Airport card, hostap and WPA supplicant

[Derick Centeno]

On Tue, 2004-12-21 at 14:10, Brian McKee wrote:
> Derick
> Please don't disseminate comments like this without at least trying
> to justify them....  It certainly isn't true in the blanket sense
> you stated.
> Brian
> 
> On Tuesday, December 21, 2004, at 01:13  PM, Derick Centeno wrote:
> 
> > You should be able to do fine using Apple's latest OS X software which
> > is more stable and secure than any Linux environment anyway.

Mr. McKee:
You are wrong regarding how I decide to both share advice and provide
recommendations.  

The simplest argument first.  I usually limit my statements to easily
verifiable items.  For instance,regarding the quality of Apple's
hardware and software most companies and many industries wish they could
produce the kind of quality control and interface components so
consistently produced across very many complex applications.  Of course,
this is a matter of taste, but many see this quality of hardware and
software as a critical necessity.   

Also although Apple may not have invented wifi and other technologies
and/or networks they certainly have made wireless connectivity, and many
more technologies less painful and more secure than the competition by
making it "their own", so much so that many times in the computer
industry a term is considered more often than not to be an Apple term or
technology in itself,case in point -- "plug and play", nor is that the
end of such phrases or concepts, the most recent being the ipod
phenomenon; there are people buying ipods for their BOSEs and BMW's for
god sakes...of course, a lot of pc sales level techies don't know that
and "don't get it" but professional system level programmers,computer,
and other professional scientists -- do.  

But wait there is another brilliant product which is as powerful as
Mathematica yet as intuitive as Quicktime...it is Graphing Calculator
and it runs only on Macs.  Now before I go further I will emphasize that
my argument is about dedicated people producing software products with
attention to the user interface.  You just don't find that kind of
intensive dedication outside of Apple employees,programmers and
engineers who "get it" and have reached the absolutely "spiritual"
awareness that it isn't about money at all.  Only Apple believers and
Mac Users think and believe that way and it very clear who is and is not
a member of that group.  Here's a story link demonstrating that kind of
committed holy madness:

http://www.pacifict.com/Story/

Now if people don't want to use Mac OS X and all the other goodies built
into it with that kind of dedicated focus, fine.   They know enough that
they don't have to wipe the drive, Nope.  They use the Terminal and get
into BSD Unix directly via Darwin!  And through it use every and any
open source app without ANY of the headache setups of patches and kernel
updates which Linux is so infamous for.  Also considering that Linux
updates are not really updates, but just another way of literally
starting with a completely new installation with a new kernel one
wonders whether the term "Linux update" is justified or merely a
misnomer.

Or perhaps maybe there's a wee bit confusion as to what updating and
tweaking kernels are and what that requires.  And if you don't know what
that is, then how do you know that BSD is not steadier and more rock
solid than Linux?

It may be a shock to you sir...but it is.  Linux is a pincushion
compared to BSD Unix.  Many professionals in the computing field know
this.  

You may not know that there is more software which runs for OS X and
Darwin than there is available for all versions of Linux of all
distributions running on a PPC!  Doesn't that tell you something?

One does not need to justify the sky, the sun or the earth...one merely
has to open one's eye's, ears, and other senses...pay attention and live
a bit of life...walk about and see what is going on!  Likewise I need
not justify what is plainly in front of everyone for all to see.  I will
not insult readers and justify what is as plain to them as a traffic
light.  

The Mac remains "insanely great", Windoze droolz and Linux is still too
self-conflicted as evidenced in nearly every application (gimp, blender,
pine, emacs, etc) as regards to it's user interface.  There is amazing
stuff within Linux, but there is nothing in Linux that couldn't be done
better within the MacOS and there is nothing within Linux which isn't
available via Darwin if one wishes to use it.  I share this view
together with others who are far more skilled, credentialed and
experienced than I,... even perhaps yourself, as well.  

You could attempt to prove the opposite of course...but that is solely
up to you.  It will be interesting to discover the facts as they play
out from the work you produce.  I guess we will all see, whatever there
may be to see, ...or not.