Just for the record, OS X is based on FreeBSD 5, but uses a Mach kernel developed by Apple instead of the original FreeBSD kernel. OS X actually is a real UNIX - more than the famous Linux, which is "just" a kernel that implements POSIX interfaces, but is not a descendant of the "official" Unix, as FreeBSD and OS X are.
Among other things, see this for reference:
http://www.apple.com/science/whymac/myths.html
Windows, Mac OS (X), Amiga and almost any other graphical user interface are actually based upon the Xerox Star computer who was the first machine with a GUI. However, Windows -is- a direct rip-off of the original Mac OS and its applications and was "conceived" during the time when Microsoft had access to the first development version of the Macintosh. Years later, MS was only able to settle their lawsuit with Apple for 100 million US dollars and a patent agreement because Apple corporation was in deep financial trouble. So, yes, Apple actually had sued them, trying to protect their property and interest, launching one of the biggest lawsuits in IT history.
Who's interested in more details about that part of IT history should for example start reading "Barbarians led by Bill Gates" and "Revolution in the valley: The insanely great story of how the Mac was made".
Above video actually is quite funny, because it really is using the audio of a Microsoft Vista presentation, but actually shows an OS X Tiger desktop, a by now three years old operating system. The entire point of the video is to demonstrate that Vista is nothing more than a OS X rip-off and that Microsoft is obviously incapable of producing something creative and innovative on their own.
Whoever has already used Vista -and- Mac OS X Tiger just cannot be excited about Vista at all - it is resource hungry like nothing else, slow, UGLY and has absolutely no new features compared to old OS X operating systems. There might be something new in it for Windows XP users, but nothing one could not get by installing (free) third party tools.
About the "whining": Microsoft behaves just like the Bush administration, which is why nobody who's got his head screwed right has any warm feelings for that company. (Or the Bush administration, for that matter.)
And, no, I do not think that Apple as a company is any better than Microsoft, at least not on the long run. But unlike Microsoft, they sell good and user-friendly products that really "just work". And at the moment, that is a good enough reason for me to use their products almost exclusively.
Linux or the other Open Source platforms are just not there yet. And, by the way, they are also only rip-offs of their commercial competition. The only truely innovative things about Open Source are the development process and the licensing model. But other than that, I still have not found anything astonishingly new or creative in the Open Source world. The developers are too busy with cloning commercial products rather than thinking about how something could be done in a better and more efficient and user-friendly way.
Which closes the circle back to Apple. For example, they did not invent the mp3 player, but when they decided to enter that market, they created nothing less than the very best mp3 player. Ever wondered why so many professional photographers have bought iPods? Maybe you should connect your digital camera to one, then. Hint: It's not just a dumb mp3 player.
Now we once again see Microsoft enter a market others have successfully occupied. And once again, they enter with a second class technology but a huge marketing budget. But this time, we will see them fail. Zune is doomed because it only represents the interests of the content industry, and zero of the customers interests. You cannot freely copy with Zune. EVERYTHING ends in a DRM containter that prevents the user from freely using their music. They made the same mistake with Vista, and this concept just cannot work. Microsoft lost touch with their base, and we will now observe their slow downfall.
Anyway, enough of that crap for tonight. ;-)
Among other things, see this for reference:
http://www.apple.com/science/whymac/myths.html
Windows, Mac OS (X), Amiga and almost any other graphical user interface are actually based upon the Xerox Star computer who was the first machine with a GUI. However, Windows -is- a direct rip-off of the original Mac OS and its applications and was "conceived" during the time when Microsoft had access to the first development version of the Macintosh. Years later, MS was only able to settle their lawsuit with Apple for 100 million US dollars and a patent agreement because Apple corporation was in deep financial trouble. So, yes, Apple actually had sued them, trying to protect their property and interest, launching one of the biggest lawsuits in IT history.
Who's interested in more details about that part of IT history should for example start reading "Barbarians led by Bill Gates" and "Revolution in the valley: The insanely great story of how the Mac was made".
Above video actually is quite funny, because it really is using the audio of a Microsoft Vista presentation, but actually shows an OS X Tiger desktop, a by now three years old operating system. The entire point of the video is to demonstrate that Vista is nothing more than a OS X rip-off and that Microsoft is obviously incapable of producing something creative and innovative on their own.
Whoever has already used Vista -and- Mac OS X Tiger just cannot be excited about Vista at all - it is resource hungry like nothing else, slow, UGLY and has absolutely no new features compared to old OS X operating systems. There might be something new in it for Windows XP users, but nothing one could not get by installing (free) third party tools.
About the "whining": Microsoft behaves just like the Bush administration, which is why nobody who's got his head screwed right has any warm feelings for that company. (Or the Bush administration, for that matter.)
And, no, I do not think that Apple as a company is any better than Microsoft, at least not on the long run. But unlike Microsoft, they sell good and user-friendly products that really "just work". And at the moment, that is a good enough reason for me to use their products almost exclusively.
Linux or the other Open Source platforms are just not there yet. And, by the way, they are also only rip-offs of their commercial competition. The only truely innovative things about Open Source are the development process and the licensing model. But other than that, I still have not found anything astonishingly new or creative in the Open Source world. The developers are too busy with cloning commercial products rather than thinking about how something could be done in a better and more efficient and user-friendly way.
Which closes the circle back to Apple. For example, they did not invent the mp3 player, but when they decided to enter that market, they created nothing less than the very best mp3 player. Ever wondered why so many professional photographers have bought iPods? Maybe you should connect your digital camera to one, then. Hint: It's not just a dumb mp3 player.
Now we once again see Microsoft enter a market others have successfully occupied. And once again, they enter with a second class technology but a huge marketing budget. But this time, we will see them fail. Zune is doomed because it only represents the interests of the content industry, and zero of the customers interests. You cannot freely copy with Zune. EVERYTHING ends in a DRM containter that prevents the user from freely using their music. They made the same mistake with Vista, and this concept just cannot work. Microsoft lost touch with their base, and we will now observe their slow downfall.
Anyway, enough of that crap for tonight. ;-)