[ale] New Topic

[aaron]

I think that many of the hundreds of millions of America Loving Liberals 
across the country would agree with Mark on the advantages of the OS [e]X 
generation of Macs .  ;-)

The revolution of OS [e]X has made Mac systems both unique and highly 
competitive in their merging of several factors and features from the 
computer market. Apple has leveraged their "user friendly" reputation, 
consistent user interface design, media production prowess and solid 
commercial recognition with the secure foundation of free *nix and user 
empowering (geek approved) access to Open Source software communities.

While the PPC Mac hardware may not be quite as "bleeding edge" or inexpensive 
as commodity x86 options, the tight integration of OS, core applications and 
media software with complex hardware and firmware components provides 
definite advantages in reliability and usability; with a Mac, when you plug 
things in they just work.

Apple is also making moves that minimize the cost and compatibility impacts 
arising from "custom hardware".  Where industry standards are consistent, 
well established and provide real cost advantages, Apple has been adopting 
commodity components and interfacing, from hard drives and memory to USB and 
PCI.   Likewise for their bundling of core *nix apps with OS[e]X, where CUPS, 
SAMBA and BASH are pre-installed stock components, and an integrated Xfree86 
environment is included on the system installation disks as a user install 
option.  The company has stayed very involved with industry standards 
development as well, having played a major role in creating the likes of 
IEEE-1394 [Firewire] and DVD file system specifications.

I've been happily running OS [e]X Mac's in my media production work 
environments for a couple of years now. After disappointing results in 
building myself a budget minded, commodity  x86 Linux system for media 
production, I scraped together the resources  to purchase an (1.25 ghz G4) 
eMac this past summer. The few complaints I have about today's Mac's mostly 
stem from Apple's (aka Steve Jobs') stubborn insistence on confusing user 
handicapping with "user friendly";  I''m sorry Steve, but shipping an OS[e]X 
Mac with a one button mouse is an unwelcome anachronism at best.

peace
(because the only secure nation is a nation at peace)
aaron



On Saturday 01 January 2005 05:03, Mark Wright wrote:
> I second the the nomination for babbling, incoherent, washed up PC  
> promoter, ( I like using extreme language anyway ;-)
> 
> I learned a lot from Dvorak's Hardware Bible back in the eighties and  
> when I discovered Macs I was disappointed by his attitude toward them.
> 
> The new press on Apple is right on.   I have been using a Ti Powerbook,  
> (1 ghz G4 for non Macophiles) for over a year as my main ride.  I have  
> seven Linux desktops at home (and no windows) but Apple goes to work  
> with me.  I really think OSX is the best *nix OS I have ever used.  I  
> used to use Virtual PC about six years ago to help my old Macs keep up  
> albeit slowly but I don't need it anymore.
> 
> I can truly run any Linux app on my powerbook plus all the Apple stuff.  
>   I use a python script to run rsync to back up to an external firewire  
> disk.  I edit photos with the Gimp and edit .docs with Abiword.  When I  
> need NT authentication for my browser I use Firefox not IE.  I prefer  
> nmap to the few mac network exploration programs I use Kermit to do  
> serial communications to oddball hardware I have to fix sometimes.   
> (through USB!)
> 
> People still look at my "obsolete" Powerbook (new model out last year),  
> and ooh and aah when I take it out.  It is exactly what I wish my Linux  
> boxes were.
> 
> Mark
>