Why Mac OS isn't the best OS around

This is such a juvenile

This is such a juvenile argument. Really? You must know how it work under the covers. I would bet that you do NOT know how linux works under the covers either, notwithstanding open source code either. Very few people do, and even less should care.

This is like saying I will not fly on Boeing aircraft because they won't let me disassemble the engine before the flight so I can be certain it works.

OS is a platform for running applications. It's job is to provide low lever services to applications, to be stable and secure, and to get the f*ck out of the way, and let people use their applications (the reason why any one spends time by the computer).

OS X does some things better like Spotlight (a system service for searching file data and metadata), Expose and Spaces. These 3 together make it worthwhile for me. It allows me to be almost as productive in the GUI as I am in the Terminal.

The real reason

Why Mac OS isn't the best OS around:

because Apple doesn't buy ad space on this site.

MAC OSX

I am a system administrator for Linux systems and could not honestly go to Vista. XP was/is bad enough, and Windows Server whatever-version is just PC-DOS with a pretty face. Microsoft should stick with applications and dump their OS. There is whining that Apple is somehow more proprietary than Windows, yet, in the final analysis Windows is just as proprietary, you simply get the illusion that you have a choice because you can buy/cherry-pick different hardware options. You _can_ run VMware on Mac OSX, and run anything you want, or run Parallels and run Windows paravirtualized on your Mac. In many ways Mac OSX is more friendly towards Windows than Windows ever has been towards the Mac. People get upset that they can't just run MAC OSX on other hardware, but this is to miss the point about MAC, it is an appliance, unlike nuts-n-bolts Windows machines. Traditionally MAC has yes, been a bit too proprietary but the latest incantation of MAC is a lot more open than Windows. Also, take a deep dive on the Xcode environment, and the iPhone SDK, much of what it comprises is _open_ software, with a blend of their own proprietary components. Take a closer look at your MAC, it really is the baseline for the future, and take a closer look at all the Linux distros, they are doing everything they can to mimic the MAC experience. And also don't forget that MAC OSX is a micro-kernel, something Linux is striving to become. Windows is done, it's all over but the crying.

It's OK Macs are proprietary

It's okay Macs are proprietary, we are okay with it, we accept it. Unfortunately, because it is soooo proprietary, that is why it works so well, better than any other OS. Sometimes you have to compromise.

Personal choice

Isn't it just the same thing time after time, your is bigger, better, or flasher than mine, in all honesty if you have a OS that you use to get the job done, weather that be a proprietary system, or a free one (as in beer), then all well and good.

I have had the privilege to using all of them in my time, and can say that I've experienced problems with all of them, so in my mind there all tared with the same brush of being a product of faliable human beings, and therefore prone to the same problems that we are all guilty of...

I think you will find the

I think you will find the best OS will need to comfortably fit your work style (I’m not talking about new users, or home/entertainment users). I am a media developer that has been using Macs and PCs for years on a wide range applications as well as being very dependent upon network services. Guess what always run into issues....the PC, regardless of what OS it is running. As for Linux, I support it and all, but I can find not practical use for it in my world. It would limit the range of functionality I have. So again, the best OS is about what the user needs and the apps they are running.

OS Security… I think most folks will never learn or need to understand what security measures they have or could take as only a very small percentage will ever run into critical security matter on the OSX side. I used to do support for OSX and OSX server. Again, I never ran into a matter that involved security unless it was constructing it. But I think we all know the best security is the keep vital data off the network and in a secure room, but even then, you don’t need an OS to get to information.

Steven's writes are refreshing

It's not just because I agree with him. He lays it on line as it is without going all Preston Gralla on us. He stays abreast of many OSs and platforms and reports on
it in a friendly way. And not just that he stays abreast of them, he uses them.

Thanks Steven

Mac OSX & hardware choice

"Mac OS X is as proprietary as they come, it's almost impossible to run it on anything but official Apple hardware."

Yup, that's a dealbreaker for me.

Over the years, I have bought personal computers from IBM, Dell, and HP. I'm not about to get locked into an operating system that only runs on one brand of hardware.