OS X… unworthy of respect?

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Jorge had an interesting post today about OS X and open source advocates. It got me thinking, and when that happens, well… stuff like this shows up.

Yeah, OS X users do get a “Get Out of Jail Free” card in comparison to Windows users. I started wondering why this was, and here’s what I came up with:

  • For the technically capable, OS X is a choice that says, “I looked and decided this was the best choice for me.” Windows though, well… I’m just going to assume that you’re one 31337 k1dd13.
  • Open Source kernel. Flame the, “BSD underpinnings” remarks if you will, but the kernel is open.
  • Availability of open source utilities. OS X has stuff built in (openldap, gcc, etc) and it has plenty more easily available to it. Running them isn’t like getting Cygwin on Windows.
  • Command line… Windows doesn’t have a fully functioning command line. I’m sorry, but if I need to do something important, I want a command line with a text based login. Who knows where I’ll be and whether or not I’ll have the bandwidth to use a fancy GUI remote use package (RDP, terminal services, whatever)..
  • Security, OS X has it by default. Viruses, what are those?
  • Stability.
    elayne:~ kyle$ uptime
    23:31 up 28 days, 54 mins, 2 users, load averages: 0.44 0.37 0.53

    My laptop has been up a month… enough said.

  • Sane application installs. Hey look, the program is all in one file as far as the user is concerned. Granted, this is really only an advantage over Windows, I prefer Linux package management via apt. Then, I don’t even have to care where something gets installed to.

    • So, why don’t OS X users get ostracized like Windows users? An operating system is ultimately about choice. At ~5% of the market share, OS X is a choice, Windows is a default. Also, while Jorge says the goal wasn’t originally, “Linux on the Desktop,” maybe, just maybe it should be. Maybe people want usability out of their machine. I know that is where Ubuntu is headed and I sure as hell like what that group is using.

    My name is Kyle, I use both OS X and Ubuntu Linux; I believe the goal of Linux should be making it usable as a Desktop.

    Sauna Night

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    Today I went to Calumet with a friend to get some of our arrows worked on. While we were waiting, we wandered around town and went into an art gallery. We browsed a bit, I saw a few paintings that I really like but can’t afford. We chatted with the person working and then I found this painting in the back:

    Sauna Night

    It spoke to me. This is my winter. This is what I love. A sauna, hot and inviting, the world covered in a blanket of snow, with naught but a pair of snowshoes for transportation.

    Now, I just need to figure out where I’m going to hang it.

    Sad iPod

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    My iPod has given up the ghost. I’ve been fighting with it for a while now and today, I was squarely beaten. I was listening to a couple of Beethoven’s symphonies today (3rd and 7th if you want to know) and turned it off when I got to class. As usual, I put it in my pocket for the rest of the day. This was at noon.

    Fast forward to 4:30pm. I just got out of my last class for the day and am sitting in my car. The iPod goes in the cupholder, the FM transmitter is attached. I use the menu to navigate to a song in my playlist of rock music and the iPod freezes. I mentally groan and am annoyed to have to fuss with it before I head home. I reset it and it goes through its booting menu… this time though, I’m not greeted by the normal menu. Oh no, I get this:

    Sad iPod

    I’m still within the standard one year warranty (I didn’t buy AppleCare for my iPod) so I’ve submitted the web form to get a replacement. It turns out, since I’m past 6 months, I have to pay shipping, to the tune of $30. Oh well, that’s $30 for a new iPod, it’s better than $299.

    Hopefully the turn around is less than a week, I’m already missing it.

    MythBusters

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    Adam and Jamie from MythBusters came to Tech and gave a talk about who they are, what they do and how they got started. They fielded questions from the audience and even gave a demonstration that involved audience members drinking beer.

    Mythbusters

    After going, I love the show even more. They’re two down-to-earth guys who love what they do and say what they think.

    Rock on.