Mac Fans Migrating to Ubuntu!! [Archive]

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nrayever

July 3rd, 2006, 11:04 PM

hi guys:
i was surfing on the web and in slashdot.org i found this article. http://radar.oreilly.com/archives/2006/06/ubuntu_linux_a_threat_to_mac_o.html

Mac fans are migrating to ubuntu!! this a nice news!! hope for more windows fans migrate to ubuntu, like ballmer or gates maybe\\:D/ \\:D/ \\:D/

and here are the post of the 2 macs guru's

http://www.boingboing.net/2006/06/29/mark_pilgrims_list_o.html
http://diveintomark.org/archives/2006/06/02/when-the-bough-breaks

and other one of a mac fan that might migrate too!

http://www.onfocus.com/2006/06/3811

this is really cool. Mark pilgrim is migrating because of drm stuff and so...
and Cory Doctorow speaks about some free sotfware on his mac and so...

Should this worry apple??

nrayever

mstlyevil

July 4th, 2006, 01:45 AM

GuitarHero

July 4th, 2006, 04:15 AM

Im actually thinking of getting a mac. I have a home built pc with windows and trying to get ubuntu to work with it(damn network card). Im a little sick and tired of everything being a hassle in linux and nothing working as it should in windows. Most of linux's problems aren't its fault. Its not supported with drivers or professional software.

G Morgan

July 4th, 2006, 05:13 AM

Should Apple worry. No.

I think that a lot of people are going to be annoyed with Vista and a lot of them will pick Mac's in the future in the West. Ubuntu and Linux in general may steal some of that but where Linux is really growing is in new markets rather than established ones. MS are the ones that are really worried, they have done nothing to convince growing markets to chose them and the governments in these growing markets are generally pro OSS. This is on top of a perception of a real contender in Apple and a growing OSS threat at home.

I think one area where Linux will grow is when governments looking to give people tax cuts move the state to OSS and that will probably be the time when Linux starts to spread quickly in the West (and it is of course already happening). It could be a big move for the cut taxes people for a long time to come.

tsb

July 4th, 2006, 06:20 AM

Macs are the greatest now. No better triple boot machines. ;)

Derek Djons

July 4th, 2006, 08:00 AM

Apple's biggest market consists out of everyday families. Just look at the products (except the PowerMac / Macbook Pro Line) They are all made to entertain a person or family and at the same time provide them with hardware and software to entertain themselves.

The Apple power-users / geeks who are stepping over here, they might be related to the PowerMac / Powerbook / Macbook Pro customers... but having a free mind flying around.

No, Apple has nothing to worry for the time being. Sometimes I think Apple will definitelly hit a rock someday for becoming a 'all your base are belong to us' company.

lmandrake

July 4th, 2006, 08:38 AM

Sadly their main motivation (drm, free software) is not the normal users main concern. And as long as Apple users are willing to pay for updates and are fine with buying the whole Apple productline to enjoy painless drm there will be no problem for Apple. But Linux distros like Ubuntu have the chance to get more mature in the meantime and be ready when den massmarket is ready for free software.

egon spengler

July 4th, 2006, 10:30 AM

banjobacon

July 4th, 2006, 06:26 PM

Sadly their main motivation (drm, free software) is not the normal users main concern..

If you'd asked a normal user their opinions on DRM, you probably wouldn't get much out of them. However, if this normal user tried burning an iTunes-purchased song on one too many mix CDs, you'd find they suddenly care a lot more about the issue. If another normal user got fed up with their iPod, and realized that none of the songs they purchased on iTunes play on the Sandisk they'd like to buy, they'd also have issues with DRM.

Normal users aren't concerned about DRM until it makes their life difficult. At that point, though, many are open to the idea of alternatives.

aysiu

July 4th, 2006, 06:35 PM

If you'd asked a normal user their opinions on DRM, you probably wouldn't get much out of them. However, if this normal user tried burning an iTunes-purchased song on one too many mix CDs, you'd find they suddenly care a lot more about the issue. If another normal user got fed up with their iPod, and realized that none of the songs they purchased on iTunes play on the Sandisk they'd like to buy, they'd also have issues with DRM.

Normal users aren't concerned about DRM until it makes their life difficult. At that point, though, many are open to the idea of alternatives.
Very well put, banjobacon.

Most end-users care about one thing only--the end use. What can I do? Why can't I do this?

DRM is just a meaningless acronym, but the effects of DRM are not.

Deacon Nikolai

July 4th, 2006, 07:08 PM

:KS A good article on all of these switches from Mac OS X to Ubuntu and their effects: http://radar.oreilly.com/archives/2006/06/ubuntu_linux_a_threat_to_mac_o.html

aysiu

July 4th, 2006, 07:09 PM

:KS A good article on all of these switches from Mac OS X to Ubuntu and their effects: http://radar.oreilly.com/archives/2006/06/ubuntu_linux_a_threat_to_mac_o.html
Isn't that the same article mentioned in the first post?

nuvo

July 4th, 2006, 07:32 PM

Apple isn't the one who should really be scared by Linux or other free Unix style OS's right now.
Apple has a history of using Open Source to their advantage (Darwin is Open Source, their HTML renderer is based on KHTML and so on) and non-technical computer users are more likely to move to a Mac than to Linux while Linux is still a relatively nerdy affair.
Apple's OS X basically gives you many of the benefits of BSD Unix (because that's what Darwin is) as well as the polish expected in a modern desktop environment.
With a Mac, you don't need to know what's in the machine to know what apps will run on it, you just need to look at the minimum supported model info since Apple pretty much cuts out any real need to open the case.
People will also be more likely to use them for every day tasks due to the fact that OS X has a decent amount of commercial support, while Linux doesn't right now.
Granted, Open Source applications can be just as good, if not better than their commercial counterparts (nobody in my house uses Internet Explorer, Firefox is on all my PC's), but some people either want to keep using the software they are used to, or they have some issue with Open Source (such as not trusting it or simply not knowing what to look for).
Windows will run into problems in the future since although it has more applications, the OS itself isn't the greatest and it's getting to the point where you may as well buy a Mac as it'll cost you about the same if not less (buying a whole new system to run Vista with the new features will probably set you back nearly £1,000 while the Core Duo iMac 17" can do many of them on lesser hardware for £880).

The whole DRM thing is going to be an issue for anyone who uses their system for more than just the internet.
It'll hit those who frequently use services such as iTunes, Napster and Wippit especially hard as people will be less likely to buy music from such services if they can't actually use it.
The good thing is, the new Apple computers can run pretty much any x86 capable OS now, so you could use OS X for pretty things and commercial software, Linux for getting dirty and doing techy stuff and Windows for... Erm... I can't think of a single thing (there's games, but this wouldn't mean a thing to me as I don't play new PC games, just stuff like Frozen Bubble when bored since my DS Lite, PSP, Xbox, PS2 and 360 cover my gaming needs).

GuitarHero

July 4th, 2006, 07:39 PM

DRM doesnt bother me, i dont buy music online. I rip

azazel-

July 4th, 2006, 08:54 PM

Anyone with a current-spec Apple computer who installs linux is either someone with a very specific reason for doing so, or someone with *way* too much free time.

aysiu

July 4th, 2006, 08:55 PM

Anyone with a current-spec Apple computer who installs linux is either someone with a very specific reason for doing so, or someone with *way* too much free time.
Well, of course. It's always easier to go with what's preinstalled than to install something else.

ubuntu_demon

July 4th, 2006, 10:11 PM

I posted about this on my blog :
http://ubuntudemon.wordpress.com/2006/07/02/some-interesting-ex-mac-users-are-switching-to-ubuntu/
http://ubuntudemon.wordpress.com/2006/07/03/some-interesting-ex-mac-users-are-switching-to-ubuntu2/

G Morgan

July 4th, 2006, 10:53 PM

Anyone with a current-spec Apple computer who installs linux is either someone with a very specific reason for doing so, or someone with *way* too much free time.

Unless they place an unjustifiable value on prettyness and buy a Mactel simply to use as a PC. I know loads of gamers who are buying Mactels to put Windows on them because their custom cases look a bit tacky.

Anyway I'd rather Linux to OSX, its the OS I understand. Why spend an age learning to use the CLI to go back to less powerful GUI's. Of course I can customise OSX to give it the power Linux has but that is an extra headache.

nrayever

July 5th, 2006, 12:47 AM

Isn't that the same article mentioned in the first post?
yes it is, hehehe!

AlphaMack

July 5th, 2006, 11:29 AM

Anyone with a current-spec Apple computer who installs linux is either someone with a very specific reason for doing so, or someone with *way* too much free time.

I consider myself in the former. I dual boot OS X Tiger and Ubuntu Dapper. Tiger is still on my machine because I am still locked in. iTunes. Airport Express (mine, the girlfriend's, and my folks). iLife (old files that cannot be easily converted). And the list goes on. Sure, I may be well into getting both feet into the F/OSS world, but I'm still not fully there. Not to mention I can quickly boot over to Tiger when I absolutely need to.

Why do I have Dapper on my machine? (1) My PowerBook is at the bottom of the barrel in terms of support now (1 GHz G4 is now the bare minimum for Apple's latest iLife fluff). (2) Leopard is probably going to require higher end G4s and the G5 for whiz-bang stuff and I'll be stuck with Tiger. (3) On the same hardware Ubuntu is faster and I'll know that I won't need new hardware for several more years while I keep getting the latest and greatest version of Ubuntu.

With Ubuntu, I no longer have a good reason to buy new hardware. I just saved myself $1000-2000 and much more for having to rebuy x86 ports of the same sh*t just so they can run natively on the Apple toasters.

nrayever

July 6th, 2006, 05:36 PM

I consider myself in the former. I dual boot OS X Tiger and Ubuntu Dapper. Tiger is still on my machine because I am still locked in. iTunes. Airport Express (mine, the girlfriend's, and my folks). iLife (old files that cannot be easily converted). And the list goes on. Sure, I may be well into getting both feet into the F/OSS world, but I'm still not fully there. Not to mention I can quickly boot over to Tiger when I absolutely need to.

Why do I have Dapper on my machine? (1) My PowerBook is at the bottom of the barrel in terms of support now (1 GHz G4 is now the bare minimum for Apple's latest iLife fluff). (2) Leopard is probably going to require higher end G4s and the G5 for whiz-bang stuff and I'll be stuck with Tiger. (3) On the same hardware Ubuntu is faster and I'll know that I won't need new hardware for several more years while I keep getting the latest and greatest version of Ubuntu.

With Ubuntu, I no longer have a good reason to buy new hardware. I just saved myself $1000-2000 and much more for having to rebuy x86 ports of the same sh*t just so they can run natively on the Apple toasters.

alphasubzero949:
there's a program for powerpc with any *nix distro thta emulates to be a mac for the mac programs so they could be installed. i don't remember the name of this program but it's logo is a tux embracing an apple. this might be a solution to your complete migration.

nrayever

ps: if any one know the name of that program please let alphasubzero949 know and to me too please, just to remember.

hi guys now i got the logo the program i mentioned in the post

http://www.topdownloads.net/msn/images/1091892453.jpg

aysiu

July 6th, 2006, 05:43 PM

Are you thinking of PearPC? MacOnLinux?

tactus

July 10th, 2006, 01:14 PM

I agree with others here that thinks Apple shouldn't have anything to worry about. I too have read similar things from other sources mentioned in the thread starter post. You could argue Apple has DRM issues, they are closed, obsessed with protecting their secrets, there are mac fans out there suffering from RDF etc, but there is no questioning Apple is good at what they do. Talking about OS, Mac OS X have leaped light years in a relative short time frame. But Linux have matured also. I think what is happening now is that techies/programmers/trendies that at one point got captured by the technical direction and user friendliness of Mac OS X now is taking a second look on Linux. Why this is so, my guess it's related to the openness of the software and the community, and for reasons you all have opinions about. While Apple is great and all, I can understand the dictatorial top-down hierarchy isn't for everyones cup of tea.

Personally I become a Mac user just to be one of the early OS X adopters, I've never looked back or regretted the move. But in time the next OS transition is likely be OS X -> Linux for me. Mac is great for content providers, but Linux is more relevant if you want to do internet and networking for living. :)

hotani

July 15th, 2006, 12:27 AM

Just made the switch myself, still setting up my new Ubuntu PC and am infected with perma-grin.

Some reason for the switch:
- was using mostly open source anyway, and running those apps in OS X.
- OS X is not as friendly as Ubuntu for setting up a web development server: I installed apache, php, mysql, postgresql, mod_python and all the necessary dependencies in record time. I think the whole process took about 5 minutes. Absolutely unheard of in any other environment I've worked with.
- I'm a big fan of the OSS movement, and although Apple appears to be embracing it with Darwin, Ubuntu goes all the way.
- OS X upgrades are $135 each. And they happen about every 1.5 years or so. I think we all know the cost of an Ubuntu upgrade.
- I got to BUILD MY OWN PC!!!! I wanted the gratification of getting my hands dirty putting something together from scratch.
- My PC was $1100. It has a dual core chip, 2GB of RAM, RAIDed 250GB SATA drives and a GeForce 7600GT GPU. An identically equipped machine from the iStore was $2700. And it didn't have the 2 250GB drives.

This just goes to show that the time was right for me to get the Ubuntu PC. However, that won't be the case for most of the mac users out there. As others have said, I don't think Apple will be hurt much.

AlphaMack

July 15th, 2006, 02:12 AM

nrayever,

I do have MOL installed on my machine. The problem is that MOL often does not see my third (data) partition while I'm booted into Ubuntu and all of my media files reside there. Also, MOL tends to chew up a lot of CPU cycles. I also didn't find out until recently how to completely disable ipmasq at startup so that I could get online in Ubuntu (had to go into sys-rc-conf). It's a decent "temporary" solution. :D

Skia_42

July 15th, 2006, 04:51 AM

Haha, I am one off those mac fans that migrated to Ubuntu. I grew up using macs since I was 8. I am now 15 and decided that I wanted to sue an operating system that was a bit more code oriented. Common Terminal Usage, Programming, e.t.c.

ubuntu_demon

July 15th, 2006, 11:03 AM

I posted about this thread right here :
http://ubuntudemon.wordpress.com/2006/07/15/some-interesting-ex-mac-users-are-switching-to-ubuntu3/