Do you think that Open Source software stands a chance on systems running Mac OS? While there are some of ports of GNU software (though not as many as on other OSes), there are even fewer programs that were originally developed on the Mac OS. A few people, like myself, are trying to make an inroads, but with minimal success. What suggestions do you have for those in the Mac community want to give back to that community by producing Open Source software? How can we make users accept the fact that Open Source software is at least as good as, if not better, than commerical, shareware, and especially freeware titles available?
As a follow up question, do you have any ideas about how to encourage Mac programers who already develop freeware to make it free software?
Why is Apple even trying to go opensource? I know that they want to do it in part for the media and to rally some support for MacOS X, but as a self-proclaimed Mac hacker (different from a regular, run of the mill hacker), I doubt I will get much of anything out of their faulty opensource stratgy.
For a long time Apple has been doing the next best thing to opensource: a huge, open API that has helped hackers and developers alike over the past 15 some odd years of the Macintosh. Come on, Apple, let us programmers do the opensource and you just keep on providing us the facilities to do as such. Don't forget your mantra of holding developers over self-interest to provided the better applications that we all use today. I just hope this doesn't go the way of AppleScript vs. Frontire.
Until this century sometime (it was early on, but I can't remember exactly when) the US functioned under a system similar to British Common Law. The system was extremely effective and allowed only those offended by the actions of others to have to take legal action. In this century, though, and with the advent enviromentalism (for nonlibertarians it may be hard to understand this, so just go with me on it and do your own research), Common Law was phased out in favor of massive legislation that takes the place of actual court decissions. If you've ever had to deal with the court system in America (directly or indirectly), the problems this causes are painfully obvious.
My comment refers to multitasking. I am able to do only a few keys a second while running it in the background, while my Windoze friends can't even get RC5 to run without being in the front. This is on a variet of Win32 versions, and none of them can beat me while we're multitasking.
For the uninformed, the 520c runs at 25MHz, despite Apple's insistance that it's 50, using a 68040 without a FPU.
I've been using my old 520c for RC5 for some time, and it still beats out my friends' PCs with 200MHz+ PII. It seems they have trouble multitasking that advanced OS of theirs.
This is no fun! I've been an Evangelista for the past few years now, and I don't know what I'm gonna do for links and software updates. Sure I get other Mac-oriented mailing list, but none of them are quite as much fun as Evangelist. Now I guess I'll have to actually *visit* Mac Web sites.
To relate, things just aren't going my way lately. Just earlier this month Emu World News closed shop, and now this. I don't know what I'm gonna do if Slashdot (my last, favorite Web site that is still updated) goes away, too. I'll be hacking my Mac without anywhere to take a break at!
Being a libertarian, I often face problems with explaining the importance of private-ownership in the opensource world. Yet, it is at its foundation becuase if someone did not control the distributions and create official releases that are possible copyrighted, the software might as well be public domain. Opensource is about making my own stuff better for everyone by letting you help me out. In exchange you get a better product, but I still had to put all the revisions together into a distribution. In a similar thread, this guy is going off on the same end. Despite the Internet's government background, it today is flurishing because of commercialization. If you will recall, before the early 90s, the Internet was the domain of only a few geeks with computers that were held together only by others who were willing to donate their time. Today there are a wide variety of services avaliable thanks to businessmen. In short, the idea is the old blurried eyed vision of Utopia obtained through material commfort. It doesn't happen (plenty of real-world examples, and ever read Orwell's 1984) and never will. I know that I am attacking his personal beliefs, but it exactly those beliefs that have slowed the Internet and other technologies in the past. I can't remember where, but Self-gov.org has some stuff on it about what I am talking about. If someone finds the full location, please post it and let me know.
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Do you think that Open Source software stands a chance on systems running Mac OS? While there are some of ports of GNU software (though not as many as on other OSes), there are even fewer programs that were originally developed on the Mac OS. A few people, like myself, are trying to make an inroads, but with minimal success. What suggestions do you have for those in the Mac community want to give back to that community by producing Open Source software? How can we make users accept the fact that Open Source software is at least as good as, if not better, than commerical, shareware, and especially freeware titles available?
As a follow up question, do you have any ideas about how to encourage Mac programers who already develop freeware to make it free software?
Why is Apple even trying to go opensource? I know that they want to do it in part for the media and to rally some support for MacOS X, but as a self-proclaimed Mac hacker (different from a regular, run of the mill hacker), I doubt I will get much of anything out of their faulty opensource stratgy.
For a long time Apple has been doing the next best thing to opensource: a huge, open API that has helped hackers and developers alike over the past 15 some odd years of the Macintosh. Come on, Apple, let us programmers do the opensource and you just keep on providing us the facilities to do as such. Don't forget your mantra of holding developers over self-interest to provided the better applications that we all use today. I just hope this doesn't go the way of AppleScript vs. Frontire.
Until this century sometime (it was early on, but I can't remember exactly when) the US functioned under a system similar to British Common Law. The system was extremely effective and allowed only those offended by the actions of others to have to take legal action. In this century, though, and with the advent enviromentalism (for nonlibertarians it may be hard to understand this, so just go with me on it and do your own research), Common Law was phased out in favor of massive legislation that takes the place of actual court decissions. If you've ever had to deal with the court system in America (directly or indirectly), the problems this causes are painfully obvious.
My comment refers to multitasking. I am able to do only a few keys a second while running it in the background, while my Windoze friends can't even get RC5 to run without being in the front. This is on a variet of Win32 versions, and none of them can beat me while we're multitasking.
For the uninformed, the 520c runs at 25MHz, despite Apple's insistance that it's 50, using a 68040 without a FPU.
I've been using my old 520c for RC5 for some time, and it still beats out my friends' PCs with 200MHz+ PII. It seems they have trouble multitasking that advanced OS of theirs.
This is no fun! I've been an Evangelista for the past few years now, and I don't know what I'm gonna do for links and software updates. Sure I get other Mac-oriented mailing list, but none of them are quite as much fun as Evangelist. Now I guess I'll have to actually *visit* Mac Web sites.
To relate, things just aren't going my way lately. Just earlier this month Emu World News closed shop, and now this. I don't know what I'm gonna do if Slashdot (my last, favorite Web site that is still updated) goes away, too. I'll be hacking my Mac without anywhere to take a break at!
Being a libertarian, I often face problems with explaining the importance of private-ownership in the opensource world. Yet, it is at its foundation becuase if someone did not control the distributions and create official releases that are possible copyrighted, the software might as well be public domain. Opensource is about making my own stuff better for everyone by letting you help me out. In exchange you get a better product, but I still had to put all the revisions together into a distribution. In a similar thread, this guy is going off on the same end. Despite the Internet's government background, it today is flurishing because of commercialization. If you will recall, before the early 90s, the Internet was the domain of only a few geeks with computers that were held together only by others who were willing to donate their time. Today there are a wide variety of services avaliable thanks to businessmen. In short, the idea is the old blurried eyed vision of Utopia obtained through material commfort. It doesn't happen (plenty of real-world examples, and ever read Orwell's 1984) and never will. I know that I am attacking his personal beliefs, but it exactly those beliefs that have slowed the Internet and other technologies in the past. I can't remember where, but Self-gov.org has some stuff on it about what I am talking about. If someone finds the full location, please post it and let me know.