Apple Torvalds Switches to a Mac

For the two of you who don't have slashdot updating on their desktop every five minutes:
Slashdot | Torvolds Switches to a Mac

Now of course one reason he did it was he was handed (for free) a Dual 2GHz G5 Mac. Another was that he feels the x86-64 and PowerPC were the two main architectures, and I agree. He plans on testing out new Kernel patchest etc. on his new machine, so it is running Linux, not OSX. (perhaps a dual boot?)

If I could afford a mac, I'd love to have one on my desk, but just like my PC, I'd want it to run Linux as well. I think Mac OSX is a great OS, but I'm a huge fan of architecture independence.

Not much to discuss really, but I just found it very interesting.

If anyone wants me to switch, I'm ready mentally, now I just need the hardware... PM me for how to donate to the cause! (j/k)

 

slash who??

 

You're kidding right?

 

Just as a side-note, *nix runs great on Mac lappies.

http://www.macdevcenter.com/pub/a/mac/2002/03/29/ibook_linux.html

 

Isn't OSX based on Linux?

 

There more like cousins. Both are based on Unix. Neither OSX or Linux were developed together though. Suppose its like Win95 to Win98, very similar but very different - But thats a bad analogy.

Sure someone here will give you the full history of both OS' soon enough though.

 

Just been reading about this on macworld.co.uk, and fair play to him, everyone's entitled to a change once in a while.

 

I'm an ubergeek but I don't check /. on an OCD-type basis
in fact rarely ever, but that's because I'm really just too lazy and/or don't care at the time.

 

Just making sure. If you didn't know then that would be rather pathetic

 

someone giving linus torvolds a mac and then the world saying hes turned to a mac user is like if i give you a dress and tell everybody youve turned into a drag queen

and whats the point of running linux on a mac. the thing people like about macs is that the os isnt buggy, so if youre using linux instead (which in its mac state WILL be buggy) arent you just defeating the whole point?

its ironic that two windows alternatives combine to make a double negative. (dont flame me this isnt an attack on you high iq mac users in your black tutlenecks with tight sleeves)

 

Mac users don't just use it because os x is good, macs are also very pretty

But seriously, you seem to be slagging off macs a lot, have you owned one before? have you ever run linux on a mac? how do you know it *will* be buggy?

 

yes i own several macs and my favorite animal is a penguin and i often tell people that macs are soooo super

'but seriously', how many macs does it take to make another mac user listen to what someone has to say... im not saying that the 'well do you OWN a mac? did you ever lick a mac? do you even own any art deco?' questions are a bit played out but what i actually said wasnt putting macs down it was just a logical conclusion.

linux has not be developed with as much focus on the mac as it has on the pc. thats one reason why it would be more more buggy on the holy mac.

also it hasnt been tested for as long on the mac and there is a significantly lower amount of people using it. all of those are not me slagging off macs, its just a point thats all. no offense man, to you or macs. just linux is not as established on macs. nothing to get defensive over.

 

I wasn't meaning to be deffensive or offensive, I was just wondering if you had used a mac, it didn't sound like you had.

But surely linux for mac will never stop being buggy (my point remains that you dont know it is, it might run great) if nobody uses it. It was buggy on PCs once.

 

yeh it still is sometimes
but i guess thats the nature of linux

 

Oh no, reviving a semi-old thread!!!

I've found that most popular linux distributions that have one or two releases behind them are pretty stable. I'm not a mac power user, so I can't tell a huge difference, but the reason for putting linux on a mac is simple. Open Source.

The reason I like linux isn't just because it is more secure/reliable (while it is more secure and reliable, it is also a pain to get up and running due to limited driver support), but because I own it. I'm currently leasing the right to use windows XP on my machine at home, but I own the Novell Linux Desktop at work.

 

OS X is Unix based... well more specifically BSD... You can get linux on the mac via YellowDog Linux. X11 enables you to run Linux apps on the mac...