Re: [NTLK] Linux PDA Similar to Newton

On Sun, May 31, 2009 at 7:55 AM, <Reilly001os@aol.com> wrote:
> How many command line text editors does osx have? If the user doesn't like the one that comes with the system make that user get another one instead of defaulting to installing 3 or 4 on every users system.

Let's see, there's nano, vi or vim and emacs, at least. I installed
JOE (the ancient WordStar interface) just for kicks. But you must
realize that all of these text editors probably together take up less
space than probably one 8 megapixel jpeg coming out of your average
digicam today. I think you are making much ado about nothing in this
case. This little utilities have sometimes been a major lifesaver in
my case, and I was glad to have them (nano in particular, because of
its relatively simple menu system when you are already panicking about
why your computer isn't booting properly)

> I do however agree that osx isn't as advanced as it could be
> because it is based on a command line OS that targeted
> different ideas, goals, and operational modes then the original
> Mac os. I side with Steve Wozniack's statement (in his book
> iWoz) that they should've fixed the classic Mac os.

When OS X first came out, I was of the same opinion, but when I
finally was forced to upgrade to X several years later (when 10.2 was
already getting long in the tooth), I decided to try to learn and
understand some of those Unix underpinnings. As I explored, I learned
that these underpinnings were the _main_ reason that Macs were
becoming more popular in scientific circles. There is a plethora of
material available only for Unix that the Mac can now run and take
full advantage of! Beyond this, there is a bunch of fun stuff that the
adventurous can run. On my Pismo, I have running (or can run) the
entire Gnome or KDE desktops, and have icewm, and several other window
managers running. Beyond that, I learned a lot as I slowly built and
compiled a runnable copy of BibleTime on that computer. None of this
stuff is "OSX" compatible, but it runs beautifully on an ancient
G4/500 processor. I greatly appreciate Apple's decision to base OSX on
a *nix base. It has opened an entire world, not just for me, but for
umpteen thousands of people, and has extended its market far beyond
the "consumer" appliance model that you envision.

And as far as the "outdated" bit goes. Unix is anything but outdated.
It is far more robust than the Mac OS system versions 1-9 ever could
have been, and despite its age, was created with far more foresight.
And We won't even discuss Windows here, which has the enormous
millstone of backwards compatibility hanging about its neck. And
because Mach has not taken the monolithic kernel approach that Linux
has, it also is not stuck with forced kernel recompiles just to stay
compatible with new hardware.

> That's just MHO. I have a very minimalist view on system software. Although I do think more robust options should be available for those that want them I don't think said options should be the default. Minimalism FTW! ;-)

And trust me, this is _exactly_ what OSX does. It is a very simple
system (in comparison to Linux with Gnome or KDE, or Windows, etc.).
Look at the Finder. One of the most universal complaints is that it's
too "simple." And if you want even more simple, you can make it so.
But remember this, every OS or modification that has been created to
make the desktop minimalist has been met with resounding failure. In
reality, people don't really want that--though they may give lip
service to it. Sure, there will always be a small minority who may
prefer it, but the vast majority of people, most certainly have voted
by rejecting such a concept. Simple enough to use, but flexible enough
to not limit them. And under the hood enough power to floor most
people--that's OSX, IMO, and FTW, btw. ;-)

-- 
 -Jon Glass
Krakow, Poland
<jonglass@usa.net>
"I don't believe in philosophies. I believe in fundamentals." --Jack Nicklaus
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