Torvalds: Free OS X Is No Threat To Linux

jfruh writes "Apple is now offering upgrades to the latest version of OS X for free. When Linux inventor Linus Torvalds was asked whether this threatened Linux (presumably by someone who had only a passing knowledge of all the things 'free' can mean when applied to software) it gave him an opportunity for a passionate defense of open source. Torvalds also says that he'll keep programming until it gets 'not interesting,' which hasn't happened yet." The newest version of OS X may be gratis for Apple hardware buyers, but it's notably far from the original, (literally) un-branded sense of "mavericks."

Comments

the second dose is free

[themushroom]

...but Apple users had to pay a bundle for the OS that they're upgrading to Maverick from, remember.

Re:the second dose is free

[CanHasDIY]

...but Apple users had to pay a bundle for the OS that they're upgrading to Maverick from, remember.

Minimum upgrade point is Snow Leopard, which still only costs $30.

I guess "a bundle" has extremely varying values.

Re:the second dose is free

[gnasher719]

It's perfectly legal no matter what Apple says. Creating a business to redistribute like Psystar did isn't legal. A hobbyist should have full rights to create a hackintosh.

You're not allowed to copy any software except if the license allows it. Apple's license allows installing it on Apple branded computers. (Often more than one for the paid for versions, depending on the situation. For a free-as-in-free-beer version, it doesn't make a difference). There's also just a very small amount of DRM which checks if the OS is running on Apple hardware. It's easy to get around it, but still enough so that the DMCA catches.

That said, the difference between hobbyists and Psystar is whether Apple cares about it and takes action or not. Psystar not only created a business, but they made very very loud noises claiming that what they were doing was perfectly legal, making it basically impossible for Apple to ignore them.

Re:the second dose is free

[brantondaveperson]

the same exact parts

Like the machined case, best trackpad money can buy, best webcam also, thunderbolt connector? I don't think so.

Wrong Mavericks

[Sockatume]

The S is in there for a reason.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mavericks_(location)

Free OS X Is No Threat To Linux

[Savage-Rabbit]

Free OS X Is No Threat To Linux

Since Mavericks only runs on Apple hardware unless you hack the OS, I'd say that's pretty obvious so why get up on a soap box and make noise about it? And just for the record the OS X core components are open source.

Timothy

[Desler]

The newest version of OS X may be gratis for Apple hardware buyers, but it's notably far from the original, (literally) un-branded sense of "mavericks."

Good to see that "Timmeh" is just as bone-headed as ever. "Mavericks" is named after the California surf spot not an animal. That's why the default wallpaper and the promo images of the Macs running Mavericks are of a large wave. The keynote introducing Mavericks explained this as well.

Not completely true

[Marrow]

I am running xubuntu on a retina because I prefer the Linux environment. There are a lot of comfort points for me in linux that are not present in OSX. I like the terminals, the command line, the mouse handling, the cut/pasting better in linux. I like the easy free software availability. And there are a lot of pain points in OSX.
Granted, sound is still a pain in linux even after all these years, but I like to live in linux better than OSX.