[KLUG Members] Linux and MacIntosh

[Tony Gettig]

I think what you are stating is essentially "give the users at work what
they use at home". My thought process is exactly the opposite. I think
people want to have at home what they have at work. Time and again,
people ask me what they should look for in their home computer because
they want to make it is compatible with work, presumably to be able to
work on work stuff at home. 

So the question that is begging to be asked is what makes the Mac, with
it's UNIX foundation, so easy to use? I mean really, if it's
Linux/UNIX-ish under all that, what makes it especially easy? Why should
KDE or GNOME seem that hard? Under the hood, the Mac and my Linux box
are running essentially the same OS. Why is the Mac easier to use? I am
formulating an answer, but have no conviction yet.

I see that Evolution can run on Mac OS X now with a bit of work. It's
probably just a matter of time before this is an officially sanctioned
package from Ximian. At least I hope so. Also, Open Office developer
version for Mac OS X is available, so that is in the works. I'm thinking
that there are probably some real sharp Mac programmers hacking on these
projects originally targeted at Linux.

Could it be that Apple, in their business plan for OS X, is actually
trying to ride alongside the Linux momentum, rather than the other way
around? 

Just 2 cents from the other direction. :)



On Sun, 2002-06-23 at 16:08, Rusty Yonkers wrote:
> I have been thinking a lot about the talk about the Lindows software
> and the impact on the computing world (does that sound grand??).  I
> do not think that Linux will easily start to make significant inroads
> into the home desktop market.  There is too great a learning curve
> with a Linux system for most home users.  This will relegate Linux to
> a niche market (although a large one) and make marketing somewhat
> more difficult.  I think that there is a solution though.
> 
> The Apple MacIntosh is a very easy computer to use. Now with OS X it
> has a Unix style backend too.  If Linux developers would start to
> focus on putting together software for both Linux and Mac (Windows
> could be added too but always release on Linux and Mac simultaniously
> or close together) then there could be a marketing in.  Many
> companies want to deploy on the corporate desktop stuff that is also
> used at home (at least for things like an office suite).  If Linux
> software developers helped to make the MacIntosh platform more
> desireable at home because of additional software availability, then
> more people would be using MacIntosh.  They would be using software
> that is the same as on Linux.  This would make it easier to get Linux
> into the corporate environment because the application software would
> be the same and people would be familiar/comfortable with it.  

-- 
Tony Gettig
http://www.penguindude.com
GBY!