Allow me to deviate a little in this blog post: I’m more of a media commentator than someone who can claim to know much about technology (I can use it, but don’t know how it’s built, in terms of both software and hardware), but I have to vent my frustration on one particular subject.
A while ago I bought my MacBook, and upon receiving it, I could find the clear benefits of the operating system in comparison to Windows. I’m not some kind of weird Apple fanboy, though I do happen to love Macs, iPods and iPhones, I can certainly understand why Windows is far and away the most useful OS for many users – primary because of compatibility and a large library of software. Still, I remain true to Mac OS X, but I was curious to try out Linux, which I had heard so much about.
I downloaded a copy of Ubuntu from their website (it’s free), burnt it to a disk and installed it as a virtual machine on my Mac. I have to say, after playing about with it for a bit I still don’t get it. Ubuntu may offer a lot to those who need a free OS, or one that doesn’t have high system requirements, but for those who already have OS X on their Mac, there’s not much reason to switch.
Many of the blogs I’ve been reading to try and get a handle on where the benefits come from with regards to Ubuntu, have listed several, mainly moot points.
The arguments seem to centre around the free software available for it, despite many of these programs either already available on Windows and Mac, or having very similar, and in some cases superior, competitors which perform the same tasks. Microsoft Office can easily be substituted for Open Office (also free), whether using Ubuntu, Mac or Windows.
You can’t sell me on the ideas of ‘not having to restart’ or ‘Ubuntu is more stable’, as such issues I’ve never had with Mac. Similarly, the fact that it has automatic system updates is replicated in Mac.
The author of the blog post I’ve linked to above for some reason mentioned a plus point as being the fact that you can “use MSN, AIM, ICQ, Jabber, Gtalk, Yahoo and many more with a single program. No need to install separate software for the same thing,” which is exactly what Adium and Trillian do for the Mac and Windows respectively.
Aside from all that, the aesthetic aspect of this Linux platform leaves a lot to be desired: as standard, the desktop wallpaper and the windows all come smeared in a foul poo-brown. Whilst you can customise it, I’ve never really had the need to with other operating systems I’ve used. Ubuntu is all well and good for Dell’s popular range of netbooks: providing all the basics to get online, check emails, talk on Skype, so on and so forth… but only if it comes pre-installed, as a cheaper alternative to the Windows version of the very same netbook.
Put simply: if I already have a Mac, why should I bother switching? Yeah if I didn’t have a computer, and wanted a cheap option which did all the basics to a perfectly standard degree, it would be a candidate. But for those of us who’ve already shelled out the cash – there’s very little competition.
Daniel,
If you’re completely satisfied with your Mac OS X machine then there’s not going to be a particular reason for you to switch. Although, if you used Ubuntu for a while you’d find individual things that you’d love and wish were on the Mac. Everyone has personal taste, and our views are somewhat defined by our experiences – so multi-system IM was clearly important to the other reviewer and s/he thought Ubuntu handled it better.
Certainly, the increase of alternative platforms is good for everyone. Even if you’re in Windows, the fact that Microsoft have to provide more ways for us to all play together is a good thing!
Steve
The single biggest proble with OS X is that it is tied to over priced hardware that allows for limited choices.
Thanks for the comments guys.
Steve – I agree, the more platforms the better, it’s far better than we have choice (which essentials equals more control on the side of the user, as opposed to monopoly on the corporate side of things). Now I’m not getting all ‘bring down the government’, but I do agree people need more control over the content they are, in a way, ‘forced’ to use. I’ll still give Ubuntu a couple of years, but then maybe it’ll be a really on-par competitor with Windows and OS X?
Charles – That’s very true. Whilst I love OS X, and the hardware, it is very much overpriced. Unfortunately, that is not set to change, as Apple continues to take hold of more and more of the personal computer market (and some of the professional too, such as video editing with Final Cut Pro, which has made very good progress in TV/film production in the past decade).