[NCLUG] OS X isn't Unix

Mike Loseke mike at verinet.com
Wed Sep 18 11:53:29 MDT 2002


Thus spake Rich Young:
> 
> I think all this ideological discussion misses one important point:  Apple
> is a hardware monopoly.  If I want OS-X, I have to go buy one of *their*
> overpriced machines, and I am subject to Apple's idea of what's necessary
> and what's not (e.g. 1.44M floppy discs).  I can work on the machine if it
> breaks, but if I get one of their cheaper machines, I'll need to be a pretty
> patient fellow because it's all crammed into some high-style case (think
> iMac).  I get access to *some* popular software, more than I get on Linux,
> but less than I get on Windows.
> 
> If I want Linux, OTOH, I can scrounge a pentium-class machine out of a
> metaphorical dumpster and buy, borrow or beg an OS cd from someone in the
> community, legally.  (Or I can buy parts or a whole machine from a
> marketplace kept lean by competition, if I'm inclined to want better
> performance.)  If something breaks, parts are readily available and
> reasonably priced.  *I* get to decide if I want to use Zip, or CDRW, or
> floppy, or whatever.  *For me*, it's this combination of "free (libre)" and
> "free (gratis)" that makes Linux a compelling choice.
> 
> Even if we grant that OS-X is "better" than Linux (something many are
> clearly not ready to grant), we have to ask ourselves if its *enough* better
> to justify the price differential and loss of liberty WRT hardware &
> software.  
> 
> Clearly, some of us will say "yes, it's worth it" and some won't.  That's
> OK.  It's important to recognize that a Mac OS-X user is doing more for
> computing diversity than a Win user, even if they are arguably doing less
> than a linux user.  

 I have always found this particular topic of discussion to be a very
entertaining one that has some real philosophical threads embedded deep
within it. An analogy I've used in the past replaces the hardware and
software with cars.

 In my experience, there are only really two disticnt types of "car people":
those that love them and those that view them as something that gets you
from point A to point B and nothing more. To relate these attitudes to
computers and OS', the point-to-point people don't really care what's under
the hood or how it looks, as long as it lets them to their job or tasks
then they could care less how it goes about it. Those types are also found
in all computing enviroments on all flavors of computers and OS, be they
Macs, PC's or Unix (to keep the list short).

 The other kind of car people have a myriad of preferences and opinions
when it comes to picking the machine on which to accomplish their tasks.
Many enjoy building them themselves for different purposes (functionality,
or performance) by either starting from scratch or taking an existing
configuration and modifying it further. Others prefer to buy the
configuration already highly tuned that matches their performance needs.
Sure, I love building linux machines from scratch out of parts (I still
have a pieced together 386 running) and tuning them to a certain level of
performance, but I also enjoy working with larger class machines that are
already tuned for the performance needs they were designed and purchased
for.

 I've always been a hot-rod guy, and grew up surrounded by muscle cars,
but I like the Ferraris and Lamborghinis too. If given the chance to drive
a Lamborghini Diablo there's very little you could do to keep from it, and
I'd behave the same if given a chance behind the wheel of '73 Mach 1 that
someone had dropped a 454 and a supercharger into, but that doesn't mean
that I wouldn't also enjoy making the drive in a Caddillac.

 I guess my point is that there's a time and a place for every type
of computer (and car) out there. Car people are weird though, many are
elitist and would never consider driving anything but their "one true"
car.  I get along with them about as well as I get along with any other
zealous advocate - I just smile and nod and look for the exit. Diversity
is still a good thing, otherwise everything would look the same and what
fun is that?

 Personally, I'd love to get a new G4 with OS-newest on it for some
particular applications.


-- 
   Mike Loseke    |     On the first day
 mike at verinet.com |  Pink Floyd created God



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