PCs soon to be running OSX?

[FutureTense]

It's a sad day when I need google to augment my memory.  What I was refering to was "Reverse Polish Notation" which may have died out by now, but it was an alternate way to enter multi function equations into a calculator before they learned how to make calculators understand the order of opperations.  The only calculator I ever came across that used it was a Casio.  Forgive my eroneous statement earlier.

[Draliseth]

Two, if you're talking market penetration, ever OS has lost to windows.  Like it or not, there are more computers running Windows than any other.

There's something I like to call the smart guy to dumbass ratio. For every one genuinly intelligent person, there are eighty-five other people claiming to be smart while possessing no more intellect than a bowl of dog food. Not to imply that every person who runs Windoze is a complete idiot, but the fact of the matter is that most of these people are the folk who get a computer for the sake of not being left behind in the digital world.

I don't see what that has to do with anything?  It doesn't matter how "smart" or "stupid" someone is.  I was just talking numbers.  Apple has the mp3 player market cornered over everyone else.  And I guarantee a lot of people buy iPods because they don't want to be "left behind in the digital world."  So, please do not try the "you're an idiot if you..." argument.  Please give the other side of the argument a little credit.

Three, I disagree with the hypothesis that a PC OSX would make PC users want a genuine Mac.  For me, the OS is the one thing I dislike the most about Macs.  I just don't like the interface.  Things don't work like I think they ought to (like programs not ending when I close their window, and multi-button mice not being standard set up).

The window is closed... why is that black arrow still under the icon. Oh my god.. It's BOUNCING! My minimized windows are distinguishable! WHEN I HIT F9 IT ORGANIZES MY OPEN APPLICATIONS!!!

OH THE HUMANITY!

What planet are you from, chief?

Please note what it says under my icon:  "In my own little worlds."  Windows gives you grief?  Fine.  Don't use it.  OSX gives me grief.  So I don't use it.  This doesn't make me stupid, ignorant, or completely demented.  It just means I'm different than you.  So please do not insult me.  There is no cause for that.

I'm just saying that the majority of Macintosh owners have an Apple computer due to the fact that they understand what comes with it, what they're getting, and that there are many many people with Windows machines that just buy a computer because it's a computer. I wasn't in the least pulling the "you're an idiot if you..." argument. Just go and ask every person you see on the street what kind of computer they want, why, and why not a Macintosh ( if that be the case ). I'll almost guarantee the majority of the people you ask will answer in ignorance. An even better case for example would be Linux compared to Windows. Why isn't everyone using Linux since it works with a PC and is virus free? Because they aren't into tech specs - they just want something to check email with.

Now, the thing is, you worded your setentence as to mean that all computers should run like Windows. But Windows has some serious issues. Your problems with the Mac were more plutonic than anything. An OS feature differs a great deal from a system malfunction. This is why I don't use Windows. Your grief was self-invoked, not hardware error. I think that deserves some teasing since you have yet to distinguish the two.

[Hellmark]

Or, another example. I was writing in my LJ at school during lunch and after I'm guessing what was caused by me holding down the shift key three seconds too long, BAM! I can't use plain text! Nope, either all capitals, or all lowercase, and no matter what I do all of the symbols are turned on. Yep. Running like it ought to.

Its called Sticky Keys, supposed to be to help one handed people type better, and can be disabled. I really dont see the point in it since it effectively works like capslock once its enabled.

[stigmata]

I personally believe that Apple shouldn't let other manufacturers use their OS, because the point of Apple's products are that the design and the OS both go hand-in-hand. I mean, instead of a lovely PowerBook running OS X, imagine an ugly Dell running it.

I'm sure you'd survive.

What you wouldn't survive is the unholy son of a bitch that OS X would become - can you imagine the difficult in porting a whole OS to another platform? Add to that the difficulty of porting drivers to it (GOOD drivers, not impressively-generic ones), and preventing crappy software being written. You don't want a bad name like Windows, just cause you made a crappy port.

And then you'd have to engineer your Operating System to run on totally different hardware - with totally different processors, chipsets, graphics cards, network interfaces, sound cards, motherboards and all the rest, you'd have to support a bajillion hardware combinations from the moment it was released. The difficulty in doing that would be ludicrous.

Now, add to that the difficulty of having OS X and OS X-86 compatible (simultaneous updates, twice the development effort, and so on) would be insane. If they failed, then developers would have to write code for each OS separately.

Which would mean that both versions of the OS would become a catastrophic faiure, and Apple's hardware sales would be shot in the head.



No matter the superiority of the OS, no matter Apple's might, it isn't possible to port an OS like Panther or Tiger across platforms at the drop of a hat. If Apple even tried, they probably deserve to crash and burn.

[Draliseth]

Its called Sticky Keys, supposed to be to help one handed people type better, and can be disabled. I really dont see the point in it since it effectively works like capslock once its enabled.

Oh no, this was on a Dell. Sticky keys turns off. This thing wouldn't.
Either way... to get back on topic, no way is Apple going to let OS X go to PC computers.

Longhorn may be very OS X like. I think that's the most it.
Listen to Stigmata.

[tussery]

It's a sad day when I need google to augment my memory.  What I was refering to was "Reverse Polish Notation" which may have died out by now, but it was an alternate way to enter multi function equations into a calculator before they learned how to make calculators understand the order of opperations.  The only calculator I ever came across that used it was a Casio.  Forgive my eroneous statement earlier.

I have a RPN Hp they are also faster to use than a normal calculator once you learn how to use them.

[Hellmark]

Oh no, this was on a Dell. Sticky keys turns off. This thing wouldn't.

So? Still used Windows. I've not seen Dell do any real tweaks to Windows other than adding in their name or some shit. I've also seen sticky keys break and lock like ya said.

[stigmata]

Listen to Stigmata.

Quoted for emphasis

[Thunderstruck]

Maybe you should sig file that

[Konflict]

If Windows made their new OS more like OS X, then maybe people will actually turn and have a look at Mac computers since the two would be similar.

[Hellmark]

Konflict, thats only if they knew Longhorn copied OSX. Most people would think its really cool and innovative or some shit.

[1337 b4k4]

You, sir, are talking out of your ass. If you think Linux has allready lost, then you're sadly mistaken, because we aint seen nothin' yet. For your information:

Throughout the history of computing, the operating systems IBM supported have been the dominant ones. Guess what they're currently supporting? Linux.

Also, the SuSE Linux distribution has been bought by Novell. thousands of schools use Novell products, not to mention gazillions of companies.



I don't even have a clue where you're coming from when you state that Linux has lost to windows...it's barely gotten started!

IBM is supporting linux as a server platform. As a server platform there are plenty of OSes still floating about, but as far as consumer and desktops, Linux is dead. 5 and 6 years ago, linux was the hot topic, it was on everyone's lips as the up and comming and the greatest. It was supposed to solve so much in the way of software conflicts and it was to be a microsoft competetor. Now, it's barely mentioned outside the geek community. Red Hat has all but abandonned their desktop version, SCO is suing the name into oblivion and most stores have stopped even selling suse. Linux had it's chance, but it lost to it's greatest advantage and weekness. It was open source. This meant no user level support and many many poorly writen and created programs. Maybe in the future, years down the road, if SuSE remains in active development it might be in a position to try again, but not now. Linux is once again, an obscure oddity.

[Hellmark]

IBM is supporting linux as a server platform. As a server platform there are plenty of OSes still floating about, but as far as consumer and desktops, Linux is dead. 5 and 6 years ago, linux was the hot topic, it was on everyone's lips as the up and comming and the greatest. It was supposed to solve so much in the way of software conflicts and it was to be a microsoft competetor. Now, it's barely mentioned outside the geek community. Red Hat has all but abandonned their desktop version, SCO is suing the name into oblivion and most stores have stopped even selling suse. Linux had it's chance, but it lost to it's greatest advantage and weekness. It was open source. This meant no user level support and many many poorly writen and created programs. Maybe in the future, years down the road, if SuSE remains in active development it might be in a position to try again, but not now. Linux is once again, an obscure oddity.

Ok, then how come there are more linux based companies making desktop oriented distros now than 5 years ago, or why is linux on more desktops than 5 years ago, or why is there more non server software (commercial and non commerical) made for linux than 5 years ago, etc. Redhat hasnt abandoned its desktop version, what do you call Fedora then (they just reorganized it, into a commercial server edition and a desktop version rather than one single distro)? Also, while SuSE is still very active, its not the only game in town. Please stop talking out of your ass.

Anyway, back to the topic before Hawk hulks us.

[Shmi]

Ok, then how come there are more linux based companies making desktop oriented distros now than 5 years ago, or why is linux on more desktops than 5 years ago, or why is there more non server software (commercial and non commerical) made for linux than 5 years ago, etc. Redhat hasnt abandoned its desktop version, what do you call Fedora then (they just reorganized it, into a commercial server edition and a desktop version rather than one single distro)? Also, while SuSE is still very active, its not the only game in town. Please stop talking out of your ass.

"By the end of the year, Linux will be running on 1% of the desktop PC's worldwide, compared with 2.8% for Apple MacOS, and 96% for Microsoft Windows, according to Gartner."

That was the market share for personal computers at the end of 2004. Why is linux on more desktops than 5 years ago? Because it was 5 years ago. Some desktop share growth is inevitable. But has there been substancial explosion in personal home use of Linux? Not compared to windows/osx. Why are there more non-server software being released? Again, growth is inevitable in that market. Of course a company will release software for Linux.

What you're missing completely is that while Linux is good and all, the combined drawbacks of owning a desktop PC running Linux outdoes the good things. How many people want an OS or computer that will include little, if not no support because of the multitude of versions? How many want an OS they already don't know how to use, especially without an exact equivalent to the software they are used to?

For server use, power-users and the like, it's great, but it has a long way to go before it takes a bite out of desktop market share and use.

[1337 b4k4]

Ok, then how come there are more linux based companies making desktop oriented distros now than 5 years ago

Quantity != Quality. There are more document programs to choose from than their were 5 years ago, but none of them are winning against word.

or why is linux on more desktops than 5 years ago

Trickle down geek effect. The greater geeks impart linux on teh lesser geeks. However, as a whole linux's existance outside of geekdom is limited and not advancing.

or why is there more non server software (commercial and non commerical) made for linux than 5 years ago, etc.

There really isn't. Most of the stuff existed years ago, and again, see quanity vs quality. There's more BeOS software now than there ever was before, but BeOS is dead.

Redhat hasnt abandoned its desktop version, what do you call Fedora then (they just reorganized it, into a commercial server edition and a desktop version rather than one single distro)?

Fedora is a generaly unsupported off shoot of the server distro. It's more or less an after thought. Consider, Red Hat has exactly two office buildings left. One of them is right here 5 minutes from my house. They actualy use about 40% of that office space, down from it's 100% almost 4 years ago. This is not due to more efficient programers.

Also, while SuSE is still very active, its not the only game in town.

Ah, true, how could I forget Debian. The great linux who's latest release couldn't even figure out what NIC I had in my computer.

Please stop talking out of your ass.

I'm hardly talking out of my ass, but I am calling a spade a spade. Linux for the time being is toast. Windows won the first round. Maybe in a few years, linux can try again but it's not going to be soon. Don't get me wrong, I've been using linux since 1998 but in all these years, while other OSes have been making leaps and bounds linux has been playing catch up.

By the way, I should note that the abundance of Linux distros is hardly a good thing for any sort of fight against Microsoft's dominance. As much as it pains me to say it, Microsoft does so well because it has standards. Granted they're it's own standards that no one else uses and that seem to be laxly enforced, but they're standards none the less. The linux comunity can't even agree on a window manager. And XFree86 just forked recently because of internal problems. These are not helpful in the long term battle.

Anyway, back to the topic before Hawk hulks us.

I'd say the topic has been pretty beat to death.