Comments on: Apple & Linux: Bling-Bling versus the Real Thing http://www.linuxextremist.com/2006/07/26/apple-linux-bling-bling-versus-the-real-thing/ An Eccentric on the Bleeding Edge between Madness and Windows Tue, 06 Jan 2009 09:47:30 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.7 hourly 1 By: jaself http://www.linuxextremist.com/2006/07/26/apple-linux-bling-bling-versus-the-real-thing/comment-page-1/#comment-51 jaself Tue, 01 Aug 2006 17:38:38 +0000 http://www.linuxextremist.com/?p=63#comment-51 Like your rants about MS - I totally agree with you, but all you have to do to understand why it's so bad is look at it's origins - one gui after another piled upon a bastardised OS - no wonder it constantly falls over! As for the rant about Apple - I have only one question to ask -why? Why lash out at them at all? As you might have guessed I'm penning this on a Mac - and with good reason. I want a computer that's reliable, one with a stable OS and good software. A computer where I can configure the services so that only the ones I want to run do so, one where I can decide which ports are open and closed - I want a computer that runs MY way! It's pretty obvious that MS is not a contender then. So which mainstream desktops does that leave? Which are the most stable, friendliest OS's around? Linux and Apple. Which leaves only one criteria - usability - and there comes the crunch. You see not all of us can get to grips with the language of the OS's - we're not all script kiddies! So it's a battle of the GUI's and I'm afraid that in my book Apple's OS X wins hands down for script illiterates like myself. Why? Here's a typical example for me - I've installed Ubuntu on a beige box next to my Mac - "That looks good! - nice interface in a nice 1024x768 environment, I think" - network it to my Mac - so far, so good, power everything down to reclaim my dual monitor set-up, power everything up (having remembered to set up automatic log-in and remote desktop on Ubuntu), open remote desktop - and there's Ubuntu - in glorious 640x480!!! and a nice little box saying 'Hal failed to initialize'!!! Hal!!! - didn't he get lost in 2001 and destroyed in 2010??? OK so we'll just go into the interface for Hal and tell it to keep a permanent display res of 10.... no interface! An hour later surfing (fuming) through different sites - all of which want to explain the parameters, protocols, reasons and purpose of Hal but no script examples - I think of your column berating the Mac - HA! Now perhaps you'll appreciate who the Mac appeals to. And yes - it is expensive - too expensive, in fact mine is second-hand. But you have to remember that it's about economies of scale. Apple is primarily a hardware manufacturer, it's NOT a battle of OS X vs XP (well... that's just an added bonus). And in the sea of computer manufacturers Apple is small fry compared to the likes of Dell et al. So the expense comes in from not being able to sell in volume. If you want a cheap Mac either buy second hand or preach to the masses what a good machine the Mac is! Oh and as for software - do the likes of Open Office, Gimp, Scribus, VLC, MPlayer, Abiword, Firefox, Opera, Ffmpeg, Thunderbird etc., etc all sound familiar - yes that's right, open source - free - gnu - gpl - all kinds of software installable on a Mac - by GUI's even! and if it's the terminal that excites you check out the packages that can be installed by Fink and DarwinPorts - they run into the thousands!!! And as for Bling!!! - what's wrong with not being a beige box! If you are going to shell out the price of a Mac shouldn't it look good too? OK sorry if I've ranted on a little myself but your article happened to catch me on a bad day when Linux was tying up hours for something that I can do in two minutes on a Mac si I just thought I'd redress the balance a bit! Lol Keep up the good work J p.s. any tips about Hal would be welcome ;-) Like your rants about MS - I totally agree with you, but all you have to do to understand why it’s so bad is look at it’s origins - one gui after another piled upon a bastardised OS - no wonder it constantly falls over!
As for the rant about Apple - I have only one question to ask -why? Why lash out at them at all?
As you might have guessed I’m penning this on a Mac - and with good reason. I want a computer that’s reliable, one with a stable OS and good software. A computer where I can configure the services so that only the ones I want to run do so, one where I can decide which ports are open and closed - I want a computer that runs MY way!
It’s pretty obvious that MS is not a contender then.
So which mainstream desktops does that leave?
Which are the most stable, friendliest OS’s around?
Linux and Apple.
Which leaves only one criteria - usability - and there comes the crunch. You see not all of us can get to grips with the language of the OS’s - we’re not all script kiddies!
So it’s a battle of the GUI’s and I’m afraid that in my book Apple’s OS X wins hands down for script illiterates like myself.
Why?
Here’s a typical example for me - I’ve installed Ubuntu on a beige box next to my Mac - “That looks good! - nice interface in a nice 1024×768 environment, I think” - network it to my Mac - so far, so good, power everything down to reclaim my dual monitor set-up, power everything up (having remembered to set up automatic log-in and remote desktop on Ubuntu), open remote desktop - and there’s Ubuntu - in glorious 640×480!!! and a nice little box saying ‘Hal failed to initialize’!!!
Hal!!! - didn’t he get lost in 2001 and destroyed in 2010???
OK so we’ll just go into the interface for Hal and tell it to keep a permanent display res of 10…. no interface!
An hour later surfing (fuming) through different sites - all of which want to explain the parameters, protocols, reasons and purpose of Hal but no script examples - I think of your column berating the Mac - HA!
Now perhaps you’ll appreciate who the Mac appeals to.
And yes - it is expensive - too expensive, in fact mine is second-hand.
But you have to remember that it’s about economies of scale.
Apple is primarily a hardware manufacturer, it’s NOT a battle of OS X vs XP (well… that’s just an added bonus). And in the sea of computer manufacturers Apple is small fry compared to the likes of Dell et al. So the expense comes in from not being able to sell in volume. If you want a cheap Mac either buy second hand or preach to the masses what a good machine the Mac is!
Oh and as for software - do the likes of Open Office, Gimp, Scribus, VLC, MPlayer, Abiword, Firefox, Opera, Ffmpeg, Thunderbird etc., etc all sound familiar - yes that’s right, open source - free - gnu - gpl - all kinds of software installable on a Mac - by GUI’s even! and if it’s the terminal that excites you check out the packages that can be installed by Fink and DarwinPorts - they run into the thousands!!!
And as for Bling!!! - what’s wrong with not being a beige box! If you are going to shell out the price of a Mac shouldn’t it look good too?

OK sorry if I’ve ranted on a little myself but your article happened to catch me on a bad day when Linux was tying up hours for something that I can do in two minutes on a Mac si I just thought I’d redress the balance a bit! Lol

Keep up the good work

J

p.s. any tips about Hal would be welcome ;-)

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