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Linux zealots are less connected to reality than Apple zealots who think they buy the hardware for performance rather than for the status.

you are the media you consume.

by MillMan (millguy at gmail) on Tue May 6th, 2008 at 07:36:52 PM EST
[ Parent ]
I never quite got the whole "Apple has awesome hardware" thing.  It's the same stuff in every other machine, isn't it?  The software is where it shines for me.

Can someone explain the hardware thing?

Conservatives want live babies so they can raise them to be dead soldiers. - George Carlin

by Drew J Jones (myfriends@thisispancakes.com) on Tue May 6th, 2008 at 07:41:50 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Because Apple controls the hardware, they only have to design their software for the hardware they release to the market, versus the nearly infinite number of hardware combinations windows has to account for. There is some truth to this, but it ultimately comes down to how well any given computer design has been tested by the manufacturer (which determines the robustness of the device drivers) before it leaves the floor.

XP was the first version of windows to offer comparable performance to mac's OS offerings of the same era in this category. Vista has been a huge step back because they crippled it with what I refer to as sociopathic levels of DRM (which goes all the way down into the hardware level - we're not just talking encrypted media here).

Before I spark a mac/pc war, I'll note that only a subset of mac fans are deluding themselves - there are certainly legit reasons to go for mac products.

you are the media you consume.

by MillMan (millguy at gmail) on Tue May 6th, 2008 at 07:55:14 PM EST
[ Parent ]
I didn't know about this. It explains a big part of the hype..

Rien n'est gratuit en ce bas monde. Tout s'expie, le bien comme le mal, se paie tot ou tard. Le bien c'est beaucoup plus cher, forcement. Celine
by UnEstranAvecVueSurMer (holopherne ahem gmail) on Tue May 6th, 2008 at 08:42:33 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Frequently it's even the same hardware, created in the same factories in Taiwan. And several of the major apps that used to be created on Apple hardware are now created on windows hardware then converted.

That's not to say it doesn't look good and perform well, but they all have problems and there's no perfect platform.

Any idiot can face a crisis - it's day to day living that wears you out.

by ceebs (ceebs (at) eurotrib (dot) com) on Tue May 6th, 2008 at 07:57:32 PM EST
[ Parent ]
The hardware looks nice. That's probably the main appeal.

Performance is so-so. I've been using Macs for about a year and a half now, and a bunch of stuff either doesn't work, works weirdly, or works in ways which are distracting and unproductive.

OS X seems more stable than XP, in that you can leave it running for days on end. But Mac Mailer crashes reliably, and I have a weird Firefox bug which only appears on dKos and suddenly slams the processor load up to 100% across both cores.

We had true pre-emptive multitasking back in the 80s on both Amigas and STs, and between Linux, M$ and Apple not much has changed in terms of core OS features or cool new tools.

I'm bemused by Linux - it's yet another reincarnation of Unix, which makes it pure computing nostalgia. I'd love to see some cool new stuff happening, but we seem to have reached a plateau for applications where nothing much is changing - the web-based stuff seems to be spinning its wheels for now as well.

by ThatBritGuy (thatbritguy (at) googlemail.com) on Tue May 6th, 2008 at 08:17:54 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Linux zealots are less connected to reality because they hold which false argument?

I'm not a linux zealot, not am i even knowledgeable in linux, so I won't carry this conversation too far... Sry.

Rien n'est gratuit en ce bas monde. Tout s'expie, le bien comme le mal, se paie tot ou tard. Le bien c'est beaucoup plus cher, forcement. Celine

by UnEstranAvecVueSurMer (holopherne ahem gmail) on Tue May 6th, 2008 at 08:41:38 PM EST
[ Parent ]
TBG's comment is accurate. Average people do not use linux "for fun."

you are the media you consume.

by MillMan (millguy at gmail) on Wed May 7th, 2008 at 01:20:37 AM EST
[ Parent ]
more

MillMan:

Average people do not use linux


Any idiot can face a crisis - it's day to day living that wears you out.
by ceebs (ceebs (at) eurotrib (dot) com) on Wed May 7th, 2008 at 01:43:30 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Since I am not a student I simply don't have the time to properly maintain a linux box, which is probably why I switched from Debian to (K)ubuntu.

When the capital development of a country becomes a by-product of the activities of a casino, the job is likely to be ill-done. — John M. Keynes
by Migeru (migeru at eurotrib dot com) on Wed May 7th, 2008 at 02:46:15 AM EST
[ Parent ]
You mean, average Linux users don't use it for fun?

Rien n'est gratuit en ce bas monde. Tout s'expie, le bien comme le mal, se paie tot ou tard. Le bien c'est beaucoup plus cher, forcement. Celine
by UnEstranAvecVueSurMer (holopherne ahem gmail) on Wed May 7th, 2008 at 06:39:50 AM EST
[ Parent ]
People use Linux as long as it's fun to do so.

To be honest, I still find Windows less fun than Linux. Mac OS X seems like fun so far, but that's a descendant of BSD Unix, and it is Open Source, too.

When the capital development of a country becomes a by-product of the activities of a casino, the job is likely to be ill-done. — John M. Keynes

by Migeru (migeru at eurotrib dot com) on Wed May 7th, 2008 at 06:45:06 AM EST
[ Parent ]
I quite agree. I enjoyed you pun in your reply to ceeebs as well.

I can't really understand how far open source Mac OS X is. Most of what shows up on screen is screen is still apple proprietary.

Rien n'est gratuit en ce bas monde. Tout s'expie, le bien comme le mal, se paie tot ou tard. Le bien c'est beaucoup plus cher, forcement. Celine

by UnEstranAvecVueSurMer (holopherne ahem gmail) on Wed May 7th, 2008 at 10:20:31 AM EST
[ Parent ]
I use ubuntu to escape the corporate desktop and for a more streamlined experience. Fun...I don't know, I think of computer fun as youtube and video games - ie, not the OS.

you are the media you consume.

by MillMan (millguy at gmail) on Wed May 7th, 2008 at 11:36:27 AM EST
[ Parent ]

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