I spoke at length (over email) with the then-Developer for EaglePCB (he unfortunately finally sold-out...), about his experiences with porting his CAD/CAE PCB layout, schematic capture, and simulation-suite to OS X.
This experience sounds highly dubious but I'll give you the benefit of the doubt: What specifically were some of the technical problems that could not be overcome with Qt but could be done with Quartz? I know you have said "sophisticated visual layering" but what exactly was the insurmountable problem?
No, it really happened, back in 2003-4 timeframe (which is also why I can't remember every detail, sorry!)
All I can remember was that it was along the lines of having trouble with displaying multiple transparent layers (PCB Layout, remember?), and having it "look right" when stuff on one layer overlapped stuff on another layer(s).
If it helps, he HAD previously done an OS X port of his software that ran under X11 on OSX (see history here), and so had access to whatever that graphics environment! as realized on a Mac.
I was doing embedded development at that time, and so only had a "user-level" knowledge of what the issues were; but that's about as much detail as I can get my brain to disgorge, after about 12 years...
And yet, if you ask in these pages, all you get is praise that that so-called "freedom".
Yes because freedom is a good thing. I'm sure if I was locked up in a walled compound all day that my chances of being hit by a bus would be greatly diminished. It does not mean that I should be denied to leave my compound if I so wish, even if it's generally a nice place.
Despite the old FOSS adage the "software wants to be free", it isn't really the same as with humans or animals. So, that's simply a non-sequitur. Next!
There are lots of extremely good reasons someone may wish to install an APK which is not listed on Google's store - enterprise or in-house apps,
Apple's distribution model allows for distribution to up to 100 devices, and Apple has programs to allow bigger organizations to distribute in-house apps to more devices than that, without involving the App Store or it's Approval Process. Next!
rival stores such as Amazon's, vertical applications, open source apps, apps that violate Google store policies for whatever reason (emulators. etc.) and so on.
IOW, that.0000005% of apps I was talking about...
I'm not sure what you mean by Vertical Applications; there are a ZILLION Vertical Apps in the App Store. As far as Open Source Apps, I don't think Apple has any restrictions on you offering the Source to your App through another website. They are only interested in assuring that the Apps in the App Store are SAFE. Next!
If someone is stupid enough to frequent a warez site to avoid paying a few euros for a game then they get what they deserve. Should we take away everyone else's freedom for that?
In this case, I answer with a qualified "Yeah, it seems so."
Beyond the "Good Idea" reasons, I think that Apple (wisely, as shown by the rampant malware that is Android Apps, even some of those in Google Play), figured that the whole market would fall on its face, and Apple would be reviled, if the iPhone and the App Store became nothing more than a corporate distributor of malware.
Think about it. Yes, the Police are a pain in the ass when you just wanted to get to work in time; but they're sure handy when someone robs your house...
I suggest to port a CAD or CASE application or at least a simple drawing application from Windows to a Mac, and then do the same with QT. Nothing to port in the later case, and nothing to notice any difference from your manual port before. Only the most keen eyes might spot a different pixel somewhere when you use a special GUI element to show case a portability issue.
Bzzzt, WRONG! Thanks for playing!
I spoke at length (over email) with the then-Developer for EaglePCB (he unfortunately finally sold-out...), about his experiences with porting his CAD/CAE PCB layout, schematic capture, and simulation-suite to OS X.
He paid for the then-pretty-damned-expensive Qt development licensing. IIRC, spent over a year trying to rewrite his PCB layout application (which had some tricky layering stuff to do) in Qt, and finally gave up, electing to START OVER using OS X-native drawing APIs (Quartz?).
He said it was a nightmare in Qt to try an do the things he was needing to do in his PCB layout app, and was basically kind of feeling ripped-off by whoever it was that owned Qt at the time (around 2003 or so).
If that's a weak attempt at an "Apple == Gay" joke, just remember that over 60% of Gay men have biological children, and if you factor in adoptive kids, it's likely in the 80%+ world these days.
Probably the biggest risk to users if they get their apps from a warez site where they are basically asking for trouble.
And yet, if you ask in these pages, all you get is praise that that so-called "freedom".
Look I'm all for "Freedom" when it matters, like in Free Speech, and Right To Arm Bears; but in the case of Mobile Apps, the substantial risks just don't seem to justify the necessary added vigilance, for the.000005% of additional Apps, period.
Probably because almost every app on android wants control of your phone and access to your data. I know since switching to Android I only buy apps from trusted sources, that don't ask for every permission under the sun.
So, the real question is: Why did you switch (assuming you switched from Apple)? If so, by your own admission, you just switched from an App Store where, with very few exceptions, everything is exactly what it says it is, to Android, where almost nothing is what it says it is.
This is why, ultimately, people aren't making much money on apps in general. Because they think they can just depend on the Apple model to protect their investment, when Apple really only cares on making money for themselves.
"Apple tried going the OSS route with OpenGL, and people complained about sluggish performance of games on OS X vs Windows"
I know that this a heresy, but Apple sucks at writing drivers. And fanbois sucked it.
Name someone who doesn't suck at writing drivers. I haven't seen anything but, in multiple decades experience with multiple drivers for multiple things on multiple platforms.
Well... duh. It is like a researcher buying a car, leaving the boot unlocked, and then saying that just tugging the handle allows an attacker to see what brand of toilet paper you use.
You have a BATHROOM in your CAR?!?!? Wow!!!
That must be one of them newfangled self-driving jobs!!!
If someone wants to dig through my trash, they'll probably find a lot more interesting stuff than this.
Not mine, they won't.
Since a friend of mine got busted in 1992 for growing pot (for his own use only! Oh Noes! Crime of the Century!!! Indicted him FEDERALLY, even!!!), and the Probable Cause Affidavit listed as "proof", some pot leaves he allegedly left in his trash along with some mail in the same trash bag that had his address, I have NEVER placed ANY "identifiable information" (including even such stuff as receipts with even partial Credit Card numbers, etc.) in my trash. Instead, ALL of that stuff (junk mail, address labels off of mailorder stuff, etc.) goes into a "burn box" under my desk. And periodically, I do just exactly that. Burn it down to a powder, and stir that up before disposing of, um, elsewhere.
Stops the spooks, LEO, and the neighborhood data-scavengers/trash-pickers alike.
Don't worry, there's about a 100% chance that the EULA will prohibit class action lawsuits. We can thank Sony for starting that ball rolling!
Hasn't that been invalidated yet? I thought that there was a decision on that. There was JUST a Federal decision that basically marks ALL "Administrative 'Law' " "Courts", for example, as unconstitutional.
The large settlement was intended to punish the industry by decreasing profitability. That the industry would increase prices to recover profitability was not unanticipated by the courts. It was the entire bleeding point.
And so, the only entity that REALLY profited (other than the attorneys) was the STATES; so the Government was the only REAL winner.
Yay, rah. But again, the VICTIMS recovered NOTHING. NOTHING. NOTHING.
If you can't see the difference between a Surface and a Mac Mini there really is no hope for you.
They are both being sole as "Entry Level" systems. I was simply showing that other computers are indeed available today that have weaker CPUs than the low-end Mac mini.
Who do you mean by "everyone else"? Neither Microsoft or Google sell your personal information, quite the opposite: they protect zealously it as commercial advantage.
Sell it or use it to deliver "targeted" ads, doesn't matter. Apple doesn't do it.
Even if I use a Mac, I do know that they're way more expensive than alternatives, especially outside of the U.S.A. Even in Canada, Apple doesn't rectify its prices often enough compared to the exchange rate.
Probably true of all the "name brand" computers, though, isn't it?
No argument there, but an entry level PC with no peripherals is $400 (or less) - sounds like a hefty
Ya know. I could have said that a new Mac mini with 10.8 GHz CPU, 16 TB of RAM and an infinite-sized quantum storage crystal cost two dollars, and your type would say "Is that all?" I can buy a computer with those specs for fifty cents.
Haven't we been down this road enough times?
And as for your incredulity at a 1.4 GHz, Dual-Core i5, let's take a look around:
Newly-offered Surface 3: $499. Intel Atom processor (and a whopping 64 GB of Flash). They won't even ADMIT the CPU clock speed!. Windows 8.1 (I think)
HP 20Z all-in-one PC: $369 (on sale). 1.4 GHz AMD CPU (um, slower than Intel). Windows 8.1
I can go on and on; but the bottom line is, yes, Virginia, people sell computers with 1.4 GHz CPUs (and worse!) all-the-time.
And the REAL bottom-line? They all still run WINDOWS, and isn't that the point?
I'm a Mac user and I was picking Ubuntu when someone asked me for a Linux distro until recently (hearing bad things about it on Slashdot), so I was wondering "why Mint" since I also keep hearing about it as a "starter Linux" too.
Someone should mod you informative for that link to distrowatch.
Thanks!
And if you look over at the right side of the DistroWatch homepage, you will see that "Mint" is #1 in "popularity". I didn't look there until after I decided to use them; but it just reinforces that it was a decent choice;-).
But seriously, unless someone just has NO money, I would still recommend OS X over Linux, for all the reasons you already know if you're a Mac user...
But as I said, I didn't want to start a Platform War.
Why? The only ones who ever see the awards are the defense attorneys.
So what? The societal point of a class action suit is to punish the offenders. Are you going to take a day off work to file a small claims suit for $1.23 when you are overcharged on your phone bill? Will you even bother to spend an hour on hold, or change providers if there is a BS $0.95 "surcharge" added to you bill? I know I won't. I won't use the coupons I get sent either when they lose the suit. At least the lawyers get cash - that what discourage corporate behavior from being even MORE egregious.
You mean like with the Tobacco Company Settlements, where not only did the Defendants get exactly NOTHING, but then THEY ended up paying the Fines in the form of cigarette prices that more than DOUBLED, coincidentally RIGHT after those Settlements were agreed-upon.
I don't even smoke cigarettes; but I thought that was one of the most blatant "transfers of burden" that I have ever seen; the Tobacco Industry didn't suffer a DIME, directly. The ONLY ones who suffered were the poor victims that the Tobacco Companies Addicted in the first place!
So now, tell me how Class Actions teach Corporations a lesson?
The funny thing is that Apple doesn't play that much (it does a little with iAds) in the ad game... but among the big tech companies, they are by far the most profitable.
If the ad wars get too hot and heavy, with every new desktop computer winding up like a Bonzi-Buddy Windows ME box, there may just be a mass exodus to Macs. People in the past paid big bucks for an entry level desktop computer, and if driven to, they might do the same now, leaving the only people on the ad platforms the people who don't have the cash to buy stuff.
What "big bucks?" You're just feeding into the "Apple Tax" myth.
Assuming you have a reasonable monitor and USB keyboard/mouse kicking around, you can get an entry-level Mac mini for $500. The slashdotters will whine about 5400 RPM drive this, and "only" Dual-Core that; but as an Entry-Level computer, it is plenty powerful enough.
And even if you have to purchase a monitor, keyboard and mouse, you only have to add about $125 to get both of those from third-party vendors. So, for $625, you have a nice little Mac desktop.
And if you want to pop for more memory (which I might, although my 2013 MBP seems to get along just fine in Mavericks with "only" 4GB and a 5400RPM drive. I have even done live simultaneous 16 track recordings in Logic Pro with that configuration), then the cost would be a relatively paltry $200 more, and that buys you twice the RAM (8GB vs. 4), nearly twice the CPU speed (2.6GHz v. 1.4), and double the HD (1TB vs. 500GB). That's a lot of "upgrade" for $200. And of course, there are even more BTO refinements available, too.
And at the end of it, you'll have a computer that is pretty damned fast (for an entry-level system), deadly silent, so small it almost qualifies as a portable, and which runs the world's most elegant OS (the window-management alone is so great that it isn't funny), and which, if you want, can easily run nearly any other OS, too, should the need or desire arise.
Yes, I know that you can build up an Intel cue-type system; but then, that doesn't solve the real issue: Windows.
And I'm not going to get into the whole "Hackintosh" situation; because, at the core, that involves stealing OS X.
Would you like to upgrade to Quicktime pro with that?
Yeah, sure, we know you just dropped 4500 on a shiny workstation; but c'mon, QuickTime pro, man!
That's what, $30, one time, to offset the cost of some CODECS? But yeah, I never liked that, either. Fortunately, Apple isn't really serious about it, and so it is very easy to find "Pro" keys that Apple never seems to blacklist.
And does QuickTime X even do that anymore? Nope. So for the vast majority of casual users, it's a non-issue. The forced adverts thing is looking to be something that could possibly affect all Windows 10 users. BIG difference!
But the QuickTime -> QuickTime X transition was one of the most badly-bungled things that Apple has ever done, IMHO.
But that still doesn't hold a candle to force-feeding adverts to your Desktop directly! No way, no how is that equivalent.
Why Mint in particular, compared to the other distros?
Quite frankly, I wanted to deflect the drubbing I would get if I just linked to Apple's site; and so, since I hear a lot of people on Slashdot speak highly of Mint, especially for users that are coming to Linux for the first time, I figured it would be a kind of "neutral" distro to pick.
But, since Linux fanbois can't seem to pick which of the 100+ distros they want to get behind (one of the biggest reasons why Linux on the Desktop is a complete non-starter, IMHO), I guess I would have to point to someplace like here, instead.
So, to me, your question simply registers in my brain as "No good deed goes unpunished".
Slashdot Mirror
I spoke at length (over email) with the then-Developer for EaglePCB (he unfortunately finally sold-out...), about his experiences with porting his CAD/CAE PCB layout, schematic capture, and simulation-suite to OS X.
This experience sounds highly dubious but I'll give you the benefit of the doubt: What specifically were some of the technical problems that could not be overcome with Qt but could be done with Quartz? I know you have said "sophisticated visual layering" but what exactly was the insurmountable problem?
No, it really happened, back in 2003-4 timeframe (which is also why I can't remember every detail, sorry!)
All I can remember was that it was along the lines of having trouble with displaying multiple transparent layers (PCB Layout, remember?), and having it "look right" when stuff on one layer overlapped stuff on another layer(s).
If it helps, he HAD previously done an OS X port of his software that ran under X11 on OSX (see history here), and so had access to whatever that graphics environment! as realized on a Mac.
I was doing embedded development at that time, and so only had a "user-level" knowledge of what the issues were; but that's about as much detail as I can get my brain to disgorge, after about 12 years...
Then he should have asked me.
I ported a CAD environment to Qt in about 3 months (from zApp).
There is nothing particular difficult to do that unless the original code is already idiotic.
He had some sophisticated visual layering that he was very particular about. As I said, this was a PC Board Layout package, and so not "hidden line".
Not all "CAD" is the same.
And yet, if you ask in these pages, all you get is praise that that so-called "freedom".
Yes because freedom is a good thing. I'm sure if I was locked up in a walled compound all day that my chances of being hit by a bus would be greatly diminished. It does not mean that I should be denied to leave my compound if I so wish, even if it's generally a nice place.
Despite the old FOSS adage the "software wants to be free", it isn't really the same as with humans or animals. So, that's simply a non-sequitur. Next!
There are lots of extremely good reasons someone may wish to install an APK which is not listed on Google's store - enterprise or in-house apps,
Apple's distribution model allows for distribution to up to 100 devices, and Apple has programs to allow bigger organizations to distribute in-house apps to more devices than that, without involving the App Store or it's Approval Process. Next!
rival stores such as Amazon's, vertical applications, open source apps, apps that violate Google store policies for whatever reason (emulators. etc.) and so on.
IOW, that .0000005% of apps I was talking about...
I'm not sure what you mean by Vertical Applications; there are a ZILLION Vertical Apps in the App Store. As far as Open Source Apps, I don't think Apple has any restrictions on you offering the Source to your App through another website. They are only interested in assuring that the Apps in the App Store are SAFE. Next!
If someone is stupid enough to frequent a warez site to avoid paying a few euros for a game then they get what they deserve. Should we take away everyone else's freedom for that?
In this case, I answer with a qualified "Yeah, it seems so."
Beyond the "Good Idea" reasons, I think that Apple (wisely, as shown by the rampant malware that is Android Apps, even some of those in Google Play), figured that the whole market would fall on its face, and Apple would be reviled, if the iPhone and the App Store became nothing more than a corporate distributor of malware.
Think about it. Yes, the Police are a pain in the ass when you just wanted to get to work in time; but they're sure handy when someone robs your house...
I suggest to port a CAD or CASE application or at least a simple drawing application from Windows to a Mac, and then do the same with QT. Nothing to port in the later case, and nothing to notice any difference from your manual port before. Only the most keen eyes might spot a different pixel somewhere when you use a special GUI element to show case a portability issue.
Bzzzt, WRONG! Thanks for playing!
I spoke at length (over email) with the then-Developer for EaglePCB (he unfortunately finally sold-out...), about his experiences with porting his CAD/CAE PCB layout, schematic capture, and simulation-suite to OS X.
He paid for the then-pretty-damned-expensive Qt development licensing. IIRC, spent over a year trying to rewrite his PCB layout application (which had some tricky layering stuff to do) in Qt, and finally gave up, electing to START OVER using OS X-native drawing APIs (Quartz?).
He said it was a nightmare in Qt to try an do the things he was needing to do in his PCB layout app, and was basically kind of feeling ripped-off by whoever it was that owned Qt at the time (around 2003 or so).
Installed base is what most people would go by.
Yeah, but "Installed base" also tends to count phones that are sitting in the trash, or in a desk drawer, etc.
And I assure you, there are a lot more Android phones that have gone by the wayside than Apple phones.
Absence of children = more disposable income.
If that's a weak attempt at an "Apple == Gay" joke, just remember that over 60% of Gay men have biological children, and if you factor in adoptive kids, it's likely in the 80%+ world these days.
So stick that knobby-stick up your ass and twist.
Probably the biggest risk to users if they get their apps from a warez site where they are basically asking for trouble.
And yet, if you ask in these pages, all you get is praise that that so-called "freedom".
.000005% of additional Apps, period.
Look I'm all for "Freedom" when it matters, like in Free Speech, and Right To Arm Bears; but in the case of Mobile Apps, the substantial risks just don't seem to justify the necessary added vigilance, for the
Probably because almost every app on android wants control of your phone and access to your data. I know since switching to Android I only buy apps from trusted sources, that don't ask for every permission under the sun.
So, the real question is: Why did you switch (assuming you switched from Apple)? If so, by your own admission, you just switched from an App Store where, with very few exceptions, everything is exactly what it says it is, to Android, where almost nothing is what it says it is.
Good job, good job...
Gee. One registered user, and one anonymous coward, each with direct opposite experiences.
Who can I believe, who can I believe...
Exactly.
This is why, ultimately, people aren't making much money on apps in general. Because they think they can just depend on the Apple model to protect their investment, when Apple really only cares on making money for themselves.
That's why they've made Developers 30 Billion (that's with a "B") Dollars on App Store Apps, and FREELY hosted FREE Apps, too.
Now, let's contrast that with the Google Play Store...
That's because Apple is all about money and buying and money and Apple sheeple do not understand Free Software.
No, you have that backwards: Fandroids don't understand that writing software is an occupation that sometimes merits compensation.
"Apple tried going the OSS route with OpenGL, and people complained about sluggish performance of games on OS X vs Windows" I know that this a heresy, but Apple sucks at writing drivers. And fanbois sucked it.
Name someone who doesn't suck at writing drivers. I haven't seen anything but, in multiple decades experience with multiple drivers for multiple things on multiple platforms.
Well... duh. It is like a researcher buying a car, leaving the boot unlocked, and then saying that just tugging the handle allows an attacker to see what brand of toilet paper you use.
You have a BATHROOM in your CAR?!?!? Wow!!!
That must be one of them newfangled self-driving jobs!!!
If someone wants to dig through my trash, they'll probably find a lot more interesting stuff than this.
Not mine, they won't.
Since a friend of mine got busted in 1992 for growing pot (for his own use only! Oh Noes! Crime of the Century!!! Indicted him FEDERALLY, even!!!), and the Probable Cause Affidavit listed as "proof", some pot leaves he allegedly left in his trash along with some mail in the same trash bag that had his address, I have NEVER placed ANY "identifiable information" (including even such stuff as receipts with even partial Credit Card numbers, etc.) in my trash. Instead, ALL of that stuff (junk mail, address labels off of mailorder stuff, etc.) goes into a "burn box" under my desk. And periodically, I do just exactly that. Burn it down to a powder, and stir that up before disposing of, um, elsewhere.
Stops the spooks, LEO, and the neighborhood data-scavengers/trash-pickers alike.
Don't worry, there's about a 100% chance that the EULA will prohibit class action lawsuits. We can thank Sony for starting that ball rolling!
Hasn't that been invalidated yet? I thought that there was a decision on that. There was JUST a Federal decision that basically marks ALL "Administrative 'Law' " "Courts", for example, as unconstitutional.
The large settlement was intended to punish the industry by decreasing profitability. That the industry would increase prices to recover profitability was not unanticipated by the courts. It was the entire bleeding point.
And so, the only entity that REALLY profited (other than the attorneys) was the STATES; so the Government was the only REAL winner.
Yay, rah. But again, the VICTIMS recovered NOTHING. NOTHING. NOTHING.
Got it?
If you can't see the difference between a Surface and a Mac Mini there really is no hope for you.
They are both being sole as "Entry Level" systems. I was simply showing that other computers are indeed available today that have weaker CPUs than the low-end Mac mini.
Who do you mean by "everyone else"? Neither Microsoft or Google sell your personal information, quite the opposite: they protect zealously it as commercial advantage.
Sell it or use it to deliver "targeted" ads, doesn't matter. Apple doesn't do it.
Even if I use a Mac, I do know that they're way more expensive than alternatives, especially outside of the U.S.A. Even in Canada, Apple doesn't rectify its prices often enough compared to the exchange rate.
Probably true of all the "name brand" computers, though, isn't it?
No argument there, but an entry level PC with no peripherals is $400 (or less) - sounds like a hefty
Ya know. I could have said that a new Mac mini with 10.8 GHz CPU, 16 TB of RAM and an infinite-sized quantum storage crystal cost two dollars, and your type would say "Is that all?" I can buy a computer with those specs for fifty cents.
Haven't we been down this road enough times?
And as for your incredulity at a 1.4 GHz, Dual-Core i5, let's take a look around:
Newly-offered Surface 3: $499. Intel Atom processor (and a whopping 64 GB of Flash). They won't even ADMIT the CPU clock speed!. Windows 8.1 (I think)
HP 20Z all-in-one PC: $369 (on sale). 1.4 GHz AMD CPU (um, slower than Intel). Windows 8.1
I can go on and on; but the bottom line is, yes, Virginia, people sell computers with 1.4 GHz CPUs (and worse!) all-the-time.
And the REAL bottom-line? They all still run WINDOWS, and isn't that the point?
I'm a Mac user and I was picking Ubuntu when someone asked me for a Linux distro until recently (hearing bad things about it on Slashdot), so I was wondering "why Mint" since I also keep hearing about it as a "starter Linux" too.
Someone should mod you informative for that link to distrowatch.
Thanks!
;-).
And if you look over at the right side of the DistroWatch homepage, you will see that "Mint" is #1 in "popularity". I didn't look there until after I decided to use them; but it just reinforces that it was a decent choice
But seriously, unless someone just has NO money, I would still recommend OS X over Linux, for all the reasons you already know if you're a Mac user...
But as I said, I didn't want to start a Platform War.
Class action.
I hope it's in the billions.
Why? The only ones who ever see the awards are the defense attorneys.
So what? The societal point of a class action suit is to punish the offenders. Are you going to take a day off work to file a small claims suit for $1.23 when you are overcharged on your phone bill? Will you even bother to spend an hour on hold, or change providers if there is a BS $0.95 "surcharge" added to you bill? I know I won't. I won't use the coupons I get sent either when they lose the suit. At least the lawyers get cash - that what discourage corporate behavior from being even MORE egregious.
You mean like with the Tobacco Company Settlements, where not only did the Defendants get exactly NOTHING, but then THEY ended up paying the Fines in the form of cigarette prices that more than DOUBLED, coincidentally RIGHT after those Settlements were agreed-upon.
I don't even smoke cigarettes; but I thought that was one of the most blatant "transfers of burden" that I have ever seen; the Tobacco Industry didn't suffer a DIME, directly. The ONLY ones who suffered were the poor victims that the Tobacco Companies Addicted in the first place!
So now, tell me how Class Actions teach Corporations a lesson?
The funny thing is that Apple doesn't play that much (it does a little with iAds) in the ad game... but among the big tech companies, they are by far the most profitable.
If the ad wars get too hot and heavy, with every new desktop computer winding up like a Bonzi-Buddy Windows ME box, there may just be a mass exodus to Macs. People in the past paid big bucks for an entry level desktop computer, and if driven to, they might do the same now, leaving the only people on the ad platforms the people who don't have the cash to buy stuff.
What "big bucks?" You're just feeding into the "Apple Tax" myth.
Assuming you have a reasonable monitor and USB keyboard/mouse kicking around, you can get an entry-level Mac mini for $500. The slashdotters will whine about 5400 RPM drive this, and "only" Dual-Core that; but as an Entry-Level computer, it is plenty powerful enough.
And even if you have to purchase a monitor, keyboard and mouse, you only have to add about $125 to get both of those from third-party vendors. So, for $625, you have a nice little Mac desktop.
And if you want to pop for more memory (which I might, although my 2013 MBP seems to get along just fine in Mavericks with "only" 4GB and a 5400RPM drive. I have even done live simultaneous 16 track recordings in Logic Pro with that configuration), then the cost would be a relatively paltry $200 more, and that buys you twice the RAM (8GB vs. 4), nearly twice the CPU speed (2.6GHz v. 1.4), and double the HD (1TB vs. 500GB). That's a lot of "upgrade" for $200. And of course, there are even more BTO refinements available, too.
And at the end of it, you'll have a computer that is pretty damned fast (for an entry-level system), deadly silent, so small it almost qualifies as a portable, and which runs the world's most elegant OS (the window-management alone is so great that it isn't funny), and which, if you want, can easily run nearly any other OS, too, should the need or desire arise.
Yes, I know that you can build up an Intel cue-type system; but then, that doesn't solve the real issue: Windows.
And I'm not going to get into the whole "Hackintosh" situation; because, at the core, that involves stealing OS X.
Would you like to upgrade to Quicktime pro with that?
Yeah, sure, we know you just dropped 4500 on a shiny workstation; but c'mon, QuickTime pro, man!
That's what, $30, one time, to offset the cost of some CODECS? But yeah, I never liked that, either. Fortunately, Apple isn't really serious about it, and so it is very easy to find "Pro" keys that Apple never seems to blacklist.
And does QuickTime X even do that anymore? Nope. So for the vast majority of casual users, it's a non-issue. The forced adverts thing is looking to be something that could possibly affect all Windows 10 users. BIG difference!
But the QuickTime -> QuickTime X transition was one of the most badly-bungled things that Apple has ever done, IMHO.
But that still doesn't hold a candle to force-feeding adverts to your Desktop directly ! No way, no how is that equivalent.
Why Mint in particular, compared to the other distros?
Quite frankly, I wanted to deflect the drubbing I would get if I just linked to Apple's site; and so, since I hear a lot of people on Slashdot speak highly of Mint, especially for users that are coming to Linux for the first time, I figured it would be a kind of "neutral" distro to pick.
But, since Linux fanbois can't seem to pick which of the 100+ distros they want to get behind (one of the biggest reasons why Linux on the Desktop is a complete non-starter, IMHO), I guess I would have to point to someplace like here, instead.
So, to me, your question simply registers in my brain as "No good deed goes unpunished".