Linux and Macintosh OS X have actually a lot in common. They are both derived from the UNIX model. OS X is actually based on BSD UNIX (the Berkley derived version of UNIX) and Linux is actually the kernel that allows UNIX to run on standard X86 hardware that Windows also uses. OS X used the Mach kernel to run on PowerPC hardware, but soon Apple is switching to the same type of X86 hardware that is used by Linux and Windows.

How can you own and use a computer to do my daily tasks for free or almost free? Linux is the answer for some. Microsoft spends more time trying to convince the masses that Linux is NOT free, is hard to use, and has a higher cost of ownership, then innovating anything new themselves. Many counties, cities, companies, and individuals have switched and found the opposite to be true. I myself run Red Hat, Yellow Dog (based on Red Hat, but runs on PowerPC), and SuSe Linux regularly. But Mac OS X is my main platform of choice and it too can do daily tasks for almost free (minus the hardware).

Linux is basically virus-free, adware-free, spyware-free and it rarely crashes, same as Mac OS X. There are equivalent open source and free software to use to do most anything you might need in everyday use. The only people that may not be able to use Linux or OS X as their main operating system is if they are anchored to a particular commercial application they MUST use that has no Linux or OS X version as of yet. No, I do not mean Microsoft Office, as there is a great alternative available called Open Office that even reads and writes Microsoft Office file formats. Open Office is available for a free download for Linux, Mac OS X, and yes even Windows!

Some people claim that Linux is not more secure and only has less exploits because of its smaller user base. This is the same excuse used for Macintosh OS X’s excellent security track record. First let me give you the facts that will dispell this propaganda. More and more websites are served running Linux servers, so there is a huge installed base of Linux all ready for “hackers” to attack, easily to get to on the Internet.

Next, Microsoft’s Windows source code is held “close to the vest”, they keep what they feel is the company’s “crown jewels” a secret as much as possible. One of the things that Microsoft tells everyone is this is to protect you against “hackers”. Well Linux is Open Source and every bit of Linux’s source code is available for download to anyone at anytime. There are NO secrets, companies using Linux are required by license, to submit back any changes or enhancements they have made to their Linux distribution. Any “hacker” that wanted to know what Linux’s security shortcomings were can easily get ALL the source code to the OS.

As it is true that Windows is a bigger target on the desktop, but Linux and Mac OS X are actually much harder to hack. Why, you ask? Well Linux and OS X has had a more robust security model since their inception. Linux’s roots are from UNIX and Mac OS X is based on BSD UNIX, and have always been used in a multi-user environment. From its earliest days of running in companies with thousands of users connected to one server long before the World Wide Web and consumers having high speed connections. UNIX had to deal with networks and many users connected to the same computer all of its life. So having user, admin, and root passwords to gain permissions to files, folders, and system resources, was built in from the very beginning, not an afterthought. UNIX and Linux have security built-in NOT “bolted on” like in the Windows model.

Windows has a legacy in DOS (Disk Operating System) and security was really never seriously considered. Windows was built with a single user and no high speed network connections in mind. Microsoft has had a dismal track record in fixing this big shortcoming in Windows. It was not until recent years that Microsoft even worried about any sort of security.

Linux, UNIX, and OS X have separate lo-gins for its users, separate home directories, separate resources or processes for uses, separate desktops, separate preferences, and most important separate files and folders. Users can not access the other persons files and folders without permission, they need the correct passwords. On the desktop it was not until Windows XP using the NTFS file system that this was even attempted by Microsoft. Even with this, Windows is still tied to its legacy making security, still an afterthought.

Here are the raw statistics for your information regarding Windows and Mac OS X:

Microsoft Windows:
Viruses and Worms = 140,000 (Symantec Security Focus)
Spyware and Adware programs = 78,000 (http://www.pestpatrol.com)
Burrowers = 40 (http://www.pestpatrol.com)
80% of PCs infected with spyware (webroot.com)
Last year (2004) alone:
- 500 new Trojans (http://www.pestpatrol.com)
- 500 new keyloggers (http://www.pestpatrol.com)
- 1,287 new adware apps (http://www.pestpatrol.com)
- 7,360 new viruses and worms (symantec.com)

Mac OS X:
Viruses and Worms = 0
Spyware programs = 0
Adware = 0
Keyloggers = 0
Burrowers = 0
Trojans = 3 (symantec.com)
Last year (2004):
- 1 Rootkit (symantec.com)

Linux also has a wonderful security track record and many mission critical web sites and web services are run on it including Google, Yahoo!, eBay, and Amazon.

Amazingly, many Linux users have switched to Mac OS X and have become more vocal about the switch as of late. It may be the very “cool” hardware or Apple’s software or maybe a commercial application not available to Linux. I predict that many more Linux users may switch to Macs OS X when Apple completes the Intel processor switch allowing Macs to run on very similar hardware as does Linux and Windows. I believe that this may lower the price of Macs a bit and developers will be able to “port” over even more applications faster to OS X.

One of the things some Linux users complain about is that many times when buying new hardware, they have to pay the “so-called” Microsoft tax. This is because so few vendors sell laptops without Windows preinstalled. So they are paying for an OS they will never use. It is much easier to buy a desktop computer without Windows preinstalled. What makes this problem worse is many laptops use some proprietary hardware making Linux sometimes hard to install and get working correctly. Although, Linux is becoming pretty robust and this is less of a problem than in the past.

So now lets get to the point of this post…

A Computer Even A Linux-User Would Love
Here are my specs for an inexpensive computer a Linux user may just love. This is all available right now and maybe an even more attractive platform after Apple completes the Intel processor switch starting as soon as January if you believe in rumors.

Hardware:
Any Mac you like including the Mac mini (starting at $499) or an iBook (starting at $999). Cool hardware at a reasonable price.

Software:
All of these suggested applications are either included or are available at no cost.

Apple iLife ’05 – Free as it is included with every new Mac. This suite includes iTunes, iPhoto, GarageBand, iMovieHD, and iDVD. This suite should more than make anyone happy for most if not all their digital media needs.

OpenOffice – Free and open source fully-featured office suite that can easily replace the very expensive Microsoft Office for most users as it reads and writes MS file formats as well as the open source ones. OpenOffice includes Writer (replaces Word), Calc (replaces Excel), Base (replaces Access), Draw (a powerful graphics app), Impress (replaces PowerPoint), and Math (an equati

    | Tags: .mac, free software, Linux, OpenSource