Is Mac OS easier to use than Linux

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1

Hi;

I just want to ask you guys if the mac os is easier to use than linux for new user - by that I meant does it has issue like user has to access the commanline for changing CD (yuk!:frowning: ) and user has to install software by hand(another yuk!!:frowning: :frowning: )and other… These are issue that make people scare away from linux.

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Linux doesn’t have those things, nor does Mac. I’m on Ubuntu Linux.

3

Get Ubuntu on your system and find out for yourself.

You don’t have to go to the terminal (what you call the command line) in linux for every single thing. It works on the same GUI principle that people are used to on windows.

Of course there will be times when you will have to go through the command line to do something, but only for really major things.

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the answer is definitely yes. now whether it’s better is highly debatable and likely to start a flame war. but I would say mac OSX is probably the easiest OS for n00bs of all.

1 Like
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I want to switch to Mac Os but worry that I have to do the dreaded routine task as I have done with all linux( knoppix, ubuntu, redhat debain and other that I have tried) such as have to call up command line everytime I need to change cd to eject and remount the cd drive, and manually install or even worse have to compile the software and dealling with missing dependency library.

I think this is very important as Mac Os are based on BSD another linux like OS but a beautiful gui. However, its gut is Unix so the fundamental problem of user friendly and the above mentioned problem still exist - is it not???

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Well, the short answer to your question is certainly yes. Linux is far the least userfriendly os. It is suppose to be good, but userfriendly it certainly is not, thus: 90something% of the world’s pcs have Windows installed.
Mac Os, on the other hand is known to be very userfriendly. That is supposed to be one of its strong points.

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It may be time to try Ubuntu again, access to the cd and dependencies have never been a problem on my system (6.06).

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Err you needed to use the command line to eject a cd. In Ubuntu you select the cd icon(on your desktop) left click and go to Eject. Cant get any easier.

As it comes to user friendlyness its what you think is friendly. I think my Kubuntu system is friendlyer than Windows as it doesnt crash and I have minimal problems. A few slight problems on install but that was it.

A MAC has everything pre-installed so you dont have to worry about that. Its more of the getting use to the GUI side of things.

9

Being a Systems Admin, I have to use Windows, MacOS and Linux. MaxOS is by far the easiest to use. OSX is basically FreeBSD with Apple’s GUI on top. In OSX you very rarely (if ever) have to visit the terminal unless you are doing some high level administration stuff, or hacking. Most people that use a Macintosh don’t know what the terminal is and have never touched it, but get along just fine.

I don’t know what the advantage of Ubuntu is over RedHat but everyone seems to rave about it. So there must be something.

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I’d like to thank for great reply, I think I’ll have a second look at the new ubuntu again then I’ll decide - thankyou:)

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Apple doesn’t expect much intelligence for there users, hehe.

But yes I’d say for a nub to both MacOS & Linux is easier to use, its made simple like, no command lines, no nothing, task manager so from a simplicities stand point OSX is easier to use. but some of us dont like it that way. (like me)

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My new schools runs all Apple PC’s exclusively and while I would agree that OS X is “user friendly” this can be a disadvantage when you want to alter a setting, or you want to do something a tad more complicated then what Apple expect of the end user. Just try forcing antialiasing on a nvidia GPU in OS X, if you succeed. :slight_smile:

In short, there are good and bad points about every operating system. Choose the one which suits you best, afterall, that is why we have different products do choose from in the first place. If you want a more GUI orientated operating system, then maybe you should give OS X a try.

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It’s not simplistic at the expense of complexity. It has both a command line and a task manager. The complexity is just hidden from the majority of people who don’t need it and when I say hidden, it’s not like you have to hack the system to access it, it’s all where you expect it to be.

I work beside some graphic designers and when I pulled up the terminal, he was like wtf is that? He’s been using OS X for over 4 years. I use the terminal every day but if you don’t need it, you can get by without it.

You mean you broke them? Did you try this:

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You mean you broke them? Did you try this:

http://www.macosxhints.com/article.php?story=20060806215733256
HAHA, no way. Im not that stupid, luckily. I meant to say: “as I wasted quite a few hours”, but I somehow missed the more meaningfull part of the sentence.

Thats exactly what im talking about when I mean OS X is easy to use untill you want to do something remotely different from the norm. Like on Windows and Linux forcing antialiasing is as simple as opening up the nvidia driver control panel and ticking the right box Going from the information in that link,forcing antialiasing is possible in OS X. but it definitly isnt as easy as doing the same things on Windows and Linux as it is more of a hack, and you have to do that for every single application you want FSAA enabled on too. Im not trying to say Windows and Linux are more user friendly, because they have their faults too, but im just pointing out that everything isnt green over at Apples camp.

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I have systems of all three types (Windows, Linux, OS/X). The operative question is, “what do you want to do?” Is what you are doing easy or hard, routine or unusual? Is your experience level shallow or deep, in doing this sort of thing?

The OS/X system is certainly well-engineered. At all levels, it’s well engineered. But with any computer system, some tasks are going to be straightforward and others are going to be difficult.

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Well, Ubuntu is FREE. And Red Hat is not. Ubuntu is very customizable, red hat is not. Ubuntu is user-friendly. People had to publish manuals on how to use red Hat. Ubuntu is packed with lot’s of free stuff. Red Hat is way too commercial and endorses way too many stuff. face it, if people have too spend alot of time and money on a oS they don’t even know about, they’re going to get uninterested. If you don’t want Ubuntu, get OpenSUSE or DamnSmallLinux (imagine fully featured linux in 50 mb, thats DSL, it can even turn into Debian install if you want). There are threads on other forums, including on mine (http://bluepenguin.co.nr), that explain the differences.

17

You are completely right.

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Linux has endless possibilities. if you don;t like something, get your local tech guru to fix it, or if you have the coding skills, do it yourself. If you don;t know anyone that can code like that, submit it to a Linux user group. They almost allways fix it and put into the newest standard linux release as fast as possible.

I LIKE PENGUINS. As you can see from my username, I am a flightless, swimming bird from Anatartica who liek to eat fishies and use his mad coding skills.

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I think you have misunderstood me. I was actually trying to get across the point that OS X is great for your basic tasks, but once you want to perform more advanced tasks it starts to become more of a hindrance. In other words, I was actually sublimily supporting Linux, because it is great in that everything under the hood is easily accessible to the user.

btw: I hate the fact that my school runs Apple computers exclusively. Maybe I wasnt explicit enough. Im just carefull with these things cause its easy to get fanboys worked up.