First, I was just curious. The last time I tried Ubuntu was back when it was version 7.0 and wouldn’t recognize my Mac’s wireless card. No wireless was kind of a deal breaker, and I wasn’t about to go rooting around to find code or drivers to make it work, so I immediately retreated to the safety of Leopard. But now version 8.0 was out, and I thought I would try it out to see what features it had to offer, and to see if the wireless issue was fixed.
Secondly, I was attracted to Ubuntu because it was free, open source software (the two are not synonymous). More importantly, it was a free, open source operating system. I use free software on my Mac whenever possible, but a free operating system would be a first. Open sourcing is an issue I care about because I feel that closed, proprietary formats and software seriously inhibit the progression of global, grassroots software technology. In order for software to be available to everyone, it needs to be as cheap as possible, and nothing is cheaper than free. In the past free software couldn’t compete with commercial products, but that has changed thanks to (a) more programmers and (b) their willingness and ability to collaborate with one another over the Internet. Free software really is the future, and as such I feel that I should adopt it as soon as possible.
So I was all ready to install Ubuntu, but then I had second thoughts. What would I lose by abandoning Leopard? Have my computing habits become so ingrained in the Mac user experience that I would find it difficult or even painful to switch? In the nine years or so that I have been using Macs, I have become somewhat of a Mac power user (also a Power Mac user!) It was time that I examined the features that I totally take for granted on my Macbook.
For starters, I would lose the total hardware/software integration. These are the little things that make the Mac user experience so enjoyable. Things like the brightness and volume adjust keys, the Safari/Dashboard integration, and Exposé. The two finger scroll, the numerous keyboard shortcuts that I have memorized, and the native iSight and iPod support. These things “just work” on a Mac.
This goes for language support as well. I have a MacBook with a Japanese keyboard, which allows me to switch from English to Japanese with the press of a single key. I also get to type @ ¥ ^ - [ ] : ; / _ without hitting the Shift key!
On the tangent of iPod support, I would also have to face losing three years worth of music statistics kept track of by my iTunes. Stats like song ratings, play counts, playlists, not to mention other perks like album art and downloaded lyrics. I would literally have to start from scratch.
Another thing I would miss is the intuitive, subtle features present in Leopard itself. While I could do without gimmicks like Stacks, other features such as Spaces, Quick Look, Spotlight, and the Dock have become mainstays of my computing experience. Would these have Linux counterparts? Linux has such counterparts for programs like Quicksilver (a third party application launcher that has revolutionized how I interact with my Mac) and Time Machine, which I feel that I could get used to quite quickly.
Of course, there are other apps that I run on my Macbook that I would likely miss as well - programs like Amadeus Pro, Garageband, Handbrake, Ghost Recon, iMovie, and GarageSale. These might have Linux alternatives, but it would take me time to learn all of them, and, frankly, right now I don’t see the point in learning a lot of new software that does the same stuff that I can already do.
And what about the migration of all my preferences? All my saved passwords, system settings, website autologins, and bookmarked links? I would have to reset all of those!
So I didn’t install Ubuntu. I figured, “Hey, I paid the money for Leopard, I might as well get all the use out of it that I can.” And this is what I plan to do. Right now I am not yet ready to make the migration to the Linux world, but I plan to eventually. And by the time I am ready, my Macbook will no doubt be falling apart and Ubuntu will have gotten even better. But know this, I will install Linux on the next computer I buy. And the next one. And the next one.
_DZ
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