So, IF YOU WOULD CONSIDER USING A LINUX PPC VERSION OF REV, please DROP ME A LINE. If there is enough show of interest in this topic, then I will message the RunRev team, and let them know that we'd suppor their efforts in that area!
I would definitely like to see Rev get the same attention for Linux on PowerPC as Windows and Mac OS X do. I would be willing to do any testing, etc to help in this effort. I run Yellow Dog Linux and Mac OS X (Panther).
That's my 2 cents.
- James
On Oct 31, 2003, at 7:28 PM, Igor Couto wrote:
APOLOGIES FOR THE LONG POST
and also apologies for the inaccuracies in the following story. I'm new to the Linux world, and I am totally lost in the PC world. If my experience disagrees with yours, please do drop me a line! I'm always willing to accept corrections and help!
A while ago, after reading bits on this list about the current rise in the number of Linux users around the globe, and the appearance of 'user-friendly' Linux distributions (ie, 'Lindows'), I decided to put my preconceptions aside, and investigate this operating system more closely.
Being a long-term Mac user, I have a rather old (and now, basically useless) original iMac, that I keep as a spare computer in the guest bedroom. It is really just a toy, which allows friends to write the odd letter in Word, or (very slowly) browse the 'net when they stay over for a few days. However, with a startup time of about 3 minutes, it really is of not much use to me for day-to-day work (Revolution is painfully slow in it). Also, considering that its market value is less than US$200, it is not really worth selling it. So there it sits, a nerd's forgotten toy.
After searching around for a PPC version of Linux, I came across 'YellowDog' (http://yellowdoglinux.com/) - a totally FREE distribution, ONLY FOR MACs. 'Hmmm, this sounds interesting', I thought. After 3 days of painstakingly downloading the 3 CD images that make up the installer, I finally was able to burn the instal CDs, and start my little iMac from CD 1. 'Hmmm, so far, so good', I thought.
Well, I expected a graphical installer, as advertised in the YellowDog web site, but I really did not expect anything THAT POLISHED! The installation was elegant, and... simple - taking about 2 and a half hours to complete in my old, slow iMac.
The first startup after the installation was also very surprising: it was FAST - taking less than a minute to get to the GUI. And once I started using the system, well, what an *incredible* delight! My little iMac was once again FAST! And the interface, much to my surprise, was very, very elegant, easy to navigate, and full of refinements (and for shallow Macophiles like me, looks are very important!).
I had read about all kinds of problems that PC-Linux users have during installation and configuration of their systems (problems with video, mis-configuration of keyboard keys, inability to see internal drivers, difficulty in configuring printers, lack of sound, etc.) that often require *scary* trips to the command-line (remember, I'm a Macophile). I was psychologically prepared to try to dive right in, however, in my little iMac, everything worked absolutely *straight away*.
I started then to investigate the bundled applications (all of them freeware), and found a magnitude of incredibly powerful software, some of which I had never even heard about: OpenOffice (a MS Office look-alike, totally compatible with all 'office' file formats), GIMP (a surprisingly powerful image editor), Mozilla (web browser), drawing apps, charting apps, networking apps, desktop customisation gadgets, several games, etc, etc, etc... WOW! I was impressed!
YellowDog Linux had basically given a new lease of life to my dusty old iMac! It was, once again, a *great*, fast, little machine! I immediately thought that it would actually make a GREAT second development computer for me. I had seen in the Rev website that there was a 'Linux' version of Revolution, right?
Hmmmm, no. Wrong. The 'Linux' version of Rev that is available for download, is only for PC-based Linux (ie, 'Intel' processor machines), not for PPC (Macs). Apparently, there used to be a Linux PPC version of Rev (compatible with YellowDog), but it was discontinued a few versions back.
LINUX PC vs. LINUX PPC
Now that I understood just how *easy* installation and use of Linux was, I understood the reason why Linux is finally taking off, and being adopted so widely. This OS is powerfull, easy to use, and, most importantly, it is FREE. And all the basic apps that the average user will ever need come BUNDLED FOR FREE. Never underestimate the power of the FREE tag.
Most of the users I develop for have Windows-based hardware. But I believe, with little exception, that most of them *really* struggle with Windows - and all of them, without exception, dislike Microsoft. The only reason most of them PERSIST with Windows-based systems, is because they are small companies who have already invested too much money in their PC hardware, and now find themselves 'locked' into the Microsoft downward spiral. A *very expensive* spiral, which many resent bitterly. I can see now why, for these users, Linux is becoming such an *attractive* proposition - and why, we, as developers, should, indeed, be paying closer attention to (and supporting) that market.
The main problem with Linux, however, is that because it is made for a wide variety of hardware, there are inevitable compatibility and configuration problems. That is, in the Linux *PC* world. Because the hardware world of the Macs is *much* more limited, there are *FAR* less problems with Linux installations on the PPC platform. But don't take my word for it - have a quick read of this very interesting article, by someone with a LOT of Linux experience, titled "YellowDog Linux Better Than RedHad 9": http://www.linuxplanet.com/linuxplanet/reviews/4862/.
Also, in my own (however limited) experience, I have found that trying to assemble a reasonably-priced second-hand Linux system is *far easier and cheaper* using Macs, than using PC hardware. I mean, you can get an old iMac like mine from eBay for less than US$200, and that is a great, complete, FULLY-FUNCTIONAL system - with networking, sound, video, usb, etc, etc, all in working order, and get YellowDog installed and running without you even having to know the full specs of your hardware! That is INCREDIBLE!
As a small business person, the prospect of being able to have a fully-featured workstation for that price is REALLY EXCITING! With $1000, I could setup a room full of decent, developer workstation iMacs! I don't think I could do that with PCs (again, my experience there is limited), and I *know* I certainly could not do that with Macs running OS X! WOW! Having to spend *so much less* money on hardware THAT IS SURE TO WORK, means that we could expand sooner, and start hiring staff earlier!!! *hehehehehe*
MAIN PROBLEM
The main problem remains, though: our main development application - Runtime Revolution - has abandoned the Linux PPC platform. A quick message from Heather confirmed this. However, Heather did give me some hope: she stated that if there is enough interest from the developer community, the RunRev team would be willing to consider bringing back the Linux PPC version of Revolution...
So, IF YOU WOULD CONSIDER USING A LINUX PPC VERSION OF REV, please DROP ME A LINE. If there is enough show of interest in this topic, then I will message the RunRev team, and let them know that we'd suppor their efforts in that area!
Once again, apologies for the long post!
Kindest Regards,
-- Igor de Oliveira Couto ------------------------------ ------------------------------
_______________________________________________ use-revolution mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://lists.runrev.com/mailman/listinfo/use-revolution
_______________________________________________ use-revolution mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://lists.runrev.com/mailman/listinfo/use-revolution
