To be clear about Linux

opensourcemacJust want to make sure that it’s clear, I <3 Linux (/selfslap, GNU/Linux). And also, Linux outmatches any flavor of Windoze you care to throw at it. It just happens that the driver support for Apple hardware (i.e. running Linux on Mac computers) is pretty flaky and requires hoop jumping to get things to work properly (as well as leaving things like extra monitors basically not supported).

If I had a non-mac computer I would run Linux as my main OS, (with Window$ as backup if something went wrong) and if Linux was smoother on my MacBook I would run it as my main OS (with Mac OSX as my backup). But as it stands, I’d rather have OSX as my backup than Winblowz, and I’d rather use OSX as my main OS than risk having to use Windows ever again. So you see, I love linux, but hate Windows more, and thus continue to use Mac OSX for most things.

I do however use almost exclusively Free/Open Source applications on my computer no matter what operating system I use. So just to balance my last post, here’s two sites everyone who doesn’t run Gnu/Linux should check out.

OpenSourceMac – Tons of great apps to do useful as well as fun things for free and freely using a Mac.

OpenSourceWindows – Same thing except if you’re a n00b.

I personally have found tons of great stuff on the Mac one, as well as tons of great stuff I was already using being listed there. Some of my favorites:

  • Smultron => Code-enhanced text editor with tabs and stuff
  • Adium => Undeniably the best chat client in the world, does MSN, AIM, YIM, everything, lots of plugins
  • Firefox => Duh
  • VLC => best video player around
  • Transmission => Smooth easy BitTorrent client.

I guess I’ll stop there, you get the point world.

P.S. Ubuntu just released a new version, what better time to try it out?

5 Replies to “To be clear about Linux”

  1. “Same thing except if you’re a n00b.”?

    Dude, Apple products are just product placements for themselves. Keep your corporate logo. I’m not interested.

  2. Kev,

    1) You\’re not a noob under my statement and I was also joking. You made a solid go at Ubuntu (I\’m assuming you\’re still using it, meaning you\’re actually super 1337)

    2) You\’ve never used a mac like you\’ve used Linux and Doze, so I\’m going to have to take your accusation that OSX is just a logo with a grain of salt. Mac OSX uses a completely different paradigm to control processes than both Win and Linux (which to my eyes are exactly the same in comparison: taskbar with each window, programs quit on window-close etc). If Linux would behave a little more like OSX then I\’d be that much closer to switching, but as it stands it\’s so radically different that I can\’t bring myself to move back into the doze/linux headspace (luckily some people are working on new window managers and launchers that work more like OSX, maybe I\’ll be switching in the next couple of years =)

    3) I\’ve been trying to remove the apple logos from my OSX (I\’m more of an \”OSX\” fan than Apple or Mac anyway) for a while now, but there\’s no way without making an entire theme, and no one has made an apple-free theme that I\’ve found. I did cover the obnoxious glowing fetish on the front of my laptop though, as well as change all the default system icons in the UI. A good application paradigm with any other iconography, IMHO, still smells as sweet.

  3. I hear it Jer. Frankly, I do like a lot of things about how MAC works. I did get some time using it in the Dawson MAC labs for Photoshop/Illustrator classes and projects.

    Obviously I haven’t gotten in nearly as many hours as you have, but I do like some aspects of it: Particularly the dock. Hopefully any Linux software which comes out to make it feel more like MAC will be modular, so that users can choose the aspects they like and leave out those they don’t.

    One good example of this is BERYL which has like, a hundred features, but most people will probably only pick and chose a dozen of those for their individual tastes.

    I like the ‘start menu’ but I think the dock would likely replace it for me, if it was available.

    I need to get Windows off my system. 90% of my Windows use is video games. D:

  4. If Linux would behave a little more like OSX

    Holy crap, that’s madness! I moved away from OS X because of the inane interface. “Want to change the distance between icons on your desktop? Sorry, can’t! Want to use a font size smaller than 9px? Our engineers don’t think you should, too bad. Oh, and you can’t edit anything without bending over backwards and installing this 3rd-party theming package for 3 easy installments of 29.95…”

    I don’t like my computer telling me what I can / can’t do, that’s why I’m of the Linux > Windows XP > Mac OS X > Vista mindset. If I wanted my computer to run my life I’d buy a HAL 9000 ;) .

    (which to my eyes are exactly the same in comparison: taskbar with each window, programs quit on window-close etc)

    Moot point, since you can easily change this to match OS X’s retarded universal-menu-bar-for-each-app gimmick. ;)

    To each their own. :)

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