Hi All, > How easy would it be to port OS X to the PC? Well actually OS X is at its core a port from x86, that being FreeBSD. Apple have called their version Darwin and have released as a "sort of" open source project. I have seen Darwin running on PCs, it is just a re-compile away. Darwin is in itself not that spectacular, what sets OS X apart from the rest of the Unix systems is the Aqua window manager, which Apple will not release as open source. If Aqua was released as OSS you would see it running on everything from Linux to Solaris in a sort space of time. Quite honestly I don't think it would actually make a dent in the exsisting open source window managers like KDE and Gnome. I choose KDE over Aqua, thats why I run Linux on my G4, but I thats just my background coming through.
> ...Maybe Apple can start with porting OS X to the vintage macs? Now that would be something else! > However, running OS X on my Iisi @ 20mhz might be a tad on the slow side > (unless there's a way around this!) Well one could try to recomplie Darwin on a vintage Mac, but I don't think that it would be worth it. I run Linux on my IIci at times and it is functional, however X windows and any GUI is out of the question. > What would the ramifications (pros and cons) be for Apple and M$ if OS X > was ported? Only a couple of years ago Linux was touted to be the next big > OS that would take a run at dethroning winbloze, but that fizzled out due > to failed promises on the Linux side to make it user friendly (too many > conflicts with several printers, burners, digital cameras, etc. -- > basically hardly any support from 3rd party people and too confusing for > the average user). And what about BeOS? It would mean nothing to M$ if OS X were released for x86 ( rumour has it that it may have been ported including Aqua). M$ would simply squash it with FUD tactics as they always have, as they squashed BeOS. Its called leveraging the monopoly. Linux is here to stay and will begin to liberate more desktops, it'll never over run Windaze PCs or Macs, it will simple co-exist. Linux comes from the back office, it is awesome as a server platform and is getting there as a desktop. Taking into account where Linux comes from, do you think that there was a need for digital cameras on a web server. It is a simple scenario of demand driving delivery. Although all of my digicams work with Linux (Mandrake). Believe it or not Steve Jobs actually tried to persuade Linus Torvalds to work for/with Apple and write Linux exclusively for Apple. Its in Linus Torvalds Auto-biography. The computing landscape would be very different today if Torvalds had taken Jobs up on his offer. My 2 cents worth. Cheers from South Africa. -- No Microsoft product was used in any way to write or send this text. If you use a Microsoft product to read it, you're doing so at your own risk. -- Lebe lang und erfolgreich! Ross Addis MIP Holdings - Technische Abteilung Besuchen Sie uns im Internet: http://mip.co.za -- Vintage Macs is sponsored by <http://lowendmac.com/> and... Small Dog Electronics http://www.smalldog.com | Enter To Win A | -- Canon PowerShot Digital Cameras start at $299 | Free iBook! | Support Low End Mac <http://lowendmac.com/lists/support.html> Vintage Macs list info: <http://lowendmac.com/lists/vintagemacs.shtml> The FAQ: <http://macfaq.org/> Send list messages to: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To unsubscribe, email: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> For digest mode, email: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subscription questions: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Archive: <http://www.mail-archive.com/vintage.macs%40mail.maclaunch.com/> Using a Mac? Free email & more at Applelinks! http://www.applelinks.com
