[clug] MtM site final draft

[Paul Wayper]

Neill Cox wrote:
> I do agree that the Windows arguments aren't going to get you far with
> Mac Users. Mac market share being what it is we're probably better off
> concentrating on Windows anyway.
Both of you have good points, and on consideration I was only really
thinking that the rest of the site had included Apple users in the
people who could 'make the move', and this page was somewhat of an
exception.

What about a note at the bottom (or maybe at the top) to say something
like: "Note: Apple OS-X users have most of these features and more
built-in.  Its security and stability is derived from FreeBSD, an
open-source project similar to Linux."

> I think "Free as in freedom" is the strongest argument.

It's certainly a very good argument.  I also note that several long-time
Mac afficionados - Mark Pilgrim, Cory Doctorow and others - have now
switched to running Linux on their Mac notebooks.  Why?  Because they
were basically removing most of the Apple software and installing Open
Source software - Firefox, Evolution, Gaim, VLC, and so forth.  Why? 
Because the Apple stuff, while nice and slick and good-looking, is still
restricted by what Apple wants to do with the software, rather than what
_users_ want to do with it.  By this I mean that Apple will restrict
what you can do with their software if it will help sell more software -
you can't make the free version of Quicktime full screen, you can only
do that in the paid version, for instance.  This is the 'free as in
freedom' question in another guise, of course.


On a related note, the interesting trend I see from Apple now, that
Microsoft has been doing for years, is that they want to provide _all_
the software on the Mac.  Why?  Sure, people might complain about
getting a Mac and not getting every application they might ever need. 
To me this is like complaining that you bought a car and it didn't come
with roof racks, DVD players, bike carrier, kangaroo repellant and so
forth.  To put it the other way around, why pay for a car where the only
model has every option and accessory and it's hugely expensive, just
because the manufacturer wanted to please everyone?  The third-party
software market has been here for generations - why has Microsoft and
Apple decided to freeze them out?  Ignoring the marketing fluff, the
only important reason is that Apple and Microsoft would rather keep the
pie small and have it all to themselves, than share the slice and make
the pie larger.

So the question I would put to Apple users is: how do you like Apple
taking away your freedoms?  Your freedom to use software from other
manufacturers (look at Apple not licensing FairPlay for an example of
this), your freedom to copy and back up your own information, your
freedom to use another piece of software if the Apple software doesn't
do what you want?  This is what Microsoft has done.  This is what Apple
is doing.  This is what Linux will never do.

Just thinking 'out loud'...

Paul