Why OS X and not Linux?

Why OS X and not Linux?

There is really nothing religious about our use of open source. We use it because it’s better on the scales of merit that we care about. For infrastructure software, such as web servers, databases, server operating systems, programming languages, and web frameworks, the scales of merit lend themselves incredibly well to open-source development. Thus, we use it and are passionate about it.For desktop operating systems? Not so much. There are just too many disciplines involved that programmers are not naturally good at and don’t have sufficient levels of taste to prepare masterfully. And programmers constitute the vast majority of builders in the open source community.

Read the rest of the article, it fits my sentiments exactly.

I’d also like to add:

When it comes to the power of the underlying OS, OS X and Linux are practically the same. So the apparent advantage of Linux over Windows isn’t necessarily the case when you compare OS X and Linux.

A lot of the best applications found on Linux can also be found compiled for OS X.  I also notice a lot of open source apps are polished up and sold for OS X, not just polished looks but polished functionality that may warrant the small fee.

About the Author, Dan Cameron:

I'm the owner and solution engineer at Sprout Venture, a web solutions company that specializes in web development including WordPress.

I started my first blog in 2003 and transitioned to WordPress in 2004. Since moving to WordPress I've written a few plugins and themes for public consumption. Lately I'm busy engineering/building/coding and have only been able to share a few code snippets.

If you're in need of some web development, web design or custom WordPress plugins and/or themes contact me, I'll be happy to discuss it with you.

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  • I guess if you're defining "power" as Unix-ishness, then that makes sense. I just don't see it that way.

    Most of the most important advantages of Linux ("power", in my mind) come from its open and free (as in freedom) nature.

    I won't argue that OSX has benefited by basing their product on stuff that was originally developed in this fashion, but the act of making their extensions to that base closed and proprietary takes a great deal away from that advantage, in my opinion.
  • See also,

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mac_OS_X#Description
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Architecture_of_Ma...
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Single_UNIX_Specif...

    So from what you said, Solaris was not powerful until it became "free", or is it not at all?

    [edit]
    Looks like only a portion of Solaris is open, like OS X.
  • I'm talking about actual power, as in the "fully complaint UNIX" system at it's core. Which supports...
    Not the power in opinion towards "freedom".
  • Since I decided to avoid Apple bashing, I'll just say that it's a decent article, for the point he's trying to make.

    The only unclear bit is when you're talking about "power of the underlying OS".

    Personally, I feel that a lot of the "power" of Linux is based on its openness and adherence to the standards of software freedom. In that regard, I can't think of an OS that's more opposite of Linux than OSX, so being "practically the same" is certainly a subjective judgement.
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