What does it mean when OS X users switch?
This post was published 3 years 7 months 27 days ago which may make its actuality or expire date not be valid anymore. This site is not responsible for any misunderstanding.The OS X & Linux community have been abuzz with recent news of prominent OS X users making the switch. The switch away from OS X to Linux (Ubuntu). How can that be?
The editors of ResExcellence.com, a popular Macintosh website and longtime Mac enthusiasts, have switched to Ubuntu.
“I’ve been making my living as Mac-specific developer for several years now… I was a true Mac die-hard,” stated Bryan. “But the Macintosh community, with its bad attitudes and diva-esque nature, rained on my parade. Sure there were other reasons why I switched. But that was the tipping point.”
Now, I do have a copy of Ubuntu installed via Parallels on my MacBook, and I wholeheartedly understand the fascinating fact of how simple Linux usage has become. But the idea that OS X users have “bad attitudes and diva-esque nature” seems a little extreme? Is this true? With a very small percentage of Apple users throughout the world, is that sound of pride coming from that the hill in the distance have such an impact?
Maybe it does… Hello, my name’s Mac. I’m better than you ;) Kidding. Everyone has their own personal preferences and justifications for jumping into different operating systems.
I knew I was a diva. But a techno diva? lol
Honestly, I think it’s because the Mac is now an en vogue thing. Ten years ago, it was viewed as a second-rate OS that cost way too much. Now that it’s getting popular, it’s losing some of that underground appeal. Hence, people are switching to another underdog OS.
It’s a shame, but the Mac really is becoming a fad.
I think yes, we, the Mac community have this “i’m-better” attitude, at least i do (’cause i know i’m better)… but i can’t say the Linux community is not like that… they’re just the same, while i say Mac is better they say Windows and Linux it’s privative, and when i say Mac is elegant and easy to use, they say i’m as stupid as a windows user (comments on my blog proves that) and i should not use anyhing made by companies, open source open source, and photoshop sucks and the gimp rocks big time… their community is even worst…
As a former linux-head and still occasional user who now swears by OS X, I can say that I have no real desire to compile my kernel or configure my X11 config ever again.
I am a Mac user, and it is starting to get a little annoying dealing with both the attacks of other PC users as well as the arrogance of Apple groupies. Make no mistake, I’d never switch away from Mac, but I really don’t see a reason to flaunt my preferences around and attack others.
Afterall, that’s the freedom of choice.
I have a MBP and most of the software i use like adobe after effects and maya have not yet been converted to uni so i have to use windows to run most of apps. But even if i kept my boot camp set to xp all the time i still would have bought a mac just because xp has never crashed for me on the Mac hardware. so it really has to do with hardware over the OS for me and i think alot of ppl will agree with me on the reliability of the hardware. So, anyway i didnt buy my mac for the diva tag that is attached it and i think most others feel the same way.
“But the idea that OS X users have “bad attitudes and diva-esque natureâ€Â? seems a little extreme? Is this true?”
Have you watched those “I’m a Mac” commercials?
“Hi, I’m a Mac, I Can do everything you’d ever concieve right out of the box”
“Hi, I’m a PC, I crash every 10 seconds and can’t do any of that.”
I understand those are marketing hyperbole (s? I can never get that plural right) but it does present an image of “I’m better than you.” That can come off diva-esque from a company that has adamantly refused to be standards compliant since its creation.
All in all, each OS has its advantages.
Winders/Windoze/Windows has the best/largest selection of games.
Attitude – “I’m so big, I don’t have to care.”
or “Shut up and let me play my game/burn my movie”
Diva OS X has some of the best multimedia software available.
Attitude – “It is sad that others have to deal with an inferior OS/hardware.”
or “If you would just take you eyes off your game for one second, you would see how much better Macs are – you know, we can run windoze also.
Linux – a good free OS that less geek-only and more mainstream.
Attitude – edgy/free screw-the-system
or “Oh, if there isn’t a software package to do what you want, get off your lazy butt and write one.”
I used to work for Apple during the OS 5-7.5 era. I have been an Apple Nazi, a Windows Snob and Linux Elitist. But I have made piece with my Daemons.
I personally have four OS X Macs, two XP windows boxes, one Ubuntu PC and one LPAR enabled IBM P-Series 550 running four AIX 5.3 environments. I like them all. It is good that people try different environments. I say switch away…play with different environments…choose the one, two, three, etc…that work for you.
I sit here and look at all of the comments of users pro and con and then I look around the room… Yes, I am a geek… in this room alone I have 2 Macs … one running OSX… another on Mac OS 9.1 .. then we have PCs… 2 on XP… 2 on Win98… and lastly the Lone *nix running from a bootable CD of Knoppix ( http://www.knopper.net/en/ )…
I sit here working… I realize, I only ever personnaly use the Mac running OSX… ever… The 2 running XP are for the kids’ games like EVE-Online (No Mac Support) and another virtual world like game… the two running Win98 – terminals for testing Web Application compatability of the sites I build and for running chat bots under mIRC… Knoppix runs IRCd until the Mac Only program ‘Global IRCd’ is updated to include server linking… The Mac running Mac OS 9.1 runs several Classic OS server programs all at the same time – EIMS, HTTPd w/ PHP, MacPerl CGI, MacSQL, FTPd and Quicktime streaming – and I do literally everything else on the Mac running OSX… design, coding, browsing, live DJing, Podcasting, mail and accounting…
Then I realize… the two Macs are the oldest computers in the group… also, with the exception of one of the Win98 computers at 300mhz PII processor… the two Macs (at 466mhz and 266mhz each) are the ’slowest’ computers in the batch…
They are also the ones that perform the most work, faster, more reliably and with the shortest down or turnaround times…
If it comes down to actually performing work… instead of fighting just to keep the OS from crashing or getting virus infected or searching for the registry entry that needs to be deleted from the latest spyware exploit… I use Mac… A 10 yr old mac that if it were a PC would be religated to DOS, because the speed and memory requirements cant hold the bloatware that is the Windows OS’s…
Am I unique? … No… There are hundreds of thousands like me out there … am I an Mac eliteist? … No… just like those thousands of my fellow mac users out there… I’m Busy, Working… and actually getting something done… so I don’t have the computer down time to answer the cat calls of Mac gamers and arguments of disgruntaled PC users and Linux Eliteists…
Why do I have time to write this?… because I finished my work for the day, early… and I’m waiting on the guys with their PC’s to reboot, catch up and send me more jobs … better question would have been… how come you have time to read it?
-Doc
Psh, and you say Microsoft is any better? Look at Internet Explorer, then Look at Safari, and then you tell me who tries to conform to standards.
Just by reading this websites news,I sometimes think Apple users think they are something better.
I would only ever get a Mac if I would be a Student which involved Music/Computer Graphics (so for Garageband and Photoshop).
Im not a big Mac fan,the best thing about it (which doesn’t have a lot of experience) to me is the looks and the easyness to use it.And of course that its pretty secure.
I’ve switched to Ubuntu and back like three times, and every time I seem to go back to Mac OS X. Normal little features (like Airport Express music streaming and printer sharing) are rediculously hard to use and install, even though I consider myself a “somewhat advanced” computer user.
For anyone who wishes ease of use, definitely go with Mac OS X over Ubuntu. Ubuntu may be free, but it’s not at all easy ;)
I also plan to switch back to Linux.
I used to have Debian GNU/Linux on my desktop a couple of years and last year I switched over to Tiger on my Mac Mini. The last year, I used OS X on a daily basis and now I plan to convert my Mac into a Debian box again.
Reasons?
Well the Apple way of life may be simple and nice but I had to learn that for an advanced poweruser, I had to search for alternatives way too much. For various reasons, I could not use Addressbook, iTunes, iCal and so on and the Finder is honestly crap.
And I have to admit that if you have to leave the Apple way of life, the Macintosh platform loses its simplicity, its integration, its magic. There were many things that were no problem at all under Linux whereas I had difficulties under Tiger – and vice versa of course.
The Linux platform is more adjustable to my needs and I can help myself with a little knowledge. The Apple platform is more like the Windows platform there you have to find a (commercial?) tool that does the job you want to have solved. It is not that bad as under Windows but it has the principle tendency.
Linux learned a lot from all operating systems including the nice things that Apple provided its users. You don’t have to compile anything on linux, if you don’t want to (like me). There are lots of beautiful preconfigured distros (like grml) where a user can choose from to meet his needs.
I will have to spend more time with my Linux-system but I am again sure, that this time is worth something because I learn something and I get my optimized system working for me.
I’d never say that I switch my OS because of things other people say or other people behave. I’m old enough to ignore those “my penis is longer”-discussions about software.
just my 2 eurocents :-)
As a bonus, I just paste my current list of annoying things (not ordered):
* AFS vs. SMB
– AFS is better for OS X but AFS doesn’t provide important things like symlinks
* SMB implementation is broken
– Crash, when SMB-server is disconnected
– Long timeouts (and seldom crashes), when Mac Mini goes to sleep and wakes up without having disconnected all SMB-shares before
* Java-implementation is way too slow
– Every Java application is very slow
* Poor synchronization with Palm devices
– No categories
– Many things are ignored
– No note-synchronization
* Finder: crap!
– copying two large files at the same time
– crashing
– usability
– too much windows
* (Old and future) Security issues and Apples poor reactions so far
* Many (small) software solutions cost money; open source community not that strong on OS X
* Focus problems
– e.g. DockTimer seems to have the window focus but in fact the last application still has it
– closing the wrong applications/windows!
* No easy set up for WLAN access between two Tigers
– I tried to give my iBook access to the Internet using my Mac Mini who has got Internetaccess but failed
* No easy way to copy files between two Macs
* Usability inconsistencies and wrongs
– Maximize-button is missing to me
– Finder cannot display entire filenames if they are long
– Single klick into background window is sometime just for getting focus and sometimes it already does something
– Pop-up windows from other applications appear not always in background with jumping icon but in foreground, stealing the focus
-
– –> Apple has to put these usability issues into the system layer – as much as possible
– Apple has to stick to its own usability guidelines!
* Some simple things still require deeper knowledge
– e.g. Emacs: which one to install with which install procedure (dmg, i-Package, ports, darwin, …)
– Even if the actual installation procedure is very simple, the research at the beginning is time-consuming
– Loss of “easy to use”-argument