Questions from a Linux user considering a Macbook

[I. Khider]

Hello Aaron, 

Certainly, I agree with you if you want to buy a machine that 'just
works' without having to worry about 'how', then yes--buy a Mac. That
said, Linux users tend to be better informed and willing to go through
the trouble of getting a machine configured for his/her needs.

If you read my e-mail you will see I have practical concerns when buying
a machine. 

1) Cost. Mac's are expensive compared to PC's. 
2) Durability. Mac's are not the most durable machines.

Are Mac's bad machines? Absolutely not--they are the standard for
professional media developers for a reason. That said, I believe a PC
with Linux installed and a knowledgeable user can come up with something
just as good at 1) less cost 2) more durability--hence more value. 

I get into this argument a lot with people who swear by Mac and it
creates this mentality that using said machine is the only way to get
into media development. It pleases me to no end when I hear Linux is
used by professional media developers as well who got the same or better
performance than a Mac. Unfortunately, they are rare at this time. I
hope that changes and people anywhere in the world who cannot afford a
Mac, embrace Linux as a low cost alternative.

Perhaps you will say I am a dreamer...but I'm not the only one.  

Vivat Linux!

-Ib-

On Sat, 2009-02-21 at 12:57 -0500, Aaron Vegh wrote:

> Hi there,
> 
> 
> 
> > Hoewever, I also think Mac's are very expensive for what you are
> > getting and if you use Linux, I do not see the point in having one.
> > Linux can be very empowering and the perfect way to get all the
> > features of a Mac--or better--at a fraction of the cost. Mac's are
> > too darn expensive (in my opinion). Also, I have spoken with several
> > laptop repair persons who say Mac's are fragile and if they last
> > long--it is because people who shelled out a bundle of cash for them
> > treat them more carefully. My opinion is that you get the sturdiest
> > machine for your money--like a business class laptop from any
> > manufacturer--Lenovo, Sony, HP, Toshiba, Dell, whatever. They are
> > usually less expensive than a Mac, have just as much power if not
> > more so--and with a Linux OS, you will have the best of all worlds. 
> 
> 
> It appears your opinion is based on purely circumstantial evidence:
> you are using the opinions of others, and your own impressions to
> support your beliefs. Here's an example of circumstantial evidence
> being used to support an opposite position: 
> 
> 
> New Mac users, whether they come from Windows or Linux, find
> themselves impressed by the operating system. Linux users in
> particular really enjoy not having to worry about drivers and
> compatibility: things just work. These people value their time as they
> do money: time spent getting all the features of a Mac to actually
> work, and who prefer to actually do the work they've purchased their
> computer for.
> 
> 
> That last paragraph is brought to you by the (perhaps) dozens of
> people who have commented in this way to me. Still, it's
> circumstantial, until you *try it yourself*. You haven't done that.
> 
> 
> I'm not saying you should, either. But perhaps you should, before
> commenting on this thread.
> 
> 
> > My opinion is find the best value for your money--do not pay for the
> > MAC machine OS/X if you can avoid it. Use the extra money on
> > something else. 
> 
> 
> It's Mac, not MAC. This isn't the Macintosh Acronym Club. I won't even
> go near how you conflate OS X with OS/2! :-D
> 
> 
> > That's my 2 cents.
> 
> 
> Gomen nasai, that's about what it's worth.
> 
> 
> Aaron.
> 
> 
> P.S. This is not an attack on Linux! I've said it before, and it bears
> repeating: Linux is awesome. But if someone wishes to use the Mac,
> then it's worth mentioning that the platform has its advantages. Every
> platform does; your choice as a consumer is to decide which platform
> will give you the biggest win.
> 
> 
> > 
> > On Fri, 2009-02-20 at 17:41 -0500, S P Arif Sahari Wibowo wrote: 
> > 
> > > On Fri, 20 Feb 2009, Aaron Vegh wrote:
> > > > I'm not familiar with gvim, but there are GUI vim apps for OS 
> > > > X. Here's an example: http://code.google.com/p/macvim/
> > > 
> > > There are also vim-app port from macports.
> > > 
> > > > There is fink for OS X, but the community prefers Darwin Ports 
> > > > for running *NIX applications on OS X. http://darwinports.com/
> > > 
> > > I think it is officially moved to http://www.macports.org/ ; and 
> > > the download from MacPorts does not ask for personal 
> > > information, so I definitely suggest that.
> > > 
> > > MacPorts is a portage system: on installation it will always 
> > > compile things in your machine, no prepackage binary around. 
> > > However, if you want, MacPorts system can produce rpm binary, 
> > > which then you can install in other OS X system without 
> > > compiling (e.g. when security dictate a system without 
> > > compiler).
> > > 
> > > Fink should have some prepackage binaries, but in my experience 
> > > most things I want to install does not have binary available, so 
> > > fink will compile it in the machine.
> > > 
> > > > Overall though, the environment is nearly identical to Linux; 
> > > > you'll be comfortable and productive on the command line right 
> > > > away.
> > > 
> > > There are some differences originally since OS X is a BSD system 
> > > (on Mach kernel). However if it bother you, there are several 
> > > sysutils packages / ports (such as coreutils, findutils, 
> > > diffutils) which will make sure your tools work are as what you 
> > > expected in Linux.
> > > 
> > > You can even install common linux desktop manager, such as 
> > > Gnome, KDE, or XFCE. Haven't tried that, though.
> > > 
> > > > VMWare is what I use, however, and it works very well.
> > > 
> > > That's what I use as well. I tried QEMU but VMWare definitely 
> > > much more usable.
> > > 
> > > > To my mind it's the perfect platform. It's the only hardware 
> > > > that will (legitimately) let you run Mac OS X, while also 
> > > > letting you run Linux and Windows easily and quickly.
> > > 
> > > My thought as well. As hardware I think it is generally a nice 
> > > one in perfomance, reliability, and durability. At least 
> > > comparable to non-Mac on the same price point.
> > > 
> > > Just a note: make sure you have more than 1GB memory, make a 
> > > quite a difference. :-)
> > > 
> 
> 
> 
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