A Mac User's Guide to Linux

[Ed Sutherland]

On Thursday 03 June 2004 17:23, Richard.Gill@math.uu.nl wrote:

> Here's my little story. The bottom line, is that I would suggest
> to warn the potential migrator that they may be in for
> "an interesting and time-consuming, but possibly ultimately
> very rewarding time".

I'll chip in with my bit of experience. I'm a Mac user from long ago with a 
bit of geek on the side just to make things interesting. My first "real" 
computer was a PC running Windows 3.1, so when I got my first Mac it was 
heaven. But...

Over time, using the Mac became like that Christmas sweater - at first, the 
colors were bold, the fit was great and you couldn't bear taking it off. 
After a bit, the color fades, you develop a rash from the itchy fibers and 
you tend to push the sweater farther back in the closet. That's the way it is 
with me and Mac OSX. At first, the screen was beautiful with all the pulsing 
blobs and smooth text. Then I began looking at Linux and all it could 
do...just as well as Mac OS X -- and sometimes better.

What are some bumps in the road when it comes to migrating from Mac to Linux? 
(Aside from that fact  you often feel you are going the wrong way down a 
one-way street.) Probably the number one obstacle is that hardware 
compatibility is often an after-thought when it comes to Linux. Mac users are 
a bit spoiled in this area. While PC users have long had to wrestle with 
drives, video cards, mice, keyboards and printers all made by different 
vendors following different rules, the Mac hardware is tightly integrated, 
leaving little doubt of compatibility. Little wonder Mac users are bewildered 
when they investigate Linux, an OS originally designed for PCs.

Then comes the differing psychologies. In Mac circles, we are willing to pay 
high prices for well-written software that works with little or no technical 
knowledge on the part of the user. For the Linux community, you might as well 
be Bill Gates spitting pea soup if you talk of software that is not free. ;)

Is Linux ready for the Mac desktop? Maybe. I'm certainly willing to give it a 
go...Just keep those Mac OS X install disks handy -- just in case. ;)

Ed