iPhone

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Originally Posted by Bijo

But really... to be able to run Windows, Mac OS, and Linux is some good stuff. I've been thinking of switching from Windows to (a version of) Linux, but since I don't know anything about it, it's kinda messed up. And I'm not sure if Linux supports everything Windows supports. Probably not of course, but I can hope, right?

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Most everything will run on Linux except games. Unfortunately, all of the DirectX stuff is proprietary to Microsoft. There are compatibility layers you can run, and I believe there are Linux emulation programs that will pull the APIs from a Windows install on another partition (Xiahou can tell you more than I can about this sort of thing).

On the OS X side of things, you have two windows compatibility options—you can go for a classic dual-boot using the free Boot Camp, or you can run Windows in a, well, in a window, using the shareware Parallels. And there's nothing to stop you from making a three-way boot, although it would be sort of pointless. Most Linux software can be run on OS X with minor tweaking.

Got another email from a geek friend about the iPhone. He's worked up about the statement that the iPhone will run OS X, not some little media-only OS (as is the case with the iPod). If that's the case, and if it isn't gimped in some crucial way, this will be a serious geek toy. A full BSD Unix system with a touchscreen and WiFi that you can hide in your shirt pocket. That could be interesting.

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Originally Posted by Lemur

Most everything will run on Linux except games. Unfortunately, all of the DirectX stuff is proprietary to Microsoft. There are compatibility layers you can run, and I believe there are Linux emulation programs that will pull the APIs from a Windows install on another partition (Xiahou can tell you more than I can about this sort of thing).

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Well, I'm not expert on the matter- my main experience was setting up and playing WarCraft3 under Wine... mainly just to see if it would work. It did work, but not perfectly- the pre-rendered cutscenes would not run, but the game otherwise worked fine. I also have Enemy Territory and other games made for or compiled under Linux running on it. I never bothered with anything cutting edge though, since my Linux box is a 700Mhz Athlon. :sweatdrop:

There's a commercial product (as in you have to pay for it), called Cedega which is supposed to allow many Windows games to run under Linux. I haven't used it, but I did read up on it a little and it looks pretty slick. If Vista is as terrible as it looks to be, I may be trying it out in the next year or so. :skull:

About the iPhone: Another problem I have with it is its size- the thing seems quite large. Also, it doesn't seem to be contoured at all. How will you use it without your face touching the screen and smearing it all up? Also, an unprotected touchscreen that big just frightens me. I have a hard enough time keeping my Palms alive and they at least have hard cases.

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Originally Posted by Lemur

Most everything will run on Linux except games. Unfortunately, all of the DirectX stuff is proprietary to Microsoft. There are compatibility layers you can run, and I believe there are Linux emulation programs that will pull the APIs from a Windows install on another partition (Xiahou can tell you more than I can about this sort of thing).

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Ah! No games! But here's also the thing I don't like: all the tweaking and arranging of all those little buggers here and there to, if possible, still do stuff you normally wouldn't do on the system. Emulation programs and such, I just don't like 'em. The perfect thing would be if Linux was totally properly prepared to really be Linux, but function like Windows with its possibilities (DirectX, etc.).
Is there no company whatsoever to take the monopolistic lead and really pose a threat to Microsoft and their-- *shudder* "WINDOWS" which is evil?

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Originally Posted by Bijo

Ah! No games! But here's also the thing I don't like: all the tweaking and arranging of all those little buggers here and there to, if possible, still do stuff you normally wouldn't do on the system. Emulation programs and such, I just don't like 'em. The perfect thing would be if Linux was totally properly prepared to really be Linux, but function like Windows with its possibilities (DirectX, etc.).
Is there no company whatsoever to take the monopolistic lead and really pose a threat to Microsoft and their-- *shudder* "WINDOWS" which is evil?

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The tweaking is half the fun of Linux. I learned a lot about how a computer is supposed to work when I flirted with it. And whilst this may be heresy on this gaming site, a very large number of people don't use their computers for games at all, so Linux suffers less by comparison.

Windows and Microsoft are not "evil". The product has some significant design flaws, which are exacerbated by the huge numbers of people using it. Frustrating certainly, evil not. I have no illusions that if Mac OSX were as popular, we would see some problems emerge - but probably not as many because of its base design.

The issue really is the conflict your two posts highlight. Monopolies in most areas of business are fundamentally bad - they create laziness and bad business, not to mention fleecing the customer. But in computing, standards are very important, and monopolies can create de facto standards. Competition tends to produce fractures in standards because everyone is looking to have an edge - the natural drive in a competitive market is towards gaining a monopoly.

This is why I think we actually have a pretty reasonable state of affairs. Windows is a near monopoly and so it (and Office) sets de facto standards. hardware manufacturers can choose whatever components they like to put Win on, thus we have a reasonable competition in hardware.

Apple provides the small, specialist, high quality manufacturer (to thrive in this niche, they have to market as elitist, which is what gets people's backs up, but they can't be just another joe computer). Linux provides the unusual but highly effective co-operative economic model. We the consumer get to choose what floats our boat.

There are many flies in the ointment, but that's another thread.

Good points. I know the conflict you speak of, but I was asking that question myself whether it was at all possible to have a business-like head of Linux without the laziness it potentially produces (the goodness of the free source code principle, etc.).

There'll never be a Linux standard so good it could challenge Windows. Ah well... forget about it :bow:

Update—we won't really know until June, but early indications are:

1. The iPhone will not be running OS X in any meaningful sense
2. The device will be locked down
3. You can forget about 3rd party software and useful hacks

Interest level dropping ...

I don't want to be a nattering nabob of negativity. I'm a gadget-happy guy too. But here's a list of 20 things we DON'T know about iPhone, that could make or break its acceptance (and slows down the liklihood of my adoption).

And I read this morning, there's a second lawsuit over some of the software infringing on someone's pre-existing patents.

This thing may die stillborn.

edit to add:
https://jimcee.homestead.com/iphonewd5_op_486x600.jpg

It's not 3G?! Wha?! Must have missed that.

What bright spark decided that?

Even if you can't do some things one'd like to do, the more I aim my eyes at this little gadget's pictures and such, the more I get the urge to get it. Noooo! I must-- resist! Achh! :ahh: Resist-- this... terrible, evil...

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Originally Posted by Big King Sanctaphrax

It's not 3G?! Wha?! Must have missed that.

What bright spark decided that?

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It's because of America's weird mobile phone networks. I can't see a non-3G mobile for that price selling outside of America. Yes, it's cool, but it's not actually very functional. There are better phones around, and even the iPod is a better media player.

Then again iPods only really took off after 3rd genish time, so by then we should have a 3.5G iPhone with 30Gb of storage.