Comments on The Julipedia: Blog: Mac OS X vs. Ubuntu: Software installation

Even though the Ubuntu community deserves apprecia...

2008-12-20T12:25:00.000+01:00

Even though the Ubuntu community deserves appreciation for catering their programs in binaries, its still far away from the desired solution.

There are just too many linux flavors and none of them use an package management systems as standard. Its like different people using different system of units.

But, in a Mac, I can download a software in .dmg and keep it. I can backup these setup files during a format. But in Linux, you've to go to the internet for installing programs. The .deb thingy is cool but not as convenient as .dmg files.

Linux has no clear future in these aspects. Its doomed to fail. Without commercial software, a platform won't sustain itself. But, a commercial deployment is IMPOSSIBLE in Linux. Damnit.

What about Fink and Darwinports? You can use Mac O...

2007-03-26T20:43:00.000+02:00

What about Fink and Darwinports? You can use Mac OS X entirely like a Unix/Linux machine by installing X11. You can install DarwinPorts or Fink which have many packages just like the Ubuntu repositories have.

For example, in ubuntu you would do (to install gnuplot),
'sudo apt-get install gnuplot'

and you can do the same thing in mac:

sudo apt-get -f install gnuplot

or sudo port install gnuplot

With commercial software you just add the relevant...

2007-01-26T08:43:00.000+01:00

With commercial software you just add the relevant repository. For example picasa for Linux. Once you get your head around the process it makes life SOO much easier.

The Mac OS X process feels clunky and messy. (The files listed in your download manager, the files wherever you downloaded them etc..) To be honest I am not as experienced with Mac OS X as I am with Ubuntu but I am sure which one I prefer. I think apple should release a synaptic clone or something similar

The OS X method is very nice when applications act...

2006-11-22T21:37:00.000+01:00

The OS X method is very nice when applications actually support it. Just to get a base install with the not-so-uncommon apps that I use, I end up installing several apps in OS X that run installers. This reminds me of Windows.

On the other hand I believe Ubuntu has over 20k apps in its repositories right now (if you enable all of them). This includes almost every linux app worth installing. Like you said, there are exceptions, but both OS's have their exceptions. I've just seen more in OS X.

I'm on the user side when you say -and I agree- th...

2006-10-22T15:21:00.000+02:00

I'm on the user side when you say -and I agree- that is easier to drag ONE item to an apps folder (or wherever) than to guess where are all the files get installed. The user just wants to "use" the app, instead of beeing careful on what "system folders" she shouldn't delete (windows way) and such..