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6/21/2011

Tea-ooze Day


I am, and have been for many years, a Linux evangelist. I feel it is - or has the capability to be - a superior Operating System to the one generally in use. That said, I have felt frustrated for YEARS at the failure of the Linux community to develop a simple, elegant, easy to install and use Operating System that ANYONE could handle. That frustration has been exacerbated in very recent times by the experience I have enjoyed with my MacBook Pro and Mac OS X.

What most people don't really understand is that OS X is built on top of BSD Unix - an Operating System that is enough like Linux to be its twin.

If Apple can do it - why can't the THOUSANDS of people working on Linux do it?

However.

Even Apple has had its trials and tribulations with its platform.

I bought my Mac when there was a new version of the hardware coming to market - and OS X 10.5, known as Leopard, was fairly mature. And over the couple of years we've been together, Luscious* and I, there has been more and more time elapsing between software updates. Which is good.

*Luscious is the name I've given to my Mac - in honor of her buttery keyboard.

But, not being one to be left behind, and knowing that a new version of Mac software was coming (called Lion), and that one HAD to be on Snow Leopard (10.6.x) in order to download the new O/S, I ordered and today installed OS X 10.6.3.

I was really surprised at the way things did NOT work after the upgrade. Apple is not immune to O/S problems and issues. If I wasn't ready for THAT realization, I really wasn't ready for the update to the update I had to download to get everything working right. That said, it DID take only one download - which comprised 4 separate files - but the download was a surprising 1.12 GIGABYTES in size. Thank goodness I have broadband.

If you are considering a computer purchase, or if you are tired of the problems endemic in MS Windows, allow me to recommend Mac. Apple's OS X 10.6.7 is fabulous. The hardware is well thought out and durable.

And it just works.

p.s. If you, like me, are a photographer, and CS5 is a bit too much money to spend, GIMP runs just fine in Mac - and GIMP is a VERY good post processing package.

Ndinombethe.

5 comments:

Tara R. said...

We are a Mac family and have Snow Leopard. I'm sure we will be upgrading to Lion soon.

Big Mark 243 said...

... too bad this wasn't in 'english'. I am not able to afford such an upgrade in computers anywho... but if and when I am, I certainly know on whom to call for advice..!

Holly said...

OK -- I don't really understand all the penguin, lion and snow leopard references when not in connection with actual wildlife. :) But you really like GIMP? Does it get updated like Photoshop?

Grandmother Mary said...

We would also recommend Apple. We have snow leopard 10.6.7 and my husband is coveting the lion upgrade. He uses Apple and teaches Apple engineers (for instance right here in Paris) and loves them. He calls it a "real" computer.

Shadow said...

oh, if only i had a clue as to what you're talking about, heee heee heee