Well, I don't think that Linux is any competition to Apple's "Power User" market, simply because the Mac power applications aren't running on LInux.
A white box PPC could really sell to the Mac Power User market. I know a few folks that would love a 6 slot G3 box with a fast integrated RAID system. Right now they have to piece together a 9600, an upgrade board, and a bunch of other parts. --
The sad thing is that many of the extended keys (as you'd find on the PC-style Apple extended keyboard) don't work in most Mac programs. I was always pressing Del on my old system 7.6 Mac with no results.
Apple did get one thing right by mapping cut-copy-paste-undo to the first four F keys. --
Hey - have you looked at the cost of keyboards lately? $8 for your typical squishy 104 key model!
I can understand the "let's get rid of all the useless keys" movement. After all, it might increase the profit margin of some taiwanese company by 10 cents per keyboard or something. --
The PowerBook has an "Enter" key because for some reason Macs treat "Enter" and "Return" differently. Most applications treat them the same, but there were some older apps (Excel 2?) where Enter and Return have different meanings. This used to pose a problem on the original Mac keyboard, which only had a Return key.
Just file this post under "More useless information". --
Why would MS (or another vendor) "steal" XFS-GPL, when they could just port it to the Windows NT IFS layer and include the source code on the CD?
MS might be evil enough to be stealing code from open source software, but if they are, it's purely out of pride, because there's legal ways they could use the code. --
I'll have you know not all MCSE's are Redmond's bootlicking toadies.
Yeah, but there's a huge population of grunts with enough rote memorization skills to pass "Windows NT Server in the Enterprise" on the third try. Somewhere, in the back of their brains, they know that the value of their paper MS Certificates are about to get flushed down the toliet, and the first stage of loss is Denial. But don't worry, a few years from now, these folks will be your freindly neighborhood inexpensive Linux fuckups.
(Same thing happened with CNE certs when NT came in a few years ago.) --
My understanding is that Windows NT (not 9x) has virutal desktop support built-in, just not enabled by default. The Resource Kit has some virtual desktop tools, although admittedly I haven't had the best luck with them. --
What makes you think that a SGI Linux support contract is going to be any cheaper than an Irix Support Contract?
We keep hearing that the money in Open Source is in services, and if you're going to spend the dough on an SGI Linux box, you probably are going to want SGI to support it. --
I thought people bought Xeons to get the big cache, which is where the big performance gains come for certain types of operations (databases, for example). The K-7, as it stands, doesn't really hold up to the Xeon.
Admittedly, Intel forces folks who don't need the cache to buy Xeons, because the normal PIII only goes 2-way. So there's some market there. --
Don't forget that Intel still runs the market.* AMD is going to price and clock these things so that they're just a little cheaper and a little faster than Intel.
*Intel's got business desktops locked up with the Intel Inside marketing program - IIRC, this is the biggest chunk of the market. Even if AMD produced a chip that was 2x the speed and 1/2 the cost, you wouldn't see a Dell "Optiplex" or a Compaq "Deskpro" with an AMD chip until the vendors could get out from under Intel.
Furthermore, I don't see much general corporate demand for the new CPUs. They've already got enough CPU for MS Office and Win2000 and standard businessy stuff, so cheaper chips are going to rule the day. --
Orgs I've worked in licence MS stuff per Seat (not per Server/Workstation), so adding servers and the like have a minimal software cost. The big problem with NT Workstation is that it has an arbitrary limit on network connections (256?) that makes it unusable for application serving.
I really doubt many MS shops will run telnet (running to the server room keeps you in shape!) -but it's an option. --
Hmmm, I always thought it interesting that XFree has been ported to OS/2, but not to Windows. As you pointed out, OS/2 and Win32 are closer to each other than either is to unix.
Realistically, if Linux becomes a mainstream business OS, it's not going to take over overnight, and there's going to be the need to run X programs on Win32 platforms without spending a few hundred bucks per seat.
XFree/Win32 - some people have the itch - it'd be nice if someone who understands this stuff scratches it! --
Put it this way - the company who tried to get rich selling a $200 telnet daemon for NT got put out of business about a year ago by Microsoft when MS released a free Telnet server.
Admittedly, users/seat licences still cost money. --
Yes, MS wisely designed certain fonts (Verdana, Anadale Mono) primarily for display. Wise move, because most TT/PS fonts don't look very good at low point resolutions, and are really designed for the printer.
Also, is there a way to convert Macintosh bitmap fonts for display on XFree? Chicago, Geneva, New York may be old skool, but they do look very good for display only purposes (webpages). --
So, is there an equivalant of "Adobe Type Manager" for XFree ? I've got a gazillion PS fonts on an old Mac (which would need to be converted to Windows/Unix format somehow, I guess.)
The question might be why have Microsoft's business customers consistantly chose to run crappy DOS/Win over better alternatives such as OS/2 and Windows NT. (Although, everyone runs as root under OS/2 also.) --
(Actually curious) -- Do the new iBooks run Linux out of the box?
What I'd like to see is an actual server hardware plaform from Apple. (Rumors of such exist on the Mac sites.) This group would probably have the political pull to ensure good Linux support. If you're leaving it up to the iMac marketeers, I'm not so sure (despite one Linux evangalist). --
MS SQL 7, MS Exchange, MS SMS, COM, DCOM, ActiveDirectory, ADO, CDO, IIS, MFC, WDM, DirectX, etc.
Despite this/. thread, the *only* thing Microsoft has going is 95% backwards compatibility. Furthermore, they've got where they are despite never producing a particularly scalable or reliable product. Why would they throw out 8 years of legacy intefaces rather than just trying get what they got to be stable and reliable.
Think of Apple a few years back. Many folks (including some on the board of directors) thought they should drop the Mac and just make high end WinTel boxes. They chose to make Macintoshes, even if meant going out of business. You don't think Microsoft is just as arrogant to do the same with Windows? --
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Well, I don't think that Linux is any competition to Apple's "Power User" market, simply because the Mac power applications aren't running on LInux.
A white box PPC could really sell to the Mac Power User market. I know a few folks that would love a 6 slot G3 box with a fast integrated RAID system. Right now they have to piece together a 9600, an upgrade board, and a bunch of other parts.
--
My understanding is that newer MacOS versions don't need the Apple ROM to boot, so IBM PPC board + MacOS = Macintosh for less scratch.
--
If you ever use Lotus Notes, Ctrl+Break is a god send because it stops Notes from whatever crazy task it's hung on.
Scroll Lock also works in Notes and I actually use it (although less now that I have a scrolly mouse.)
--
The sad thing is that many of the extended keys (as you'd find on the PC-style Apple extended keyboard) don't work in most Mac programs. I was always pressing Del on my old system 7.6 Mac with no results.
Apple did get one thing right by mapping cut-copy-paste-undo to the first four F keys.
--
I believe SysRq was added to the AT keyboard to assist with IBM-style terminal emulation.
--
Well, you'd think that's what the "Help" key would be for, except when it doesn't do anything (which is usually).
So much for Human Interface Guidelines...
--
Hint - if you see an "Astroturfer", you should reply to them directly instead of posting a random, worthless comment.
That is, unless this is a Linux advocacy robot posting -- I've had my suspicions.
--
Hey - have you looked at the cost of keyboards lately? $8 for your typical squishy 104 key model!
I can understand the "let's get rid of all the useless keys" movement. After all, it might increase the profit margin of some taiwanese company by 10 cents per keyboard or something.
--
The PowerBook has an "Enter" key because for some reason Macs treat "Enter" and "Return" differently. Most applications treat them the same, but there were some older apps (Excel 2?) where Enter and Return have different meanings. This used to pose a problem on the original Mac keyboard, which only had a Return key.
Just file this post under "More useless information".
--
Why would MS (or another vendor) "steal" XFS-GPL, when they could just port it to the Windows NT IFS layer and include the source code on the CD?
MS might be evil enough to be stealing code from open source software, but if they are, it's purely out of pride, because there's legal ways they could use the code.
--
I'll have you know not all MCSE's are Redmond's bootlicking toadies.
Yeah, but there's a huge population of grunts with enough rote memorization skills to pass "Windows NT Server in the Enterprise" on the third try. Somewhere, in the back of their brains, they know that the value of their paper MS Certificates are about to get flushed down the toliet, and the first stage of loss is Denial. But don't worry, a few years from now, these folks will be your freindly neighborhood inexpensive Linux fuckups.
(Same thing happened with CNE certs when NT came in a few years ago.)
--
4.6 for Unix will still work in it's grotesque fashion. (Although, I think you need to have 4.63 or greater for calendaring.)
Also, webmail, pop3, imap, etc.
--
My understanding is that Windows NT (not 9x) has virutal desktop support built-in, just not enabled by default. The Resource Kit has some virtual desktop tools, although admittedly I haven't had the best luck with them.
--
What makes you think that a SGI Linux support contract is going to be any cheaper than an Irix Support Contract?
We keep hearing that the money in Open Source is in services, and if you're going to spend the dough on an SGI Linux box, you probably are going to want SGI to support it.
--
I thought people bought Xeons to get the big cache, which is where the big performance gains come for certain types of operations (databases, for example). The K-7, as it stands, doesn't really hold up to the Xeon.
Admittedly, Intel forces folks who don't need the cache to buy Xeons, because the normal PIII only goes 2-way. So there's some market there.
--
Don't forget that Intel still runs the market.* AMD is going to price and clock these things so that they're just a little cheaper and a little faster than Intel.
*Intel's got business desktops locked up with the Intel Inside marketing program - IIRC, this is the biggest chunk of the market. Even if AMD produced a chip that was 2x the speed and 1/2 the cost, you wouldn't see a Dell "Optiplex" or a Compaq "Deskpro" with an AMD chip until the vendors could get out from under Intel.
Furthermore, I don't see much general corporate demand for the new CPUs. They've already got enough CPU for MS Office and Win2000 and standard businessy stuff, so cheaper chips are going to rule the day.
--
Orgs I've worked in licence MS stuff per Seat (not per Server/Workstation), so adding servers and the like have a minimal software cost. The big problem with NT Workstation is that it has an arbitrary limit on network connections (256?) that makes it unusable for application serving.
I really doubt many MS shops will run telnet (running to the server room keeps you in shape!) -but it's an option.
--
Hmmm, I always thought it interesting that XFree has been ported to OS/2, but not to Windows. As you pointed out, OS/2 and Win32 are closer to each other than either is to unix.
Realistically, if Linux becomes a mainstream business OS, it's not going to take over overnight, and there's going to be the need to run X programs on Win32 platforms without spending a few hundred bucks per seat.
XFree/Win32 - some people have the itch - it'd be nice if someone who understands this stuff scratches it!
--
Put it this way - the company who tried to get rich selling a $200 telnet daemon for NT got put out of business about a year ago by Microsoft when MS released a free Telnet server.
Admittedly, users/seat licences still cost money.
--
W2K has a telnetd built in. Where'd you get the $200 figure?
--
Yes, MS wisely designed certain fonts (Verdana, Anadale Mono) primarily for display. Wise move, because most TT/PS fonts don't look very good at low point resolutions, and are really designed for the printer.
Also, is there a way to convert Macintosh bitmap fonts for display on XFree? Chicago, Geneva, New York may be old skool, but they do look very good for display only purposes (webpages).
--
So, is there an equivalant of "Adobe Type Manager" for XFree ? I've got a gazillion PS fonts on an old Mac (which would need to be converted to Windows/Unix format somehow, I guess.)
(I mean, besides Ghostscript..)
--
Well, Win9x sucks.
The question might be why have Microsoft's business customers consistantly chose to run crappy DOS/Win over better alternatives such as OS/2 and Windows NT. (Although, everyone runs as root under OS/2 also.)
--
(Actually curious) -- Do the new iBooks run Linux out of the box?
What I'd like to see is an actual server hardware plaform from Apple. (Rumors of such exist on the Mac sites.) This group would probably have the political pull to ensure good Linux support. If you're leaving it up to the iMac marketeers, I'm not so sure (despite one Linux evangalist).
--
MS SQL 7, MS Exchange, MS SMS, COM, DCOM, ActiveDirectory, ADO, CDO, IIS, MFC, WDM, DirectX, etc.
Despite this
Think of Apple a few years back. Many folks (including some on the board of directors) thought they should drop the Mac and just make high end WinTel boxes. They chose to make Macintoshes, even if meant going out of business. You don't think Microsoft is just as arrogant to do the same with Windows?
--