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Asking Linux Users To Think Different |
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 I'm a Mac user through and through. I use other stuff too, but the Mac is my platform of choice. And sure, I implore those around me (at least people I like) to use a Mac as well, but I've learned that it's not for everyone. If you like to use Windows, after honestly giving all your other options a shot, that's fine by me. If you like Linux, that's great! I like Linux too; I think it's fantastic for a cheap Web server or firewall, plus it's getting easier to use with recent efforts by the likes of Red Hat, Yellow Dog, and Purple Dinosuar® (ok that last one isn't real).
However, I think there's a lot of ignorance in the Linux world, at least in regard to OS X, plus I think a lot of hardcore Linux folks don't give OS X a fair shake. Today we'll investigate that and see if we can't get a few of the hardcore Linux users to think different.
Linux is a tinkerers dream
I spent some time this past weekend with a real Linux gearhead who made a very good point: you can tweak out every portion of the screen the way you want. And I mean everything. So now I can see how Linux folks may think that OS X is "proprietary" and "uncustomizable" (even though there's quite a lot you can do with it!). Unlike some people however, this guy was open-minded enough to take a look at OS X, and now he uses it quite regularly on his iBook (along with the various other OSes in his repertoire).
Linux users actually LIKE to play with config files and mess with terminal commands, and that's fine. The problem that I have is when a "I'm so much smarter than you I can barely be bothered to talk to you" self acclaimed Linux super-guy talks smack about OS X when he/she has in fact never used it (or used it only enough to poke around in the Terminal to see that the files aren't "where they should be").
Mac users like things to just work without tinkering
There's a world of difference between the way Most Linux users think and the way most Mac users think. I would say that most Mac users aren't command-line junkies - although most of us can delve into the Terminal if need be (and some of us don't even feel the need to take a shower afterwards). That's not to say we like to - many times there are simpler options than learning and memorizing arcane commands. Sometimes drag 'n' drop is the best way to go.
With Macs you also have little to no configuration hassles. I don't know about you, but I like it when I can install an AirPort card, boot up my Mac, and that's it - it just works. Not so in the Linux world, although many Linux folks would give you elaborate explanations as to why the "Wi-fi" card (that's actually what non-Mac people call wireless internet) isn't automatically discovered by that particular flavor of Linux, and how if you had the right one it would work fine.
A few months ago I also had the unique experience of installing OpenBSD on a machine. I realize that OpenBSD is probably the least user-friendly of all the Linux/BSD Operating Systems, but I spent two weeks installing it, and spent another two weeks just trying to install a few applications and get it to the point where it could do some basic Web serving. And, while I can be quite zany at times, I'm no slouch when it comes to stuff like this. I finally gave up, because to me NOTHING is worth spending that much time and energy on. Had I instead spent that time working at McDonalds or a similar fast food joint, I could have made enough money to buy a Mac and had it up and running in less time.
Other differences between Mac and Linux users
Linux users like the freedom of their OS and the cheapness of the hardware. They don't want to be tied down with anything proprietary, and I absolutely love that. However, for some of the reasons I stated above and many more, the Linux OS's have a long way to go to catch up to what you can do in OS X. Also, you get what you pay for in hardware, and with Apple you have a quality assurance you just don't get anywhere else. Apple's Tech Support is bar none the best around, and you can feel comfortable when buying a Mac because if by some odd chance something DOES break down, Apple will take care of it (usually very quickly, I might add).
Having the ability to buy your own hardware and build a computer from the ground up is very nice, but then again, you also have to worry about each separate part and where you bought it from. If a part goes bad, you have to call that company's support line, and will you get the level of help you would from a large computer company? Maybe, maybe not.
Another good example of the huge difference in mindsets between the average Joe Linux user and the normal Mac OS X user is this...consider mounting an external server. In Linux, you would most likely do a command such as this:
sudo mount -t smbfs -o username=user,password=pass //server/directory /mnt/directory
In OS X, you go to the Go menu and select "Connect to server...".
Now, I know there are shortcuts to both of these, but I'm just trying to convey the difference in thinking.
Summation
Many hardcore Linux users look down on Mac OS X as if it's a bastard step-child, when in reality it's the jet-setting cousin that moved to the city and is making the big bucks, whereas Linux is the banjo-pickin, dual-toothed hillbilly who has never left the county. That may sound disparaging, but it's not meant to be. My point is that OS X has all the stuff the Linuxes have and then some. OS X can run all the same software, plus the thousands upon thousands of titles that are exclusive to OS X (not to mention all the apps you can run with Classic).
Anyhow, if you're a hardcore Linux dude or dudette, take the time to check out OS X. Do it with an open mind and be willing to adapt to new ways of doing things and you just may be impressed! |
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August 20 2003, 1:10 PM EDT, by
 |
Comments:
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| HTML Samurai |
8/20/03, 3:24 PM EDT |
Do me a favor, don't use Linux because I like it, or OS X because Jonahan likes it, or Windows because some guy named "Matt" likes it, or BSD because ColdISO likes it. Find what works for you - learn to use it well, and use it to the best of your ability. And if down the road you find some thing else that works better for you, that's OK! Don't be afraid to try new things, or to give different things a chance. Almost daily I use Mac OS X, Linux, and Windows - some because I want to, and some because my job requires it.
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| Jedbeck |
8/20/03, 3:56 PM EDT |
Don't lie HTML Samurai. We see you using Windows everyday and the smile that crosses your face when ever you do use it. Of course that smile could also be a by product of gas. HRMM...
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| HTML Samurai |
8/20/03, 5:01 PM EDT |
My gas is my business....
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| MacSchlong |
8/20/03, 6:25 PM EDT |
Linux nerds are ugly [edited]guys[/edited], who can't get laid, so they play with their penguin all day. Real men use Macintosh.
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| Jonahan |
8/20/03, 6:39 PM EDT |
Ok.....I think that's just a tad over the top. Linux folk are our brethren, and while a lot of 'em are a bit pastier-skinned that us, the future of OS X is inextricably entwined with that of the Linux-es.....or Linuxii if you prefer ;)
A lot of Mac users also use linux and vice-versa as well. Tons of Linux geeks own Mac hardware since OS X has arrived. So, while I agree with the fact that "real men use Macintosh", I would also recommend that we treat them as equals.
Well.........almost equals. lol ;)
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| Not Stallman |
8/20/03, 11:35 PM EDT |
Having been a Mac user who went to Linux in the dark days of the mid-1990s and came back for OSX, I'd have to say that the Linux position transcends computers, ease-of-use, convenience, and community.
The Linux position is philosophical - software should be free, in the sense of being able to get source code and do with it what you wish. The cheapness of the hardware is a nice benefit, but the fundamental freedom of the software from the likes of Apple and Microsoft transcends all other issues. It's this purity of purpose that appeals to the idealists among us, in a world that seems to be going to heck in a handbasket.
I now use both, knowing that Linux cannot share the same fate of Apple and Microsoft.
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| Marcus |
8/21/03, 8:27 AM EDT |
I'm a long-time Mac user, but I set up OpenBSD for a server a while back. It's certainly been a learning process, but I settled on OpenBSD mainly because it was easier to set up remotely than RedHat, SuSE, Debian and about 5 other distros I tried. Since then I've found that it's security focus is excellent, I've just got used to dealing with everything as source, I figured out how to survive mailing list hostility, and it has not crashed once in 3 years. I've even rebuilt entire new OS versions from source and booted into them remotely without incident - now that's reliability. I'm also happier with the BSD license than the GPL. But I'm still a Mac user first.
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| HTML Samurai |
8/21/03, 9:25 AM EDT |
Nicely put 'Not Stallman'
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| SCOop |
8/25/03, 8:32 PM EDT |
Linux-es? Linuxii? I'd prefer Linuces, except that SCO has probably trademarked the name "Unices" and I'd be laying myself open to a multi-hundred-penny lawsuit. See you in court.
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| Jonahan |
8/26/03, 11:45 AM EDT |
Linuces....I like it!
I think we should take our chances with it, and if SCO comes after us, we take a stand!
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