Market share: Windows vs Linux vs Mac vs ??

[Les Mikesell]

Karl Larsen wrote:

>>>    A Mac is very expensive compared to a PC. So they sell just a few.
>>
>> The difference is not as extreme as it used to be if you compare 
>> equivalent specifications.  But Apple doesn't like to give updates 
>> away, so be prepared to buy the ilife package and perhaps OS X several 
>> times during the life of the box.
>>
>>> My wife thinks a Mac is easier to use than Windows XP. So my next 
>>> computer purchase is a Mac.
>>
>> Note that you'll get the unix command line goodness that linux also 
>> inherits along with a desktop GUI that 'just works' - and usable 
>> firewire drivers.  You may not appreciate the value of working 
>> firewire support until you get your second one - then you can boot the 
>> first one in 'firewire target' mode (they all do that) connect the new 
>> one, and let it automatically copy over all the users, settings and 
>> applications you had on the old one. Amazingly, this works even across 
>> the ppc and intel processor types.
>>
>    This will be our first, and maybe our last since we are in our 70's 
> now. I do that lately with dd. Before that cp -a and other Linux things. 

Exact copies are easy but you won't want to copy your old OS when a new 
one is available.  What this does is take the existing new but empty 
computer with its latest OS X version and copies in the users, 
applications, and data from the old one, including installed third party 
apps.  Vista copies this feature now, but you need to buy a special usb 
host<->host cable.  With Linux it is just painful and you have to figure 
out which parts you can copy without breaking the new system.


> My new computer motherboard has a firwire plug and the front of the case 
> has a firewire plug. No idea how to get Linux interested :-)

It sort-of works in some linux versions if you plug in a video camera or 
hard drive.

-- 
   Les Mikesell
     lesmikesell at gmail.com