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Laukev7:

quote:Originally posted by insomnia:


I mean functionality.
(adding extra hardware and stuff)
--- End quote ---


What about it? Powermacs are just as customisable as any other hardware. You can even build your own Mac.

http://www.macopz.com/buildamac/

insomnia:

quote:Originally posted by Laukev7:


What about it? Powermacs are just as customisable as any other hardware. You can even build your own Mac.

http://www.macopz.com/buildamac/
--- End quote ---


I said extra.
Like a all Sony MP3 players, ...

[ May 11, 2004: Message edited by: insomnia ]

flap:

quote:That's only one aspect, and as I have said it doesn't necessarily concern you.
--- End quote ---


So what is there that is of interest to me? What compelling reason could I have to switch?

 
quote:the best part is that the user-friendliness is implemented in a way that maximises flexibility for everyone (not just the hardcore command line users, though that option is fully available),
--- End quote ---


I understand that OSX has everything a UNIX system has, but then what's the point in using it if that's all you're going to use (which would probably be true in my case)?

 
quote:Compatibility is actually a strong point of OS X, as it allows you to run many commercial as well as OSS/free software, Mac OS Classic software and Windows software with VirtualPC (and soon Darwine).
--- End quote ---


The point about compatibility is this; when you have the type of user friendliness you get with operating systems like OSX and Windows, you always have to sacrifice flexibility. For example, you can make hardware and software installation relatively easy on those systems as you know the end user is always (or at least usually) going to be using a stock kernel without modifications, so you can give them binary drivers. Similiarly, software installation can be made easy because you know they'll always be running one standard version of the Operating System, with a standard windowing environment, etc. And Aqua, or the Windows shell, can be designed so that applications can all integrate with each other and share resources like a clipboard.

Unfortunately that all results in loss of flexibility. For example, you can choose not to use Aqua, but then you can't use all of the Aqua applications. If you decide to radically reconfigure your system then all of the user-friendly features that depended on that standardisation won't work anymore. All of which presumably would defeat the object of using OSX in the first place.

IMHO the major advantage of Unix is in the cross-platform compatibility i.e. in most cases software written for one Unix type system will compile and run on any Unix system, on any hardware. You can't have this type of compatibility if applications are all released as binary packages, and designed to be installed on a single very specific system. Similarly, you can't rely on programs running anywhere if you demand that a particular fancy WM is available. This is why I don't have KDE or GNOME installed. I don't like to tie myself to a specific WM, let alone an OS.

Laukev7:

quote: So what is there that is of interest to me? What compelling reason could I have to switch?
--- End quote ---


I don't know what your needs are. You probably have no reason to switch to the Mac (unless you want to save time by using a development tool that completes your code and compiles it as you type it), but that doesn't mean others might not be missing a platform that would suit their needs than the one they're currently using.

   
quote: Like a all Sony MP3 players, ...
--- End quote ---


Oh, really?

[ May 11, 2004: Message edited by: Laukev7 ]

flap:

quote:I don't know what your needs are. You probably have no reason to switch to the Mac
--- End quote ---


So then basically it isn't "my loss"?

 
quote:(unless you want to save time by using a development tool that completes your code and compiles it as you type it)
--- End quote ---


I don't. I hate code completion (I've always turned it off in any IDE I've been using) and I don't really see the value of that 'predictive compilation' feature. That's why after having used IDEs like Visual C++, Delphi, KDevelop, Netbeans and others I'm back to coding using a text editor and a command line.

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