Re: Linux to Mac OSX advice
- From: ZnU <znu@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Mon, 09 Jan 2006 02:51:22 -0500
In article <pan.2006.01.09.06.58.50.152894@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>,
A Jones <ajones@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> I have a Unix background and I've been running Linux at home
> for the better part of a decade. I'm getting pretty exasperated
> with the lack of reliability of Linux systems, the high
> maintenance, the poor quality of the software, etc. These problems
> were supposed to disappear long ago, but they haven't and I
> doubt they ever will. So I'm considering a switch to Mac OS X.
>
> What I'd like to know is how hard the transition would be.
> To what extent can I start life on OS X by treating it like
> a Unix variant? Of course, I'd hope to move beyond that as well,
> but the easiest transition would be to clone my present Linux
> system as much as possible.
>
> The main software apps I'm running right now under Linux + Gnome are:
>
> Internet: Firebird web, Thunderbird email, Pan newsreader, gFtp ftp,
Firefox and Thunderbird are available, though you might want to give
Safari and Mail (Apple's web and mail apps) a try. You might also want
to give Mac alternatives to Pan and gFtp a shot. I use MT-NewsWatcher
for Usenet and Cyberduck for FTP/SFTP.
> Command line tools: bash shell (multipaned via Gnome Terminal), ...
Bash is the default shell. There are a bunch of others included as well,
of course.
> Unison file synchronizer
Available for OS X. Just make sure you use the -rsrc option.
> TeX/LaTeX document formatting system
Available. Can be integrated with other apps in neat ways as well, due
to the PDF features built into OS X's graphics engine.
> XEmacs text editor
Emacs is included in a standard install. I'm pretty sure XEmacs isn't
installed by default (because X11 isn't installed by default). But X11
is lurking on the system install discs, and XEmacs is available.
Might want to try some of the OS X editors, though. TextWrangler is a
popular free editor. I've been using BBEdit for years, but I probably
wouldn't if I had to pay full non-educational non-upgrade pricing,
because it's $199. TextMate ($50) is a really popular up-and-coming
editor for OS X that I've been meaning to take a serious look at.
> Programming languages: Java, Perl, C/C++ (gcc), ...
Perl is included in the default install, as are PHP, Python, and Ruby.
Java also comes standard, up through Java 5.
On your OS X install disc, you'll find an 'Xcode Tools' package, which
includes gcc and all the usual open source development stuff (make, gdb,
etc.), plus Apple's graphical IDE, which is pretty slick.
[snip]
> I have some Windows boxes on ethernet and wireless LANs along
> with my Linux machine. I'd need the Mac box to integrate into those
> networks without much hassle, allowing printer and file sharing.
>
> What snags await me in the file system?
By default it's case preserving, but not case sensitive. There is a
case-sensitive version of HFS+ (the standard file system) you can use if
you need it for some reason, though.
In terms of structure, for typical *nix software, the file system is
structured pretty much like any other modern *nix. Stuff specific to OS
X uses a different structure. OS X GUI apps get installed in
/Applications, system-wide configuration is stored in /Library, etc.
Take a look at
http://developer.apple.com/documentation/MacOSX/Conceptual/BPFileSystem/i
ndex.html
(Actually, poke around
<http://developer.apple.com/referencelibrary/MacOSX/index.html> in
general. With your background, you'd probably find a lot of it
interesting.
> Can I just copy over my Linux home directory intact, or is there some
> weirdness or incompatibility I'd have to wrestle with?
OS X apps will want a 'Library' directory in your home directory, to
store their preferences. If it doesn't exist, the system will create it
automatically. Some OS X apps typically use other standard directories
within ~ to store their files; iTunes uses ~/Music, for instance. But
this is configurable. Some non-Apple apps store various things in a
'Documents' directory, so you should probably have one of those as
well. Oh, and you need a 'Desktop' folder in there.
Other than that, you can do whatever you like in your home directory.
--
"Those who enter the country illegally violate the law."
-- George W. Bush in Tucson, Ariz., Nov. 28, 2005
.
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