What about Linux-on-Mac?

[Clinton MacDonald]

Mr. Roy:

Steve Roy wrote:

> On Sep 6, 2004, at 10:05 AM, Zugwrack wrote:
>> Or better yet just use the opendarwin project to use the
>> same applications that are run in linux, except they have
>> been ported to run on the darwin layer in OS X.
> 
> This is all very cool but missing the point, which is that
> I need to run the Java software I develop in a complete
> Linux environment.

Aha! You did not say that before. Have you considered a PC Linux 
installation on Virtual PC?

If you *really* want to develop for Linux, your most cost effective 
means may be to purchase (or scrounge) a cheap used PC and install Linux 
on that. I bought a 933 MHz Dell Mystery Box for about US$210 from this 
site:

<http://www.dellauction.com/>

It runs Mandrake Linux 9.2 like a charm!

> It's interesting that Linux can run on an iPod and that
> Linux can host Mac OS X, but not the opposite.

For a little while I had Mac OS 9 loaded on a 5 GB iPod that I used for 
diagnostics and hard drive maintenance. I soon abandoned that. The iPod 
is not designed to have the drive spun up continually, and it gets very, 
very hot. Not a good situation.

> I would love to see the iPod driven by Mac OS X Lite instead
> of the closed OS it currently use.

That would be interesting, but of limited usefulness, I think.

<opinion> Mac OS X is too complex for the kinds of things one does on an 
iPod. The iPod's OS (whatever it is called) is really well tuned to 
one-handed operation using a limited set of input controls. Kudos to the 
company (I have forgotten its name) Apple contracted for the interface 
design design. Just as one might not want to be running Microsoft 
Windows on a cell phone (no matter how dumbed down), one probably 
doesn't want to run Mac OS X on an iPod. </opinion>

However, I agree with you that Apple should open the iPod APIs to third 
party developers. Imagine the burst of innovative uses we might see if 
the creative hacking community were set loose on the iPod!

> And to stay on point, I think it would be tremendously useful
> to be able to run Linux within Mac OS X. The reason it hasn't
> been done yet is probably that the Linux developer community
> is probably bigger than the Mac OS X/Darwin community.

I think you are right about the limited resources of the Darwin 
community. The promise of Open Source is the "thousands of eyeballs" are 
better than one. The reality of Open Source is that only one or two 
eyeballs is not enough (well, make that "two or four eyeballs" :-) ).

However, you have several options to run Linux within Mac OS X. As we 
have mentioned, the Fink project, imperfect though it might be, gives 
you a large number of ported Open Source applications for your pleasure. 
Second, if you know how (I don't), you can compile almost any Open 
Source project for yourself (and then make it available to the 
Finkers!). Third, you can install Yellow Dog Linux on your Mac and dual 
boot. Finally, you can purchase Virtual PC and install Linux within that 
environment.

Good luck!

Best wishes,
Clint

-- 
Dr. Clinton C. MacDonald | <mailto:clint DOT macdonald AT sbcglobal DOT net>