Hey Apple, What About iLinux?

that's it's the license. They don't want to deal with the GPL and having to actually have their system open. Which is unfortuneate, but we all know how apple is about keeping control over everything to protect their supposed image of superiority....

An interesting conversation I had with a bloke last night. I went to look at his computer, which won't run, turns out it's the PSU. But while talking with him, he tells me his daughter bought an IPhone, but is unable to get it to play the mP3s of the computer. I asked if he had the iTunes client installed on the phone, he said no. I told him it was quite easy, but he would have to give apple his credit card Number, he said, "ain't gonna happen, and anyway his daughter had lost interest in the iPhone now that she can't get anything to work on it."

Here's the quote that got me:

Quoting:FreeBSD is a good operating system. It's fast, secure, and developed by some great folks but the problem is that it is too "lunatic fringe" and not mainstream enough to be widely supported like Linux is.

"Too 'lunatic fringe' "?

We may have 300-and-some-odd distros, but Linux kernels that originate from a single development model power them all. Sure those kernels are tweaked by various distro-makers, but if there are any serious forks of the Linux kernel, I sure haven't heard of them.

What's wrong with a little kernel/OS diversity? Having Linux be the only free OS would be a dangerous thing. Aside from all the technical achievements they bring, the various BSD projects supply much-needed diversity to the OS world.

And yes, the licenses are important. That's another area where diversity only helps, not hurts.

I'd like to see OSes that AREN'T based on Unix, like Haiku, get a little traction out there. Just because Linux is an alternative to Windows and Mac OS doesn't mean it should be the only alternative.

Here's another gem:

Quoting:Their products would become the technological Volkswagen Beetle.

If Apple wanted to be a $3,000 Beetle, they'd already be that. They're happier as a $30,000 BMW.

Where can you buy a $30,000 BMW?

I'm sure you can find one used.

FreeBSD is far from lunatic fringe, as Netcraft attests. Look at who powers the top sites: http://news.netcraft.com/

> but if there are any serious forks of the Linux kernel, I sure haven't heard of them.

It's been my experience that, over the years, the distro kernel hacks have become less prevalent. With the increase in speed of development of the mainline kernel has come less and less reason to make changes locally.

One of the unfortunate image problems that Linux has taken on is one of system bloat. Debian was 14 1.2MB floppies when I first installed it, now it's 34 CD images.

You and I know that a fully functional server doesn't even need 1 CD worth of that 34, but there has been such focus on KDE, GNOME and the "desktop" that the initial impression of Linux as "lean and mean" has been lost.

In my opinion, of course.

Now where's that picture of Linux booting on an iPod...

Software variety is fine. Hardware variety is even more fun.

One of my co-worker Windows fanatics brought in a brand new iPhone 3G this week. He proudly told me that it runs Linux.

Heh. I didn't have the heart to tell him.

Actually, that's a good sign for Linux. When the Windows bois know not only how to pronounce it, but think it's running their kewl new hardware... :-)

If the Google phone can catch up, and get some of the proverbial killer apps, we'll be in good shape.

Quoting:and anyway his daughter had lost interest in the iPhone now that she can't get anything to work on it."

My sister gave an iPod to her friend, but he returned it because he couldn't work with it. My sister couldn't work with it either, it seemed, and at some moment she was so fed up she destroyed it using a pair of scissors. She's happily ^C and ^V'ing right now using some Chinese cheap MP3-player.