Poll: What is your primary operating system • Hacker News Board

Re: Poll: What is your primary operating system

#331

Post by Spoom » Mon, Apr 02, 2012, 4:17 PM UTC

Personal laptop: Linux Mint 12 (was running Ubuntu since 8.04 or so until recently... since Unity I've been wanting to move to another distribution)

Work desktop: 21" iMac running Debian (dual-boots to OS X but I rarely need it, and I'm much more at home in Linux)

Synergy works to share the mouse / keyboard across the desktop to the laptop to create a three-screen environment at work.

I used OS X for a good month or two when work got the new iMacs in; it just wasn't my cup of tea. My coworkers have a mix of Windows and OS X installs mostly.

Re: Poll: What is your primary operating system

#332

Post by hollerith » Mon, Apr 02, 2012, 4:17 PM UTC

tonyedgecombe wrote: post #135

abraham wrote: post #123

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In my experience I've found OSX somewhat better suited for development and Windows somewhat better suited for gaming but otherwise the main differentiator is hardware polish. The unibody Macbook Pros/Airs is just levels above anything I've experienced in the Windows world.

I've just switched back to Windows and its the hardware I miss more than the software. I bought a fairly expensive Dell but it isn't a patch on the old Macbook Pro.

I have been led to believe that Windows runs great on MBPs. Does your experience contradict that?

Re: Poll: What is your primary operating system

#333

Post by kisom » Mon, Apr 02, 2012, 4:19 PM UTC

cmeiklejohn wrote: post #284

kisom wrote: post #170

I've got a macbook air and a thinkpad. I use the air much of the time but quite often I just need to get my FreeBSD fix on in spectrwm. (Yes, you can run spectrwm on OS X but it's a pita and XQuartz makes it much more difficult). Most of what I do on the thinkpad is C hacking. I tend to approach operating systems with a BSD mindset: use what works for you, and if you have a complaint - put up with some code.

traitor! :) thought you were obsd for life?

hah, I unfortunately need some better compat with the lunix stuff. Loongson soon! (How soon? not long!)

Re: Poll: What is your primary operating system

#334

Post by billpatrianakos » Mon, Apr 02, 2012, 4:21 PM UTC

mseebach wrote: post #164

slowpoke wrote: post #79

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I would just like to add that there is a valid reason why Linux or the *BSDs are superior to Windows or OS X - they are Free. As in Speech. And I'm sad this doesn't even warrant a mention.

One more thing: A terminal as a first class citizen. Definitely not on Windows, and while the OSX one is orders of magnitude better, I seem to recall it's still a bit lacking. What ruins OSX for me isn't the terminal, though, it's that X apps aren't first class.

I use the terminal heavily on OSX and Linux and I don't see a difference. It sometimes can be perceived as inferior on the Mac because of the lack of package management and issues with dependencies especially when working with Ruby tools. But as far as capabilities go my experience has been that the OSX and Limux terminals are equally equipped.

Re: Poll: What is your primary operating system

#335

Post by [deleted] » Mon, Apr 02, 2012, 4:29 PM UTC

jrmg wrote: post #31

chimeracoder wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Actually, I'd be curious what Nix people are using other than GNU/Linux and BSD. Solaris? Unix proper - does anybody still really use that?

Doesn't really answer your question, but it's an interesting fact that OS X is officially a 'UNIX proper' (see http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Single_UNIX_Specification ).

[deleted]

Re: Poll: What is your primary operating system

#336

Post by kjajula » Mon, Apr 02, 2012, 4:29 PM UTC

understandability by common users is a big thing and linux lacks it. A common person who doesn't know anything about computer would be much comfortable with windows or Mac rather than linux. Linux is a programmers operating system. You learn a lot using linux than windows. Programmers have different opinions so are different distros(That is my view !!). I personally use UBUNTU for my programming and Windows for gaming/netflix/other_entertainment.

Re: Poll: What is your primary operating system

#337

Post by jaxn » Mon, Apr 02, 2012, 4:32 PM UTC

grandalf wrote: post #329

I'm curious about those using Windows. I can see four main reasons to use it: - You are a "business type" and prefer some app/workflow that you are already familiar with and don't want to change. - You used to work at Microsoft and you know it way better than other OSes. - Your target userbase has strong Windows lock-in so it makes the best business sense to use it. - You are really into gaming and don't want to dual…

I primarily use OS X, but I do have a Windows machine that I use for some development. My reason is not in your list:

I need to create Windows executables and installers as part of our product and don't know of a way to do that on OS X.

If that was a larger part of my development, I would primarily use Windows.

Re: Poll: What is your primary operating system

#338

Post by [deleted] » Mon, Apr 02, 2012, 4:32 PM UTC

grandalf wrote: post #329

I'm curious about those using Windows. I can see four main reasons to use it: - You are a "business type" and prefer some app/workflow that you are already familiar with and don't want to change. - You used to work at Microsoft and you know it way better than other OSes. - Your target userbase has strong Windows lock-in so it makes the best business sense to use it. - You are really into gaming and don't want to dual…

[deleted]

Re: Poll: What is your primary operating system

#339

Post by [deleted] » Mon, Apr 02, 2012, 4:32 PM UTC

grandalf wrote: post #329

I'm curious about those using Windows. I can see four main reasons to use it: - You are a "business type" and prefer some app/workflow that you are already familiar with and don't want to change. - You used to work at Microsoft and you know it way better than other OSes. - Your target userbase has strong Windows lock-in so it makes the best business sense to use it. - You are really into gaming and don't want to dual…

[deleted]

Re: Poll: What is your primary operating system

#340

Post by khyryk » Mon, Apr 02, 2012, 4:36 PM UTC

twinturbo wrote: post #150

I assert that you can't be a programmer (Read anything unofficial MS) with Windows. If you try, that just tells me you don't care about your tools. Which tells me you need to level up.

What do you assert I'm doing right now, then?

I think you turned the point on its head -- I don't care about the operating system as much as I care about the tools.