GC solves portability issues because programs written in languages such as Java, C#, Python, etc. are no longer compiled for any specific processor. By comparison a C/C++ executable program is just a blob of processor-specific code containing no information about what functions and other metadata are inside it.
If all code written for the Macintosh was written in a GC programming language, it would have been zero work for Apple to switch to the Intel processor because every program would just work!
LAWL!! Okay, where do I began to sort out the idiocy? First GC or Garbage Collection has little to do with "Write Once Run Anywhere." What he is thinking of is a Virtual Machine. VM-based languages often feature garbage collection, but the two features can coexist separately. Many implementations of D generate native code, and LLVM is a virtual machine that (I think) lacks support for garbage collection. Even if all OSX software was written in a virtual machine, it would have been a serious undertaking to both write and then port a virtual machine that gives acceptable performance (look at Sun's efforts to make Java not run like crap). Alright, let's read some more.
Apple’s second kernel wasn’t built from scratch, but is based on Berkeley Software Distribution (BSD) Unix code. This code is a lot like Linux, but with a smaller development community and a noncopyleft license agreement. That Apple is depending on a smaller free kernel community, and yet doing just fine, does say something about free software’s ability to deliver quality products. The BSD kernel is certainly much better than the one Apple threw after 20 years of investment!
Unfortunately, in choosing this software, Apple gave life support to a group who should have folded their code and resources into Linux. The free software community can withstand such inefficiency because it is an army of millions, but, from a global perspective, this choice by Apple slowed progress.
Oh snap! I bet that {will,has already} start{,ed} a few flame wars. This is even funnier since it comes a few pages after he jerks-off to the hundreds of Linux distributions that freetards have created.
When I visit coffee shops, I increasingly notice students and computer geeks purchasing Macs. Students have limited budgets and so should gravitate towards free software. If Apple doesn't support free software, their position in the educational market is threatened.
Apparently, this guy has not met any students recently. Sure, they are strapped for cash; this is why the pirate the shit out of everything! If free software can compete with pirated commercial software, then it stands a chance. Otherwise, nada.
Many computer geeks buy a Mac because of its Unix foundation.
The stupid, it burns!!!
In the terminal window of both the Mac and Linux, you type “ps -a” to see the list of processes.
Oh, wow! It has ps! That is, like, so awesome!
(Windows doesn't support the Unix commandline tools.)
Oh noes! Apparently, this guy has never heard of Cygwin, MinGW or even Microsoft Windows Services for Unix.
Apple has good Unix compatibility only because their programmers never took it out while doing their work. It was never any goal of the Mac OS-X to be appeal to geeks — Apple just got lucky.
Yes, they are so lucky to have that 0.1% of their market. He saves the best for last.
After having been a long-time Windows user, and a 100% Linux user for 3 years, I tried out the Mac OS X for a couple of days. Here are some impressions:
Prepare to have your freetard socks rocked!
● A Mac OS has more code than ever before, and a lot of it is based on free code, but it doesn't have a repository with thousands of applications like Linux. There are several third party efforts to provide this feature, but none are blessed or supported by Apple. The Mac comes free with iPhoto, but they really want me to buy Aperture for $159, which they tell me just added 100 new features! Apple ships a new OS every year, but you don't get free upgrades — it costs $140 even to upgrade from OS X 10.4 to 10.5.
First, it seems like Apple now releases a new OS every two years. Next, most Apple users don't care about 95% of the crap in those repositories, so Apple does not want to spend the money needed to maintain a high quality repository.
● Many of the Mac's UI details like how to maximize windows, and shortcut keys, are dis-similar to Windows. Linux, by contrast, feels much more natural to a Windows user. Every time you double-click on a picture, it loads the iPreview application that stays around even after the window displaying the picture is closed. How about just creating a window, putting the picture in that window, and having it all disappear when I close the window? I tried to change the shortcuts to match the Windows keystrokes, but it didn't change it in all applications.
Then you need a window bar along one of the sides of the screen. I will admit it is a bit weird, but the solution seems better than cluttering up the interface.
● The Mac feels like a lot of disparate pieces bolted together. The desktop widgets code has its own UI, and it doesn't integrate well into the OS desktop. The Spaces is a clone of an old Unix feature and doesn't implement it as well as Linux does. (For example, there is no easily discoverable way to move applications between spaces.)
Linux does not?! Linux IS a lot of disparate pieces bolted together.
● As mentioned above, the Mac doesn't support as many of the Microsoft standards as Linux does. One of the most obvious is WMA, but it also doesn't ship with any software that reads DOC files, even though there is OpenOffice.org and other free software out there.
At least the functionality exists! On Linux, you need to download some potentially illegal codecs to even play MP3s!
● It is less customizable. I cannot find a way to have the computer not go to sleep when the laptop screen is closed. The mouse speed seems too slow and you can only adjust the amount of acceleration, not the sensitivity. You cannot resize the system menu bar, nor add applets like you can with Linux's Gnome.
That is funny. I cannot make my Linux laptop GO to sleep when the lid is closed.
These are just a few of the 'insights' you can find in this amazing tome. If you want, you can buy the book from Amazon, or you can send him a small donation. Make it a penny.
