Re: New to Linux. I'm not impressed :(

From: Tony Lawrence (foo_at_pcunix.com)
Date: 05/16/05 

Date: Mon, 16 May 2005 06:47:22 -0400

Noah Roberts wrote:
> Mandy wrote:
>
>> On Sun, 15 May 2005 17:58:15 -0500, mjt wrote:
>>
>>
>>> (Mandy <mandee_o_mandee@yahoo.com>) scribbled:
>>>
>>>
>>>> Normally I am a Mac
>>>
>>>
>>> ... you probably belong back on the Mac - no offense.
>>
>>
>>
>> I need to get work done.
>> I can do it with my Mac.
>> I can do it with my Windows XP.
>> I can't do it with Linux (same machine as Windows XP)
>>
>
> I feel exactly the opposite way.
>
> The only good thing I have to say about Mac is, "Well, it is rather
> pretty."

No, that's silly. Mac OS X is Unix based, so it's just as capable of
doing as much real work as any Linux box. The major difference is that
you don't have complete control of your OS, and even that isn't
necessarily true: http://developer.apple.com/darwin/. But "out of the
box" Mac users aren't going to bother with that. Then again, many "out
of the box" Linux users aren't going to do anything beyond "up2date" or
"yum" either.

You can't really "use" a Windows system. You can't control it, you
can't even necessarily find explanations for things it does. I've said
Windows is like public transportation: "Where do you want to go today?"
is really a short list of places that it CAN go, but a Unix box can "go"
just about anywhere.

Windows folk will sometimes say Unix is hard. I have my own opinion on
that ( http://aplawrence.com/Opinion/gdunix.html ) but I also know that
"easy" is part of what has made Windows so vulnerable to viri and spam,
and I'm not sure I want to see Linux or Mac's heading down that path.
Some things should be hard, or at least should have hurdles to slow you
down. For example, some Linux systems use pam_console (
http://aplawrence.com/Words2005/2005_03_14.html ) to make things easier
for ordinary users - I am very conflicted over whether that's a good
idea. Sure, make it something that can be turned on if you want, but
I'm not convinced that it should be the default condition.

Anyway, Mac's are more like Linux than they are like Windows. The OP
wasn't "using" his Mac any more than he uses his Windows machine. 

-- 
Tony Lawrence
Unix/Linux/Mac OS X  resources: http://aplawrence.com

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