Mac Keeps Lead on Linux

[Nomad559]

http://www.wired.com/news/mac/0,2125,64504,00.html?tw=wn_1culthead

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With the release of its first Linux laptop last week, Hewlett-Packard predicts this year the free operating system will unseat the Mac as the No. 2 desktop operating system behind Windows.

Indeed, some analysts say Linux displaced the Mac as the leading alternative in 2003.

Unveiled at LinuxWorld last week, HP's new Compaq nx5000 is a no-nonsense, $1,100 notebook aimed at the enterprise market, and small and medium businesses.

Running Novell's Suse Linux 9.1 and Sun's OpenOffice suite, the "business notebook" also includes consumer-friendly features like a CD burner and DVD player, and wizards for things like setting up Wi-Fi.

HP, which competes with Dell as the world's biggest PC maker, predicts the new machine will significantly boost Linux's desktop market share, allowing the free operating system to surpass the Mac later this year.

[ChavezSpeakstheTruth]

1. Um - who are these analysts? I've seen many Macs - I've never seen 1

Linux machine. And I work around thousands of computers

[amber dog democrat]

2. I agree, I think its wishful thinking

for now. I know of only 1 person who installed and used Linux - until its more user friendly, I don't see much of a migration. Not everyone wants to go into a low level of configuration and installation, plus where is the software ?

[ChavezSpeakstheTruth]

4. Yeah - as long as I'm a designer I think I'll stick with my Mac

thank you very much!

The software is TOO GOOD!

[salvorhardin]

6. Have you used a Linux distro lately?

For most people, distros like Suse, Mandrake and Xandros are just as easy to use as Windows or the Mac. Everything just works, and usually there is no need for low level configuration.

[amber dog democrat]

7. What is a distro ?

and as far as Windows goes....even with XP its still lame in comparison.
I use it when i have no other choice.

But as far as everything just working... that is the reason I only use Macs .

[salvorhardin]

9. Distro == distribution

RedHat, Suse, Xandros, Mandrake all make commercial distributions based on Linux.

[salvorhardin]

8. Where is the software?

Well, the standard Linux evangelist response would be to note that your Linux distro of choice comes with thousands of pieces of software. Some of it better than the commercial equivalent. Certainly for the average person, everything they will want is there.

However, I agree with you on this point. I need Adobe CS and Macromedia Studio for my business. I also admit to likeing Microsoft Word much better than its OpenOffice equivalent. While Macromedia has made some noises about porting Flash MX over to Linux, I can't see the day when I'd be able to do all my work on my Linux machine. I also do Windows programming, although conceivably I could do that inside VMWare on Linux.

[amber dog democrat]

10. Interesting

I still need more of an incentive to learn new platforms and applications.
The other part of it is a need for cross platform applications that I can share.
A document or spread sheet needs to be readable at the other end.
Its an ( if its not broken - why fix it? ) situation for me.

[emulatorloo]

13. OTOH, where is iLife for Linux? or windows for that matter?

Video Editing, Photo library/editing, Music Creation, DVD Authoring all integrated into a 49.00 suite?


http://www.apple.com/ilife/

[sidestreamer]

3. Linux is probably more popular in Europe

I don't have the story on me, but I read a few months back that some government there adopted a Linux shell over Windows XP, for instance. Again I don't have the story on me and I barely remember most of it, otherwise I'd be more detailed.

[ChavezSpeakstheTruth]

5. Yeah but, more popular than Macs?

Come on!

[ret5hd]

11. well, i've been using linux for about 7 or 8 yrs now...

both laptop and box (in fact using my laptop now) and then it really was "low level" configuration, lack of software, etc.

now, it is all wizards, installing is really no more difficult than installing windows or osx (i regularly install xp, 2000, 98, osx, and redhat).

specialized software? where else can you get a FREE C cross compiler? or a free web server (with php, perl, etc modules)? ftp server? news server? database (postgres and mysql)? mail server? windows network server (samba)? In fact, i installed an x server package on my wifes osx box so that i had access to the tools i am used to on my other boxes. (osx is, after all a modified *nix)

regular old consumer-home user software? OpenOffice is pretty much a replacement for most peoples uses of MS Office. GIMP is a pretty rock solid replacement for most peoples needs for image manipulation. SANE handles their scanners. Desktops come in a myriad of flavors, but all pretty much work like the windows desktop, or similar enough that a new user wont feel completely lost.

what do i feel is really missing? a really good page layout program.
and there is a really serious lack of games.

i am not saying that you or anyone else should use linux. but, as a regular user/installer/maintainer of practically all of them, linux is a real quality product. i just now checked the linux server sitting on my desk (serves NC programs via httpd, mail, and news to 10 windows 2000 and 98 boxes and several NC machines) and "uptime" states that it has not been rebooted in 63 days and 25 minutes. No viruses, ever.

oh well, off my soapbox. have a good day, friend.

[ChavezSpeakstheTruth]

12. You too!

See I love my Mac so I'm very biased. I will never fault people for loving what works for them - that would be hypocrisy!

[emulatorloo]

14. But will it come bundled with Apple's HP branded iPod?

http://www.hp.com/hpinfo/newsroom/press/2004/040108a.html

<snip>

HP Digital Music Player

HP is partnering with Apple Computer to provide an exceptional digital music experience to consumers as part of its larger digital entertainment system offering. Starting this spring, HP will deliver an HP-branded digital music player based on Apple's iPod, the No. 1 digital music player in the world, and Apple's award-winning iTunes digital music jukebox and pioneering online store to HP's customers. As part of the alliance, HP consumer PCs and notebooks will come preinstalled with Apple's iTunes jukebox software and an easy-reference desktop icon to point customers directly to the iTunes Music Store, ensuring a simple, seamless music experience (see separate news release issued today).

<snip>

[jmowreader]

15. No one will ever know the full penetration of Linux

In number of seats installed, it probably is higher than Mac.

Of course, you can't buy a box of parts, download Mac OS X off the Internet and put together a Mac for $500. A $500 Linux box is a good midrange system.

One big advantage Linux has is you can run it on a 386. You can go to a pawn shop, cut a deal with the owner and haul off three or four 386 boxes for a hundred bucks. No one else wants 'em--they don't run XP. So you can buy a bunch of cheap-ass Linux boxes and play with render farms, server farms, what have you, for a small amount of money.

You can also dual-boot it. That's kinda cool, but when outfits like IDG start adding up the number of machines running either OS, do they call the dual-boot machine a Windows box, a Linux box, or do they tell the truth and put it in a third "both OS" column?

And that downloaded copy of Linux you've got? Put it on all the machines you want. No problem. (Which explains why calculating Linux penetration is impossible.)

[Nomad559]

16. The Linux Platform is Getting Fat

http://www.osnews.com/story.php?news_id=7324

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Consider these memory requirements for Fedora Core 2, as specified by Red Hat: Minimum for graphical: 192MB and Recommended for graphical: 256MB Does that sound any alarm bells with you? 192MB minimum? I've been running Linux for five years (and am a huge supporter), and have plenty of experience with Windows, Mac OS X and others. And those numbers are shocking -- severely so. No other general-purpose OS in existence has such high requirements. Linux is getting very fat.

[DemNoir]

17. It's an inappropriate comparison

Since linux can be installed on any Windows machine and also on Apple hardware. In order for one to enjoy OS X they have to buy an Apple computer.

So why try to make a comparison between an operating system you can get for free vs having to buy new hardware?

Posted with Slackware 10!