Comments on Great Southern Lad: Ubuntu vs OSX: Where Ubuntu wins

Interesting. I downloaded flip4mac and got WMP aud...

2008-12-18T21:37:00.000+11:00

Interesting. I downloaded flip4mac and got WMP audio working on my MacBook in about 4 minutes without spending a dime. Could it be possible that the issue was merely user-inefficiency?

@Anonymous:
Funny, Linux is quite a capitalist ...

2008-12-10T11:48:00.000+11:00

@Anonymous:
Funny, Linux is quite a capitalist phenominon itself. It allows businesses to carry out all necessary tasks (and then some) without having to worry about piracy, licensing, etc. Big companies sponsor/develop open source projects where they gain through market share and tech support.

Unlike windeuce and OS X, Linux is no monopoly, and therefore has the most competitive, capitalist spirit in the OS war.

Just use Microsoft Windows on a PC. Guess what... ...

2008-08-10T14:46:00.000+10:00

Just use Microsoft Windows on a PC. Guess what... it just works! And so does capitalism baby yeah!

I know this article is several months old, but I k...

2008-04-16T23:31:00.000+10:00

I know this article is several months old, but I know where you're coming from and wanted to comment.

And a free operating system should never beat a paid for operating system when it comes to this 'just works' philosophy.

Amazing, isn't it?

The Ubuntu team knows that "it's Windows' fault" isn't going to fly if a user can't get media playback in any arbitrary working really easily. So I'm not surprised that it won in the Race to Footy.

The way I see it, OSX has a very different job than Ubuntu. OSX is trying to be the most polished operating system in existence for a relatively short list of approved hardware, all combinations of which can be lab tested before release. They do a fine job, and if I could justify the expense I'd have a Mac in the house (I'll probably go your route and get my first fix with the Mini -- the girlfriend wants a Macbook Air, but not at that price). OSX is pretty and functional and stable, and from what I hear and read, it only gets into trouble when having to deal with the Windows world.

In the other corner, Ubuntu is mostly a "best of" compilation of the Open Source movement, with a team that works to improve usability and integration, and hardware issues essentially as they come up. Realistically, every Ubuntu system I've maintained (six, I think) has had some sort of hardware compatibility or software integration problem. The struggle for the final 5% of functionality can be epic. But the other 95% is pretty amazing at this point. It's stable, a lot of work has gone into making common tasks (web, networking, and media) easy, and you can make GNOME pretty -- or you can swap it for the greater flexibility of KDE with probably five clicks and 20 minutes of downloading. And if you don't like that, you can switch back and forth with 2 clicks on the login screen.

Ubuntu isn't as pretty. Hardware compatibility is an ongoing battle. But given the problem space for each team, I'm surprised it's as close as it is. As you said: it really shouldn't be.

And in the balance, I still haven't been able to get rid of XP, either. Anytime somebody wants to finish developing the Web into the standard application platform, I'm ready to stop thinking about operating systems.

How can anyone say that OSX has better hardware co...

2007-12-01T05:22:00.000+11:00

How can anyone say that OSX has better hardware compatabilty over any OS when it wont run on 90% of computers on the earth! (and it is 90% I counted them). In fact how many people could install OSX on the machine they are sat at right now?

I think that the author is trying to say that Appl...

2007-11-23T07:53:00.000+11:00

I think that the author is trying to say that Apple makes the promise of 'just works' but can't deliver. On the other hand, Ubuntu makes no such promise but offers much more in terms of free software and support for it!

if you want to see embeded .Mov or m4v (mac format...

2007-07-19T16:44:00.000+10:00

if you want to see embeded .Mov or m4v (mac formats) in Ubuntu just install the Mplayer plugin for mozilla/firefox .

It's a one click search and install in "add/remove software"

Anyway if you want ubuntu but with all codecs and cool extras then get SimpleMepis or better yet Linux Mint . Both are ubuntu based.

I've got a shiny new iMac. I like OS X, but now I ...

2007-07-16T20:29:00.000+10:00

I've got a shiny new iMac. I like OS X, but now I don't even have it installed on my system. I'm running Ubuntu Feisty instead. Whilst not perfect, the availability of free software for Ubuntu is vast, so I'm not currently missing OS X.

@Bloggerpaul,

Now we're just mincing words ...

2007-07-16T03:47:00.000+10:00

@Bloggerpaul,

Now we're just mincing words and splicing hairs, aren't we? 'Just works' is in the eye of the beholder.

For example, Ubuntu's hardware support, as good as it is, is still pretty poor when it comes to laptop (in my experience of testing out the 7.0.4 LiveCD) -- so you could argue that a Mac Laptop "Just works" a better out of the box (since there's no install)

No spyware? "Just works" over windows in that sense.

You get the point. You've got a pretty specious argument. Ubuntu needed something installed -- so it didn't work out of the box either. And had you known about Flip4Mac (or known better, as it were) it would've taken "just 5 minutes" as well.

The real problem is the sport's website. In my experience with American sport-related websites (such as ESPN.com) they are often the worst offenders in terms of browser/platform assumptions and ignoring standards. Why can't they offer a 'open' standard? Why can't they offer something like FVL as an alternative? There in lies the crux of the problem -- why are some websites deliberately choosing options that shut out certain portions of the web?

Hi Chris. And thanks for taking the time to leave ...

2007-07-16T02:37:00.000+10:00

Hi Chris. And thanks for taking the time to leave a comment. I hope you don't mind that I address a couple.

1) Too right: the AFL have been rather painful in using WMV (for video only, which puzzles me). I know a significant amount of blame lay there.

2) Please see my previous comment. The short version is, though, I agree with you.

3) I just checked ... StuffIt is not located under applications/utilities. And even if it was, experience tells me if the icon used to represent a file looks like a blank page, there is no program associated with it. Which brings me back to the 'Just works' thing again ...

3 ... again) I already had VLC on the Mini mac, actually. I copied and pasted the URL just as you described. It did not work. I can't explain that. Again, but the way, that does not fit the 'Just works' mentality.

4) You know that computers don't 'Just work'. I know that too. But that is not what Apple allude to when they sell their computers. Nor do the owners of Apples(in general). I think it is conveniently forgotten.

Now relax. Make yourself some hot coco and unwind.

I think you're angry at the wrong people. Why don'...

2007-07-16T02:02:00.000+10:00

I think you're angry at the wrong people. Why don't you contact your precious AFL and demand they broadcast in an open format? If we were to reverse this post -- say they were broadcasting in a propritary macintosh format that your windows box could accept but Ubuntu couldn't, would this still be a 'just works' arguement? Or would it be a tirade against the propritary formats that prevent you from using your operating system of choice.

Secondly, Flip4Mac is free. The "Pro" or pay for versions are targeted to those who might be using a Mac for video editing and want to output to the WMV format. I believe you also need to the Pro codecs to watch WMV in HD quality. Otherwise, it intentionally down-samples the audio to 24-bit and the video to less than HD quality.

Third, never in my life have a seen an OS X box without Stuffit Expander already installed. Check the 'Utilities' folder under applications. Apple has been shipping Stuffit with their OS since the first release of OS X.

Third, why didn't you download VLC Player (for OS X) and see if it could handle the stream, and just punch in the URL for the video stream? Odds are that would've worked as well, and wouldn't have been a hassle.

Fourth, no computer system out there "just works". They all have their quirks. Be it trying to get Bezel running perfectly on ATI hardware or a Mac working with an outdated wireless router that needs a firmware upgrade. (That's probably your problem. I had to upgrade mine to get my mac book pro working properly.) Since you're able to use more than one operating system (and know linux better) you should be able to distinguish between reality and marketing hype.

to think, only 6 months ago, that wouldn't have be...

2007-07-15T07:59:00.000+10:00

to think, only 6 months ago, that wouldn't have been possible on Ubuntu, but huge strides forward mean your codecs were downloaded.. I wonder that the next 6 months wll bring? Ubuntu is catching up, i've done a recent spate of testing alternative 64bit systems, and Ubuntu blows Vista out of the water..

In regard to Flip4Mac being free - I was surfing t...

2007-07-15T06:43:00.000+10:00

In regard to Flip4Mac being free - I was surfing the web today and via the My First Mac (http://www.myfirstmac.com/index.php/) site the link to Flip4Mac, which comes via Microsoft's site, makes it much more obvious that there is a free version of Flip4Mac. Using the links that come straight from OSX, I did not readily see an option for a free version. Of course, Flip4Mac might have an interest in not making the free version the first option you see ...

Nevertheless, my point still stands; Even a free version of Flip4Mac would not make the process easier in OSX than it is under Ubuntu Feisty. In this area, I believe the 'it just works' mentality is materially better applied in Ubuntu.

free software rawks!

__________
...

2007-07-15T06:21:00.000+10:00

free software rawks!

__________
http://www.FreeOpenMoko.com

Actually, Flip4Mac is free (for playback). You jus...

2007-07-15T05:46:00.000+10:00

Actually, Flip4Mac is free (for playback). You just have to be more careful when you read instructions.

I would say that your main problem here is Gnome. ...

2007-07-14T22:38:00.000+10:00

I would say that your main problem here is Gnome. If you want a transparent handling of network drives (much better than Windows or OSX), as well as a more powerful and aesthetically appealing interface, just try Kubuntu (or, better, SimplyMEPIS).

I would say your main problem here is Gnome. If yo...

2007-07-14T22:34:00.000+10:00

I would say your main problem here is Gnome. If you want a transparent handling of network drives (much better than Windows or OSX), as well as a more powerful and aesthetically appealing interface, just try Kubuntu (or, better, SimplyMEPIS).