diep wrote:a) linux is at least 1000 euro a machine cheaper than the mac, especially for laptops.
I just checked the Dutch Apple Store, and found that the price for the cheapest MacBook is 1049 euro. I doubt that you can find a Linux laptop with a 2 GHz Core 2 Duo, 1 GB RAM, 80 GB hard disk space, a good LCD display and a built-in webcam for 49 euros or less.
Just open a homepage
www.pricewatch.com for example and look for yourself. Ordering from USA only gives some import tax issues in Norway. You have to add 20% for import tax probably (EU wide rules), and you still profit from the huge price difference then of linux vs mac.
I would also have to pay the price of much bigger risks, because I wouldn't have the same customer rights as I get when I buy a computer from Norway. I am also one of those people who prefer to actually try the computer before I buy it. I would never buy a laptop without testing the keyboard and looking at the display. Walking down to the local Apple store and carrying the machine home is infinitely preferable to ordering something untested from the US and pray that everything will be alright, IMHO.
Besides, as I have mentioned before, price isn't a problem at all to me. I don't mind spending a couple of hundred euros for a computer I am happier with. Paying 500 euros or so every second year for a new laptop isn't really a huge expense.
b) linux has more tools and toys than mac, and you can use the superior intel c++ compiler for the intel core2 chip.
The Intel compiler exists for OS X too, although it is not free. For me it is not worth the money, as I hardly ever program in C/C++ anyway (except my chess program, which I could just send to someone who has the Intel compiler if I had a very strong need for a super-fast binary).
e) every tool you use works better under linux than at the mac.
No, they don't, at least not for my use. I have used both Linux and Mac OS X almost every day since many years, and there is not a single tool I use regularly which works better in Linux.
x-emacs for example gets installed by default at linux, how about the mac?
I don't like XEmacs; I use GNU Emacs 22 on both platforms. Mac OS X ships only with a lame console mode Emacs, but spending a minute downloading and installing the GUI version when I get a new computer isn't a big problem to me.
f) mac is closed source.
Yes. This is only one of your points which carries any great weight for me. I would never look at or play with the source code in any case, but being a strong supporter of free software, using a proprietary OS is a little troublesome.
g) linux has intel c++ and you can use it for free.
Addressed above.
h) my firewall/routing at home gets done by debian. LINUX in short. I can modify the runlevels etc. Have 100% control what the firewall is doing. How about using OS/X as a firewall?
I have no idea - I have only a vague idea of what a firewall is, and even less about routing. There is a control panel for firewall configuration in the system preferences, but whether it gives you the same level of control as you get on your GNU/Linux box, I can't tell. For me, it is of course not important at all.
In general, there is no doubt that Linux gives you more complete control of your computer than OS X, but I, like most users, have no need for that. It is much more important to me to do the most common and basic system administration tasks without any expert knowledge than to have 100% control of everything. Other users have different priorities, of course.
Tord, the real question that i don't understand is: why do you use a mac instead of linux?
Because it offers me all the Unix tools I need, while being much more comfortable to use. I have a bigger selection of multimedia programs, less problems communicating with external hardware like cameras or phones, better power managment facilities, and a much more consistent and streamlined user interface. As I said before, I have used both OSes daily for several years. There is
nothing in Linux I miss in OS X, and lots of things in OS X I miss in Linux.
The only point in Linux's favor (from my point of view, of course) is the freedom. Ideologically I would without a doubt prefer using Linux, but OS X is much more pleasant to use for me. Currently, I am not sufficiently idealistic to switch to Linux. Perhaps this will change later.
p.s. that one button mouse from apple IS very bad for people who are close to having RSI, i've heard it from so many people now. They all throw away that mouse from apple and replace it by a pc-mouse.
I have several mice (whether they are "pc-mice" I am not sure, as I don't know what the term means), but I prefer the Apple mouse, mostly because I like the little ball better than the scrolling wheel of most other mice.
I've never had any RSI problems with any mouse. It seems I am not very sensitive to this kind of thing (or perhaps it's just because I usually don't use the mouse very much). All mice which are symmetrical (I hate these asymmetrical mice which can only be used in one hand) and not too big feel comfortable in my hands.
Tord