Mac OS X v. Linux (Was: Re: Ubuntu Boot Up Logo)

[Jack Jackson]

During the month and a half I played with a brand new G4 powerbook 
recently was that thingy it does where it enlarges the icons on their 
whatever-they-call-that-thing-which-looks-like-but-is-not-a-taskbar when 
you mouseover - my wife and father loved that because they don't like to 
spend much time on the computer and forget what the little icons mean; 
seeing them blow up as you mouse over was useful. And cool lookin.

I also really, really liked how all the multimedia stuff just worked and 
worked well out of the box.

OTHER THAN THAT, I found my Mac experience was pretty gosh darn awful, 
but that is because a) I'm used to free software (and even with fink and 
other Linux - on- mac software, it was kludgy at best in my humble 
opinion), b) I had awful trouble saving text files as PLAIN text in 
several different editors when I did PHP editing. And c) I guess I just 
like Linux better, and ubuntu linux in particular.

Regarding some of the other comments in this thread and that which 
preceded it:

I would like to say that I think that Macintosh make wonderful computers 
which are really useful for many people,
and point out at the risk of starting a flame war that Windows too is a 
fine operating system which brought computing power to millions who just 
don't give a toss how it works. My 77 year old father could never ever 
have had a post-retirement career in personal investing were it not for 
Microsoft Windows; likewise my 68 year old mother could have never sent 
me email when I lived overseas, or seen emailed pictures of her grandson 
who lived 3500 miles away. Could I use it? Absolutely not. I even 
*Tried*, really really hard, to like the macintosh (which was free) and 
gave it back. I love Linux, love Ubuntu and love this community, but I 
also think that we all need to be accepting of the fact that there are 
other things out there.

Just my two cents.



> multiple windows of different apps.  I would also love to have alt-tab
> work correctly instead of alt-tab and then alt-` to get to the right
> window.
> 
> 
>>This is a false benefit (fixed place in a menu). With taskbars you
>>have to (a) click on the application's icon and (b) get it to open up
>>the pop-up-list and (c) FIND the right menu from the list (and, if in
>>Firefox you have multiple web pages open for the same site chances are
>>you have to switch to each one anyway to find out which one you
>>wanted) and (d) select it.
>>
> 
> 
> Oh come now.  There is only one step which you have listed as (a)
> click on the application's icon that is valid.  (Though I would have
> written "click on the application's taskbar entry.")  By clicking on
> the thing in the taskbar that brings the window corresponding to that
> icon to the front.  The popup dialogs are an option which I quickly
> turn off always and (d) is just covered by the previous 3 steps.
> 
> 
>>The other problem with task bars is that there's little rhyme or
>>reason in Linux and/or Windows as to when exactly a pop-up menu will
>>appear.
> 
> 
> In windows (when I use it) and linux I set it to "never" and the
> problem is solved.
> 
> 
>>Apple has put a *lot* of good thought into their Dock + Expose system
>>and it works fairly well. The Dock is not a perfect solution but
>>neither is the task bar. Sometimes I prefer the task bar to the Dock
>>but most of the time it's the other way around now. Expose has really
>>made working with multiple apps and windows easy.
>>
> 
> 
> Yes, Apple put a lot of thought into it.  And their solution *works*. 
> But it's far from ideal.
> 
> I personally dont agree that the dock/expose combo is faster and
> easier and simpler than a taskbar.
> 
> 
>>But, anyway, the point of my whole long diatribe is that the
>>effectiveness of these tools varies wildly based on your experience,
>>way of working and NEEDS. 
>>
>>I think you'll find a lot of people would really appreciate
>>Expose-like functionality (though, I don't know if Apple has a patent
>>for that so it might get a little sticky) because people are more
>>adept at recognising shapes and pictures quickly than they are text.
>>
> 
> 
> This, I do agree with.  Different strokes for different folks I guess.
>