-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- Hash: SHA1 On Nov 12, 2006, at 10:17 PM, Alan Dayley wrote: > > Joshua Zeidner wrote: >> Macs are fairly popular, but the Mac crowd rarely intersects with the >> Linux crowd. This is probably due to the fact that if someone >> could get >> linux running, why would they buy a Mac? > > I know or know of about 8 Linux users that have migrated to the Mac. > Yep, they went out and bought one and stayed with it. Some people > like > them. > > As for me, in the past 10 years, I haven't used a Mac long enough > to get > over the initial frustration with UI differences. So, I don't feel > that > I have enough time on one to say it is better or worse or just not > my taste. > > Linux works well for me so I fall in your category. Since Linux works > for me, why would I buy a Mac? Well, I wouldn't. > > Alan You can make that 9. I'm writing this on a MacBook Pro. Am I a Mac zealot? I don't think so. Am I going to try and convince you all how great Macs are? Nope. I love this computer. It offers me flexibility. Do I want to play some games? Boot into Windows with Boot Camp. Do I want to get down and dirty with the console? It's right at my fingertips. Heck, I'd say I spend a few hours a day SSH'd into one of my linux boxen. Linux is a great OS. Right now, I'm working to get it deployed throughout an entire school district. I love the open source movement, I love the philanthropic ideas behind the whole system. However, when I ask myself if Linux is ready for mainstream desktop use, I have to say no. Ubuntu, and many other distributions, are making great strides in this area. Installers are getting easier, hardware quirks are getting ironed out, and the public is becoming more and more aware of the presence of Linux. These are all wonderful things, and they're all leading up to something wonderful. But why do I say that Linux isn't ready right now? I hate to use the phrase, but it doesn't "Just Work". Most of the time, most of the things will work out of the box. But there are still places where support needs to improve, like graphics and wireless networking. And this isn't even the fault of the OS developers, but of the hardware manufacturers, and their inability to follow standards or release open source drivers. These things all have to be fixed for Linux to become mainstream on the desktop. So why don't I carry around a Linux laptop with me? Honestly, and I'm sure I'll get shot down for this, but I really like OSX. I like the security, stability, and backend of (a somewhat broken) *NIX, mixed with the ease-of-use of the Windows/Mac world. Sure, Mail.app isn't pine. I can't go in and change every option imaginable through a configuration file. But, really, most of the time, I don't need that. It's nice, after a day spent fixing other people's computer problems, to simply go into a dialog to change an option. And like I said, Linux is getting there, but it's not there yet. Do I have problems with OSX? Sure I do. I really don't like the "unified menu bar" approach, or whatever it's called. There are some specific programs where I wish there were more options. I'd love to have an apt-like system for the whole OS, as opposed to packages only available in DarwinPorts or Fink. I wish that more of the software were open source, free software, or even just freeware. So, really, it all comes down to a matter of preference. At least we can all agree that both Linux and Mac are infinitely better than Windows =) - -David -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: GnuPG v1.4.5 (Darwin) iD8DBQFFWB3K/eN+mEehuEMRAmEnAJ4885mOxKjB5CjtXUUwDuzup+r7MACeJVGr aAiS7TLeOvek8OIrWPD94W0= =k1lC -----END PGP SIGNATURE----- --------------------------------------------------- PLUG-discuss mailing list - PLUG-discuss@lists.plug.phoenix.az.us To subscribe, unsubscribe, or to change you mail settings: http://lists.PLUG.phoenix.az.us/mailman/listinfo/plug-discuss