the random thoughts of a programmer

Edit (Aug. 2008): I contemplated not ever releasing this when I switched to wordpress, and in-fact I kept it private but I’m releasing it now because I find it interesting to see my progression of thoughts as I have grown in my field. This was originally written in August 2005 and many of these issues have been resolved and many of my opinions have changed since then.

It is certainly no secret that I am a Linux user, specifically Gentoo Linux. Those who know me also know that I have been considering purchasing a Mac Powerbook. As is typical I have been playing with the guts of my Gentoo box and I stepped back and realized that I could never be happy with and Apple OS. Those reasons would be:

1. It’s too easy…
   How much fun is it to pull out your Microsoft Bluetooth mouse and have it just work? No need to edit config files no daemons to screw with no kernel modules to compile. In all seriousness you also sacrifice control in the fact that you don’t have access to the config files to make your customizations.
2. It’s not pretty…
   Aqua was perhaps the biggest selling point for me but after I fully customized my Gnome desktop I don’t think I could happily fit into the Aqua model. It’s too generic and I only have two options (blue or grey).
3. One button mouse…
   The whole blasted OS is setup for a one button mouse… who the flip uses a one button mouse? For pete’s sake my mice have no less than 5 buttons and I have them all mapped.
4. Multiple desktops…
   I love having 5 independent desktops at my fingertips and with 3ddesktop as my pager it just doesn’t get much cooler. I could never go back to an OS that constrains me to a single desktop.
5. Customized kernel…
   My Gentoo kernel was built entirely by hand by yours truly. I have only what I need and only the features for my system. I have full control over which drivers are loaded as modules and what is built into the core kernel. My kernel is fast and efficent I won’t stand for anything less and with Mac I’m kinda stuck with what I am handed.
6. My apps my way…
   Do I want Firefox with java support? svg? calendar? with Linux I can compile it however I like but with Mac that is too much work its just far easier to install the danged binary and get whatever they give me. Same goes for all apps.
7. Open source apps…
   With Linux I have access to the full complement of open source applications. I can get apps to do everything from draw a chart to cook my toast. Why would I want to go to an OS that doesnt have all the apps?

Don’t get me wrong. Mac has some major strong points too but from my point of view I just dont think I could ever use an OS that is less flexible or offers less choice than my Gentoo Linux.