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Finding an Alternative to Mac OS X

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Re: Finding an Alternative to Mac OS X

#321

Post by orkoden »

fithisux wrote: post #259

It is apitty FOSS project like GNU-Darwin / PureDarwin never took off and people use Hackintosh. But Apple is here to blame. They could even support the users by charging some fee.

Using only Darwin instead of Linux or FreeBSD was never really attractive. Contributing upstream is difficult to impossible, since Apple was never set up to take your contributions. The different Darwin distributions never really developed a direction or a unique feature set.

The only feature that sets Darwin apart from FreeBSD is launchd instead of init. The rest is mostly downsides like a weird file system. You can get dtrace on many other OSs today too.

Re: Finding an Alternative to Mac OS X

#322

Post by orkoden »

slantyyz wrote: post #261
hartator wrote: post #155

Anyone knows an alliterative to Alfred in Windows or Linux? I really really like the ability to search apps with a few keystrokes and I really really like to be able to search clipboard history with another few keystrokes. Nothing I've found are doing both or one as good as Alfred.

On Windows, it's probably a combination of multiple tools. Some examples: * For searching and browsing, Listary Pro is pretty good. * For text expansion, AutoHotKey * Automating, maybe AutoHotKey again. * Clipboard stuff - Ditto, Clip X As I mentioned in another post, Scott Hanselman's giant developer tools list is particularly useful: http://www.hanselman.com/blog/ScottHanselmans2014UltimateDev...

ac’tivAid is a superb script collection for AutoHotKey.

http://www.ghacks.net/2014/09/24/activaid-is-a-useful-autoho...

https://www.heise.de/download/product/activaid-24593

Re: Finding an Alternative to Mac OS X

#323

Post by orkoden »

BuckRogers wrote: post #48

I don't understand the ports complaint. Or maybe it's others who don't understand their ports complaint. The USB-C connector is a physical connector, and Apple's implementation of it supports every useful protocol and function available. DisplayPort, USB3.1 and below, Thunderbolt3, charging and HDMI[0]. Just buy USB-C to whatever cables and you're done with it. USB-A to C transition complete. You don't need adapters…

Getting the right adapter to connect a display isn't easy. Many only support limited resolutions and frame rates.

Re: Finding an Alternative to Mac OS X

#324

Post by Roboprog »

morganvachon wrote: post #292
Roboprog wrote: post #279

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's unfortunate that a user needs to find such an option. It's likely that the location and UI of the option will be changed yet again each release. MS "needs" (?) to prioritize "don't torment your users". Of course, for corporate captives, they can torment away with impunity since The Management has already decided You Must Endure... (and probably locked out the setting in question, as well)

I've noticed since the big update (Anniversary Update), the default setting is a sane "after hours" range of 9pm to 7am on a fresh installation. So, it seems they are improving and are attempting to avoid situations where you're at work in the middle of the day, step away for coffee, and come back to find an update/reboot cycle has wiped out your hard work. I was pointing out the setting for the OP because either he…

Well, that's a lot better than the nagware that used to run during our first-thing-in-the-morning calls 3 or 4 years ago. Hopefully corporate IT doesn't screw it up (of course looking it down, fully screwed).

I still like the Mac's unobtrusive "get it tonight after I shut down" option, though :-) (or Ubuntu's "I'll get it when I'm good and ready", but that's not a system for worker bees)

Re: Finding an Alternative to Mac OS X

#325

Post by Roboprog »

GrumpyYoungMan wrote: post #298
Roboprog wrote: post #279

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's unfortunate that a user needs to find such an option. It's likely that the location and UI of the option will be changed yet again each release. MS "needs" (?) to prioritize "don't torment your users". Of course, for corporate captives, they can torment away with impunity since The Management has already decided You Must Endure... (and probably locked out the setting in question, as well)

> MS "needs" (?) to prioritize "don't torment your users". No, no they don't. If the user knows what they're doing, they run Windows Update manually at times when it's convenient for them (e.g. just before going out to lunch) so that they never encounter a forced reboot situation. If the user doesn't know what they're doing, they exactly the people who need to be forced to the latest update so they don't wind up inad…

You're right, they don't :-(

Like IBM and Oracle, MS is in the position of "Management says we've already won, so suck it, users!"

Re: Finding an Alternative to Mac OS X

#326

Post by Roboprog »

Roboprog wrote: post #325
GrumpyYoungMan wrote: post #298

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> MS "needs" (?) to prioritize "don't torment your users". No, no they don't. If the user knows what they're doing, they run Windows Update manually at times when it's convenient for them (e.g. just before going out to lunch) so that they never encounter a forced reboot situation. If the user doesn't know what they're doing, they exactly the people who need to be forced to the latest update so they don't wind up inad…

You're right, they don't :-( Like IBM and Oracle, MS is in the position of "Management says we've already won, so suck it, users!"

OTOH - "I can put whatever I want on my phone, so suck it, Microsoft!"

Payback ... and all :-)

Re: Finding an Alternative to Mac OS X

#327

Post by kylealden »

flukus wrote: post #311
TheNobleRobot wrote: post #310

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Hello, time traveler from 2012 who is actually describing Windows 8.

Nope, I skipped windows 8 almost entirely. I'm talking about windows 10 in 2016, it's still a kludged together mess of a touch based mobile OS and a full desktop OS.

This is a bit confusing. Your comments are factually incorrect (there are no forced-full-screen apps in Windows 10, and the default PDF reader is Edge, which is windowed by default and was designed from the ground up for Windows 10, never for Windows 8 or "Metro"), or at least outdated.

It's a bit of a blemish that there are two control panels, but almost no users are ever exposed to Win32. You can do virtually everything (from updates to domain join to adding/removing Windows components) from the modern Settings app. The legacy control panel is just that, and is irrelevant for most users. I'd love to see it modernized, but there are many much better uses of resources (security! performance! battery life!) than modernizing 90s-era utilities that few customers are ever exposed to.

Re: Finding an Alternative to Mac OS X

#328

Post by kylealden »

amalag wrote: post #242
ldev wrote: post #220

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not only teraflops and ram size defines "best"; MBP's touchpad is the only touchpad on any laptop that I can work with without pluging in a mouse after a minute. Screen is good. General feeling of quality is just the best.

Yeah at this point I would need a replacement for OSX and for the touchpad to be able to go away from a Mac. I can live with their other issues for the benefits of their trackpads and an operating system backed by Unix

Curious if you've tried a Surface Book? I find the touchpad feel and gesture quality to be nearly indistinguishable from a Mac.

Re: Finding an Alternative to Mac OS X

#329

Post by kylealden »

cagey wrote: post #76
notheguyouthink wrote: post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Except the stupid decision(s) they continue to make, like advertisements in my operating system. Seriously, i can't comprehend why they take a paying customer (me) and frequently think i want to see their ads my operating system is some kind of blog. (The ad in question is for me to try some new microsoft product.. i forget which one offhand, Office Live? no idea. I usually see too much red when it happens to even re…

The ads I've seen in Win 10 (Home): (1) (Don't I want to claim my) Free trial for Office 365? (2) MS Edge is faster/better than my (non-MS) default browser (and don't I want to try Edge?). These seem to recur once after each Windows Update reboot. Anyone know of a way to permanently disable these?

Settings -> Notifications -> "Get tips, tricks, and suggestions as you use Windows" is the main one. If you want to really dial it in you can also disable notifications for individual apps like Office or Edge on that page.

Note that if you're on Insider builds, there have sometimes been build-to-build update issues that reset some settings, which can result in this toggle being reset. IMO that's a serious bug you should report, but (hopefully) wouldn't make it to a stable release.

(disclaimer: MSFT employee on the Edge team)

Re: Finding an Alternative to Mac OS X

#330

Post by amalag »

kylealden wrote: post #328
amalag wrote: post #242

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah at this point I would need a replacement for OSX and for the touchpad to be able to go away from a Mac. I can live with their other issues for the benefits of their trackpads and an operating system backed by Unix

Curious if you've tried a Surface Book? I find the touchpad feel and gesture quality to be nearly indistinguishable from a Mac.

Thanks, I will check it out. Not sure I will be happy with Windows 10 in comparison to OSX but still worth trying out.
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