybe it's partly a marketing gimmick, but really, what you find under the hood (unlike with most marketing gimmicks) is completely different. Mac OS X is an operating system in many ways totally unlike Mac OS, and the difference in naming reflects that. It's not just "one louder".
Belloc
I got more rhymes than Jamaica got Mangoes.
Let's not kid ourselves. We know exactly why they aren't available in small or extra small. It does no good to stock a product no one will buy.
I just saw a new 'old style iMac' (no LED Screen) for sale for $699 new. Frankly, if I were buying a new mac, I'd buy one of those. IIRC, it had okay specs.
BTW, OS X 10.2 runs fine on my older iMac (DV Graphite SE purchased Jan 2000).
And eBay Macs are even cheaper. If you want a machine that runs Jagwire, there really isn't any reason why you can't afford one. Granted, it won't be top of the line, but it will work, and work nicely...
My father is a blogger.
They gotcha!
taco dishes out scoop of freshmeat and apple
Anyone else getting hungry?
Ergonomica Auctorita Illico!
I rate my project's success by the number of requested blowjobs.
3 so far! keep it coming folks (oops, no pun intended!)
No SCA bears please! Just trim brunettes! FEMALE brunettes I mean!
That one's definitely from left field. I'm not sure how to articulate how I would feel about such a thing, so let me describe what appeared before my mind's eye (ear).
A giant swimming pool filled with gelatin. There's a retarded man sitting in a lawn chair.
The pool makes unnatural, gloppy gelatin noises as the wind stirs waves across it's surface. The retarded man doesn't seem to think anything is amiss.
You must be joking. I've played Mac OSX 10.2.1 (Thats Mac OS 10.10.2.1 apparently) and its a dog one ANY platform. Lets see, iBook, g3 Powerbook, G4 tower (867) and a G3 desktop. I couldn't believe my eyes as I watched a little rainbow (hello pride parade!) spin and spin and spin... Oh, but, if I do ONE thing, and only ONE thing, its pretty manageable. Its NOTHING like a Mac, and this is the question. Whats the point of Apple?
What someone needs to due is port GTK over to Aqua, they did it for winders, so lets do it for the mac and then let in a bunch more apps (although most of the blow), without having to run XDarwin, not that I do not mind running it, I just think it would be more fun
$999 for a brand spanking new iBook, it's quite possably the sweatest laptop out there, esp. at that price point. The price is right and the batttery life is excelent; Screen, size and weight is the absolutelty the perfect for portability. If you can make a laptop at this price and with the same specs your too much of a computer guru for me to even begin to be talking too, and I should cower to you're 31337'ness.
Artist will always make art.
Does that mean this story will get posted three times instead of two?
char sig[120] = "\0"
Ummm...one assumes that Apple would want to invest in something that might actually make a long-term profit and build their core business. OSDN doesn't seem to meet those criteria.
-- Slashdot: When Public Access TV Says "No"
And with UNIX as the engine, it's full speed ahead....
As a Mac developer for some years and MacHack attendee, where this year CmdrTaco keynoted, mostly about l#sbian sim characters on his ThinkPad, I'd like to be one of the first to welcome you to the world of the MacOS X. Seriously, I hope you enjoy the ride, Rob. Great to have you along.
VersionTracker could use some competition, so it is great to have the more Unix-focused Freshmeat and MacUpdate on the scene.
http://tinyurl.com/4ny52
VersionTracker doesn't have a setting for open source so that's why I put my open source project (FractalTreesX) on fresh meat as well.
1 48 43&db=macr ees/?topic_ id=98%2C100%2C80%2C71%2C901. com/fractaltrees/index.php
http://www.versiontracker.com/moreinfo.fcgi?id=
http://freshmeat.net/projects/fractalt
http://simonwoodside
it uses the (closed) cocoa API but I suppose that the GnuStep folks can start to mine the osx.freshmeat.net code for stuff to port if they want some apps, if it works on GnuStep then it's a fully open-source program all they way down.
home page
Granted I don't know much about OSX. However -- with most *nix OS's that are posix complient -- should not only ./configure;make;make install care about what the underlying OS is (as long as all the right libraries installed? (Or is there special reqs. for programs to be ported to OSX?? -- and if there is, then what good is it..)
(+1 Funny) only if I laugh out loud.
Oreillynet has been covering OS X for about a year, and has added an open source site which has covered open source OS X apps since June.
+1 informative; I didn't know you could build a Darwin kernel yourself. cool!!
This is important stuff, and has everything to do with OS X!!
Kathleen Malda
+1 informative; I didn't know you were such a retard
Money, business and profit mean absolutely nothing in the long run. There is no true value of any kind since it is all disposable. Expanding the abilities of an individual's understanding and intelligence to a greater potential and spreading that to more people means everything. There is true value in complex thought. Therefore, open source software is much more valuable than proprietary software since the impetus is not profit, but knowledge. Think of it this way... What kind of software do you think is still going to be around in a few generations? Proprietary or open source? Classical music is still around and has much more of a presence than the folk music of the same time period. Re-evaluate your thinking.
Un-news
I have a classic iMac, but I was willing to pay a premium for a fanless machine in a pretty case for a special application. But for general desktop use, the Dell hardware beats the iMac hardware in every way.
With a name like yours, you can't possibly expect to be taken seriously, can you?
If you don't believe what you're saying, then ha ha, very funny, go away now. If you do believe what you're saying, then kindly take your nihilism elsewhere. The things that you say mean absolutely nothing do, in fact, mean something, because people attach value to them.
Either way, that's about enough out of you.
I write in my journal
Clearly, the issue isn't that the Operating System isn't Open Source, or OSX wouldn't be acceptable either.
Just went over to the new OS X section. Within three minutes I had downloaded Meteorologist - a free alternative to WeatherPop. It works really well too! It's nice to have a reliable place to find free OS X software other than Mozilla...
www.tealeaves.org "All you need is love." -
Is it just me or do most of you out there seem to think that more and more people are using Apple laptops? Maybe it is because I just bought one, but it seems more and more people are using them and talking about them. And it seems mostly confined to laptops. For me, the Power Mac G4 is out of reach on price and I'm not thrilled about getting and all-in-one desktop computer. Anyway, it would be interesting to see how Apple's market share is changing in the laptop and desktop sectors.
Smeghead every day of the week.
To explain why he feels so uneasy, and indeed to unveil the true plight of MAC users everywhere, I have taken it upon myself to draw the parallels between MAC users and the H.O.M.O.'s of the world:
Well, think about it:
We're ten percent of the population.
The object of our desire comes in rainbow colors.
We are constantly vocal about our preferences for fear of being snowed under by the rest of society.
When people try to get us to switch, we scream and yell about how it's the right thing for us and ask them to "try it just once and see if they like it."
Most of us have been this way for years; it's not a decision we just made overnight.
Although our functions are criticized, the moral majority STILL agree that we are tastefully designed, have an innate sense of colour, and are always on the leading edge of style and fashion.
Too, we are often emulated by the majority with thinly-veiled knockoffs of our style.
And, no matter how they beg and plead, no matter how we may tear our families apart with the shame and stigma of our choice (and some still say it was never a choice!), still they'll never change us.
Finally, our biggest and most visible supporters are in San Francisco.
It's official: Apparently, all Macintosh users are honorary homosexuals.
MAC PRIDE!
Of course, this isn't necessarily true. It's just an observation.
Thanks for reading our FAQ :)
http://freshmeat.net/faq/view/34/
Compare our Unix software section and the Palm section. The Palm section is microscopic in comparison; it's dwarfed by the Themes section, which is in turn dwarfed by the Software section.
But imagine what would happen if we allowed Windows software. A flood of applications, to say the least. Sometimes it gets a bit hectic keeping up with all the Unix software and themes, and I think we'd be totally swamped if we added Windows software, thus reducing the usefulness of the site.
Finally, as the FAQ says, there are plenty of software download sites for Windows. We don't need to reinvent that wheel. This is different than PalmOS, because our selection of Palm apps is generally a different sort than the ones at other sites (When we launched the section, Jeff noted that other sites had mainly apps for business users, whereas ours could be more for geeks).
[Why Palm? Unless I'm mistaken, that's still the PDA of choice for *nix folks, since they can actually sync with it]
I am not officially representing OSDN, blah, blah...
WMBC freeform/independent online radio.
I did have XFree86 installed but I realised that I didn't need it and it was just taking up space on my drive. However, if you had the slightest hint of a clue you would know that XFree86 compiles on OS X from the same source tree as Linux. OS X doesn't come bundled with XFree86 but who gives a shit about that? Are you implying that PicoBSD isn't Unix?
BTW, GNU stands for GNU's Not Unix! The presence or absence of GNU tools (such as bison) does not make or break a Unix. Nor does the lack of an XWindow system.
This same stupid, pedantic, ill-informed point was argued to death on Mac forums a year or more ago. ("A: Is this a Unix application? B: No, idiot, it's a Carbon app. Only Cocoa apps are Unix! C: I'm pretty sure it has to run in the Dos terminal to be Unix").
The point is: Who really gives a shit? You do realise that technically Linux isn't a unix either? Here's my definition of a Unix: /dev exists. Probably also the idea of mount points instead of drive letters or a 'Desktop'. (Before you use this as proof that Mac OS X isn't unix, please realise that disk mounting on the desktop is GUI only. Disks are mounted under /Volumes, which is practically identical to /mnt except that it is more automatic.)
Oh yeah, Merry Christmas! :-)
Yes, you can compile XFree86 on Mac OS X. But:
- Mac OS X does not include X11;
- The Mac OS X GUI is not X11 or even vaguely related to it;
- Graphical applications written for Mac OS X will not run on other Unixes, even those that have XFree86.
This last point seems the most important to me - sure you _can_ disregard the native windowing system, compile an X server and libraries and run only X11 applications. You can do that on Windows too. But the Mac's standard user interface, the one that 99% of its users run, is not X11 and not particularly Unix-like.
Yes, I know that under some definitions Linux is not 'Unix' either. That is my whole point, that trying to include or exclude operating systems based on whether they are 'Unix' or not is silly. Almost any system can be classified as 'Unix' by some criterion or another - even MS-DOS with DJGPP has a fairly complete Unix environment. Freshmeat should just accept software for all platforms.
-- Ed Avis ed@membled.com
maybe they are concerned with accepting platforms for which there is a decent amount of free software.
I stand by my words.
Posit: How much value does a copy of Microsoft Windows 3.1 currently have? Can one sell it for the same price that he or she bought it for? Now compare that with a copy of the GNU Emacs source code where the key "selling point" is not profit, but the sharing and spreading of knowledge and freedom. How valuable is ANY version of the Emacs source code in comparison to any version of Windows once Microsoft has deemed it "obsolete"?
As usual, the profit motive that drives proprietary software only serves the short term gains of a few individuals as opposed to the larger benefits that open and free software offer ANYONE. This paradigm continues to expand as the open/free software movement produces more and better software over time.
Now... some questions for you:
-How was my original statement "nihilistic"? I think it's quite the oppposite, it's uplifting to the human condition. While profit and business may have some short term meaning and value to only a few select individuals, knowledge has a much longer life. Copernicus, Aristotle and DaVinci are still names that are connected to concepts and ideas that have much more value than anything that Ballmer, Gates, Jobs or Ellison are preaching now. The open/free software movement is in much closer company with the former than the latter.
-While you may disagree with my opinions, you do not have the power to stop me from voicing them. Your final comment, "Either way, that's about enough out of you." illustrates your failure to comprehend that. I have no intention of starting a flamewar with you. I was merely asking you to re-evaluate your position based on the information I provided. There was also the option of providing reason for your disagreement with the potential to enlighten me and perhaps change my mind. You are now in less of a position to do so.
This last part can be ignored by everyone except Twirlip:
-Finally, (and I've left this for last since it was the weakest part of your response) the fact that you would discredit someone's posts based solely on their login name, illustrates that you are not interested in the free exchange of ideas and information. This is not a crime on your part, but it does impede self-development in many areas.
I will enlighten you as to the meaning of my login name. I created this account for a few purposes. One of these is to have a way to post without damaging the karma of my normal login since some of my views are unpopular and garner unfair moderation by closed minds. The other purpose is that I love to post things that get rated "informative" or "insightful" but still contain a good deal of profanity. This is because I believe that profanity does not preclude valid information and it happens to have style when used properly. Such as, "Shut the fuck up you closed minded fucking moron", or "Bend over and grease up those canker infested assholes... here come the capitalists". Finally, it's a joke aimed at your typical "Neo Conservative". In my opinion, nearly all neoconservatives on Slashdot are "Trolling for (as in: in favor of) Dollars".
With that said, STFU and re-evaluate your position (which is probably bent over and greased up).
+1 Funny
-1 Off Topic
Hehehehehe... I guess that's about enough out of Trollipofthemists... ;P
Folks... you saw it here first. I have put Twirlip of the Mists down. He has not responded to this post for days and therfore foreits the victory in this short discussion to me. In short... WE ALL WIN. Stupid gasbag. Check out my journal for more info as I (while I'm bored anyway) pursue Trollip and NineNine around Slashdot. I will be back at work on Monady and have a life over the weekend, so chances are this pursuit will be shortlived.
Un-news
He has not responded to this post for days and therfore foreits the victory in this short discussion to me.
Sorry, that's not how it works.
Will I retire or break 10K?
Oh really? Well how does it work smartass? Do you care to respond to my questions since you are so eager to defend Trollip? If you say no, then that's two victories on my part. And don't think you'll get off scott free by saying something like, "I refuse to be challenged by someone calling himself Trolling4Dollars" or "I am too far above you to be able to address something as simple and lowly as you" since those are NON-ANSWERS. But typical tripe from conervative sheep. Go bleat elsewhere little boy.
Un-news
Well how does it work smartass?
For one thing, ACs post at 0, and the default threshold for having replies sent to Slashdot Message Center is 1. Thus, Twirlip may have legitimately not seen your reply.
For another, if you use insulting language such as "smartass", you're likely to be ignored not because your opponent in the debate has acquiesced to your position, but because you broke one of the general rules of Western civilized debate: no ad hominem attacks.
Therefore, silence from your opponent does not necessarily mean that your opponent has given up the argument to you.
so eager to defend Trollip?
When I get into a debate, I try to see both parties' points. I may defend Twirlip, or I may defend you, or (ObTopic) I may defend Apple's legal department. I may look like a devil's advocate, but that's only because a devil's advocate provides useful perspective.
And don't think you'll get off scott free by saying something like, "I refuse to be challenged by someone calling himself Trolling4Dollars"
I don't give two sh*ts about user names, as long as you sign your posts, either by posting with your primary /. account or, if you post comments off the main topic as AC to avoid the karma hit, by writing your username at the bottom of the comment. I have made it clear to Twirlip that judging somebody by a nick is not appropriate.
Will I retire or break 10K?
With a name like yours, you can't possibly expect to be taken seriously, can you?
Ad hominem attacks are not acceptable. Can we assume that Rob Malda is a fan of Mexican food?
Will I retire or break 10K?
A user who posts under the name "Trolling4Dollars" is asking, positively begging, not to be taken seriously.
On the other hand, others may believe that a user who posts as "Twirlip of the Mists" may be asking for the same thing.
I've covered the anti-Disney issue in my journal so as not to draw a -1 Offtopic by continuing to discuss it here. Please reply there.
Will I retire or break 10K?