Reasons for a Mac user to make the switch to Linux.

[subratabera]

Wow...Simply great. I am really liking this thread...and its starter

 

[aryayush]

I think Fight Club is the best thing that ever happened to the Digit Forum.

 

[gxsaurav]

I don't think I have any need to convince anyone how superb the Macintosh GUI is. Everyone knows it's the best in the business, including the likes of gxsaurav. Still, I'll try to find some impressive screenshots (or snap some).

Talking about just the UI here.....

The only thing I like about Maces UI is the color scheme & consistency, which is not even given in Windows Vista by default, unless I tweak it a bit. The animation whether it's in vista, Mac or XGL, are just eye candy & not productive. Even in case of ubuntu, or mandriva, there is consistency in case of GNOME, gradients sux anyway in UI; Cell shaded rox which is there by default in GNOME & Mac, something I have to command

In Vista/Linux at least we have an option to disable the animation & speed up the UI response time, in Mac there is no option to do it by default. There might be an option to do it by some 3rd party app I don't know, maybe cocktail supports it now

Right now Mac is not that consistent either, some Apple apps use the platinum theme, some uses old aqua theme, with pinstripes, some uses brushed metal, all of them can't use the same. Wonder if the UI of Mac applications are app based or OS managed like in case of Windows & Linux

Dock is subjective, there is no way to find out which app is running & which is not, all look same on it, in full color. Why doesn't Apple makes it such that by default the dock icon colors should be a bit pale or dim, u know grayish, but those apps which are running should be shown in full color icon

Mac Applications are palated, though some of the new ones are docked now; example would be Seashore (Palated, many windows & docks) vs Photoshop CS (Everything in one Window). I M comparing just the UI part & this depends on the application maker

PS - Andy's site, well, just one advice, text is too small to read, & even on Zoom it doesn't stretches well

 

[mediator]

Well, I did say that comparing applications would not really help determine which OS was better. When comparing default installations, Mac OS X Tiger bundles much more software than Ubuntu and that is what I have demonstrated here.
As for Excel, Word, etc. being major things and DVD playing capabilities secondary, that depends from person-to-person. I, for one, have never used Excel or Access. And I do not need Powerpoint or Word's functionality because TextEdit suffices my needs. However, I play DVDs on a regular basis and that is a very essential requirement as far as I am concerned. Yes, maybe you have a job where you have to use Excel a lot and you are not much of a movie watcher. In that case, the scenario will be the opposite. And you can always install OpenOffice on a Mac too.

I understand and agree!

This time, I could not test the applications with various movie files because Ubuntu wouldn't read my DVDs and CDs. So it's not my fault.
However, I have tried playing media files on Ubuntu in the past. It just gives me some error about the media not being supported and that's it. It does not offer to download the codecs like QuickTime Player and Windows Media Player do.

U see, thats the trade off for Linux which is FREE! It can be resolved by installing a few codecs and then u'll neva eva see anykind of error. The above case is not experienced with propreitary linux.

Neways I prefer installing the codecs first, then being interrupted like in QT and WMP for codecs. Thats annoying. The media files that don't work on windows OS, I just play them in Linux without any tension or care.
And for installing the codecs on linux, u again have the much simpler and efficient way of doing it i.e use of wildcards in commandline. Try to do it in any GUI and u'll start to piss off by clicking (like 20 times) and selecting the required packages! So install Fedora, or yum on Ubuntu and I'll tell u how commandline simply rulezz in several cases.

On a standard Mac installation, you can play the following formats without any third-party interferance: MP3, AAC, AIFF, WAV, MP4, MOV, MPG, AVI, DAT (and maybe some more). Obviously, you can also play DVDs (directly from media or stored on your hard drive). If you want to know some specific software's functionality, let me know.

Since I dunno about Mac much, I just wanted know about the functionality of each software package u quoted, so that I and everyone else can give their verdict and show u the corresponding package for Linux.
Neways ur right, it doesn't matter about the quantity of software packages. So leave it! Also the software list is very very big. No one can compare it anyways. It might take u a full day or more to compare it!


About the images : The images u and @andy have posted look good. But I have seen the same kinda visualization for Linux too. I posted some visualization of FC6 from some source, but @Jguru and all the company demoralised me by saying other distros have far much greater effects. Mac may be better, I dunno. Ur right one can compare when he has used both.

But you cannot carry it to the office with you, can you!

Atleast I can!

Neways here are some images of linux

*www.linux-magazin.de/Artikel/ausgabe/2006/05/aiglx/abb1.jpg
*www.hboeck.de/uploads/compiz-aiglx.serendipityThumb.jpg
*www.fedorablog.de/uploads/screenshots/aiglx-shot.jpg
*linux.be/gfx.use/linux.screenshot.1578.1.png
*www.4lineas.net/wp-content/imagenes/xorg_aiglx_compiz.png
*ironphoenix.org/tril/fvwm/germany.jpg
*people.freedesktop.org/~krh/warped.png
*fvwm-themes.sourceforge.net/screenshots/full/transparent.jpg
*zaurus.spy.org/screenshots/pdaxrom/C/rox+xfce.jpg
*www.bootlog.cl/up/2006/06/xfce_xgl.jpg
*blog.wiebel.nl/wp-content/uploads/compiz_aiglx.png

Check em out each one of em. These were just a few examples!

 

[aryayush]

And for installing the codecs on linux, u again have the much simpler and efficient way of doing it i.e use of wildcards in commandline. Try to do it in any GUI and u'll start to piss off by clicking (like 20 times) and selecting the required packages! So install Fedora, or yum on Ubuntu and I'll tell u how commandline simply rulezz in several cases.

Have you ever installed K-Lite Mega Codec Pack on Windows? It is just four clicks if you want the default settings and takes less than two minutes to install. After that, all media files play with Windows Media Player without a hitch.

Atleast I can!

How?
__________

The animation whether it's in vista, Mac or XGL, are just eye candy & not productive.

Most, if not all, animations in Macintosh are productive. The genie effect shows you where your window has been minimised to, the dock magnification helps you identify smaller icons, the scrolling effect makes for easier reading in webpages and text documents, the rotating cube is a blessing if you have multiple desktops. Plus, the animations are always quick and get out of the way. They are not obstructive. And to top it off, they look beautiful and enhance the UI.
Even users who use the classic interface in XP would not want to disable the animations. If you enable the claassic UI in Windows XP, the performance becomes significantly faster. But it's not the same case on a Macintosh because a Mac is always fast and turning off the animations will not make it even faster. Given all these reasons, I really don't see why someone would want to get rid of the Mac interface's stunning animations.

In Vista/Linux at least we have an option to disable the animation & speed up the UI response time, in Mac there is no option to do it by default.

No, there are options to disable the animations but they aren't blatantly obvious. The reason is that most Mac buyers are Windows switchers and Apple does not want them to unglorify the UI under a false assumption that it will help speed it up à la Windows.

 

[mediator]

Have you ever installed K-Lite Mega Codec Pack on Windows? It is just four clicks if you want the default settings and takes less than two minutes to install. After that, all media files play with Windows Media Player without a hitch.

O yes, I have installed it! But still I get the annoying interrupts. U have any solution for it?

How?

What? How I take linux PC to work?? Simply, as everyone takes their windows PC to work!

No, there are options to disable the animations but they aren't blatantly obvious. The reason is that most Mac buyers are Windows switchers and Apple does not want them to unglorify the UI under a false assumption that it will help speed it up à la Windows.

Did apple give that reason by itself?

Neways, how did u like the pictures of Linux desktop I posted?

 

[aryayush]

How can you take a PC to work? You lug the huge CPU around?
__________

Dock is subjective, there is no way to find out which app is running & which is not, all look same on it, in full color. Why doesn't Apple makes it such that by default the dock icon colors should be a bit pale or dim, u know grayish, but those apps which are running should be shown in full color icon

There is a small black triangle below the running apps and it does a fine job without being intrusive. I wouldn't like a dock which has half greyscale icons and the rest coloured. It would look ugly. Have a look at the following screenshot:

*www.tachypic.com/thumb/2944.jpeg

You can't get more obvious than that. It is absolutely clear which applications are running and which windows are active.

Compare it to Linux or Windows. How does a button on the taskbar (which gets progressively smaller) help determine which application the window belongs to? A web browser's button, for example, would begin with the title of the webpage (and even that disappears when you have a lot of windows open). And the icons on the buttons are very small. When I used Windows, I often clicked on a button, saw that it wasn't the one I wanted, then had to click on another. At any given point, it is not obvious which applications are presently running. On a Mac, the ones that have the triangle below them are the ones that are running. You just need to glance down for a sec.

 

[subratabera]

Mac is just like a beautiful rich girl to me. I love her but can't marry her. Her demands are very high. I can't dress her up the way I want. Her ornaments, makeup are very expensive. And she want her own car(hardware) to go anywhere.

But Linux is like a village girl to me. She is simple, obey my orders, can be made beautiful, can be dressed up whichever way I want. As she is from village, she lacks some urban language, but can be taught as she learns very quick. She can prepare any kind of food(software) you like. And you don't have to spend anything on her...

So I love both Mac & Linux but marry only Linux.

 

[aryayush]

So the summary is that you are a cheat!

 

[subratabera]

So the summary is that you are a cheat!

You can say so...

 

[aryayush]

Did apple give that reason by itself?

No, they didn't.

Neways, how did u like the pictures of Linux desktop I posted?

They are cool but most of them are not really useful. In fact, a text window that is transparent is just a bother. Why would you want to see through a window on which you are typing?
And anyway, you need to instal XGL/Compiz/Beryl for enabling those effects and it is no child's play. Fedora Core 6 has the rotating cube and that's creditable.

However, when both Windows and Linux are just copying things that are already available on the Mac, doesn't it make more sense to use a Mac instead? Of course, there is this huge cost factor in favour of Linux, so I can't really say Linux is not good. It's pretty good and is catching up fast, but it is my humble opinion that it will always be playing the catch-up game.

 

[sgireesh]

Setting up compiz plus the 3d effects on mandriva 2007 is actually a no brainer

Just open control center->hardware->3d and select aiglx.
Put in the mandriva dvd and wait for a minute.
Logout ang login.
Thats it..

The effects are cool. But the best thing is it runs on my i865 board (on my friends i845 board too) with only onboard graphics support.

About the great MAC applications, are they compatible with other applications for other software? I dunno. Now the ball is in your court..

 

[mediator]

How can you take a PC to work? You lug the huge CPU around?

How absurd! U think of PC as a huge luggage with a CPU around?? Dude PC stands for Personal Computer. Personal computer can be ur Laptop or ur Desktop Computer. Classification remember? This was also exlpained in Digit magazine I think and how people confuse a PC with Desktop computer always. When I say "I carry my PC to work", then its obvious that I'm referring to my Laptop. I'm surprised u didn't know that.
Neways I hope, that u have understood now that "absurd" is not counted in flames.

You can't get more obvious than that. It is absolutely clear which applications are running and which windows are active.

Please put a clear view of the desktop atleast so that we can be absolutely clear.

Did apple give that reason by itself?

No, they didn't.

Then why are you saying that => below highlighted!

No, there are options to disable the animations but they aren't blatantly obvious. The reason is that most Mac buyers are Windows switchers and Apple does not want them to unglorify the UI under a false assumption that it will help speed it up à la Windows.

Why are u justifying it? Are linux users justifying why linux lacks in gaming department? If it lacks, then it lacks! Buts its improving though.

They are cool but most of them are not really useful. In fact, a text window that is transparent is just a bother. Why would you want to see through a window on which you are typing?
And anyway, you need to instal XGL/Compiz/Beryl for enabling those effects and it is no child's play. Fedora Core 6 has the rotating cube and that's creditable.

Why do u want a slanted windows in Mac as u posted?? Well u wanted the effects in linux and wanted some comparison. Why r u discussing its pros and cons?? U and @Andy posted the Mac effects in some images, but I guess the linux effects are much greater than those then. Is that all Mac has in UI ??

Neways u asked for transparency. So, I like transparencies a lot with a lot of abstract stuff in UI. Its not a bother, but it really help u to se whats going on in file download, program compilation etc. Transparencies can be increased or decreased as per ur like and to make u comfortable. So its not a bother. Its a very nice end-users experience!

As for highlighted part, Again, INSTALLING is not an end-users task. I hope u understand that now!

So do u have equivalent Mac desktop images for ones I showed u for Linux??

However, when both Windows and Linux are just copying things that are already available on the Mac, doesn't it make more sense to use a Mac instead? Of course, there is this huge cost factor in favour of Linux, so I can't really say Linux is not good. It's pretty good and is catching up fast, but it is my humble opinion that it will always be playing the catch-up game.

Enough sarcastic statments bro. I heard all the way in this forum that its Mac which keeps on copying things from Linux and windows and doesn't contribute the code back. Neways, yea copying is done in every OS!! But in this forum alone I learnt that Mac is the leader in "copying" department!

As for the catch-up game, can u tell me when did Mac make its entry in the world of Desktop OS?? Mention the year. ANd now tell when the desktop boom in Linux world started?? Compare the number of years of what it was then and what its now!! The last 4 years alone has seen Linux emerging from nowhere to almost everywhere except in gaming department. Compare the number of users it had 4 yrs ago to the number of users at present!

So I don't think Linux will "always be playing the catch-up game". Who knows what might happen in next 4 years. In future Mac may not be able to play even the catch-up game.

So please don't justify unnecessarily. If the company has said so, then quote so.

 

[gxsaurav]

Well, as i have already said above, transparency in the UI is not good at all, good thing atleast in Vista it is only limited to toolbar,menus etc, not the application viewport, U can't read text in it

 

[mehulved]

Well in XGL/AIGLX. You can enable and disable transparency in the application as you wish. So, what's the fuss about it? People can select whatever they prefer.

 

[mediator]

@gx : U can read text in transparencies easily! I have set the default terminal in UBUNTU and FEDORA for that! Its very easy.
__________
@aryayush ; One question outta curiosity. Do they extract money from u for upgrading the Mac OS also? Just the OS!

 

[gxsaurav]

MacOS upgrades are $130, like from 10.4 to 10. will be $130, that is the usual cost

meditator....

man, donno how u read that, i just can't

 

[mediator]

^^ read what?

 

[gxsaurav]

^^ text on transparent viewport area in an application

 

[mail2and]

Any effects on OS X can be disabled. However, those aren't animations. They are effects, just that. It doesn't slow down the OS at all, and people with G3 400 MHZ macs run OS X Tiger with 256 MB Ram. Each new release of Mac OS is faster than its predecessor. Panther was faster than Jaguar and Tiger is faster than Panther. IF you think I'm bluffing, search macrumors.com for tiger/panther benchmarks. I'm sure you'll find many.

Secondly, the apps open in the dock can be recognized easily. There is a small black triangle below the open apps in the dock. I haven't come across a person, yet, who could not identify the open apps on my compure-this list includes my papa and other family members and friends.

The real dock was originally an idea incorporated in Amiga OS back in the late 80s. I think dock is a much better alternative than any sort of taskbar, but again, this is subjective.

I'm disappointed that people do not read posts, where this stuff is explained, and then post their views/opinions again. If you want to participate in a debate, at least make sure you read what the whole thread is about i.e. if you want to participate.

Frankly, on any computer with less than 256 mb ram, i'd use Slackware. On anything above 256 MB Ram, i'd not use anything other than Mac OS.

And lastly, I'd request people, who post in a thread just to disrupt the discussion, not to even bother.