A Question to UNIX newbies out there...

[alexrd]

Since I have been earning my daily bread for some five years as a UNIX systems administrator with a penchant for BSD, OSX fits me like an old shoe. It's the mac I love with the tools and plumbing I know and need.

But...

My question is to the longtime mac users who are scratching their heads looking at a terminal window.
With some time gone by, and with 10.1 close at hand, do you think Apple has met your needs in providing an easy to use replacement for OS9? Are you able to do what you need to do without using the command line interface? When forced to use the CLI, was it a horrible experience? Not so bad? Pleasant?

Just curious... As someone who has supported countless artists as part of my job, I sort of regard Joe and Jane Macuser as my people. I'm wondering how you guys are taking all this change.

-Alex.

 

[ulrik]

I love the terminal....but this might be due to the fact that my first computers where a C64 and a 286 with DOS, and it was MS DOS under which I learned how to operate a computer. When Win95 came out, I missed the good old terminal feeling, so I switched to Linux when it was available. WHen I then finally got my Mac, I was happy with the OS, but I missed the CLI, and I am soooo happy that the new MacOS is Unix based...which means FULL CONTROL VIA THE CLI

 

[uoba]

I have used the MacOS in a professional design environment for around 6 years, and considered myself an expert with the system (up to OS9.1).

I purposely introduced OSX into my business (forcing people to use it).

The only time I've needed to use the terminal is when I need to get rid of something out of the Trash (which has baffled me). I must admit, if I had to use the terminal any more, then I would have serious misgivings about using OSX. But, this has not been the case anyhow.

The only other gripe is, the new networking protocol. Networking to another Mac has become a pain. I know they are trying to phase out Appletalk, but at least it was simple (for us simple designers!)

But, the improvements in the GUI/Finder have gone along way to easing the more user-unfriendly aspect of the OS.

I guess using UNIX in OSX is like looking for a fight... If you go looking for it, you'll find it. Else, leave it alone and you'll stay out of trouble.

 

[bewshy]

Its great my first Mac was a LCIII and I installed NetBSD on that when I was 13. ITs a great easy to use addition

 

[AlanCE]

Not really a unix newbie, i do use the terminal app a bit, but that is for connecting to other SUN and Linux servers. I do pretty much zero terminal app work directed at my own machine. It simply hasn't been necessary for me to use the term for anything but remote logins. 10.1 rules.

 

[Jorgen]

I have used Mac for 5 years in my work at a swedish school (we have a mix of Windows and Macintosh computers) and at home. The only experience I´ve had of UNIX is when I put up a web-page on a UNIX-Server. I always preferred Mac before Windows because of its simplicity and easy solutions. In my work our Macintosh computers has been replaced by Windows 95 and Windows 98 computers. I have learn how to get the ip-number from DOS and how to re-install protokolls from the system. In my opinion most things are easier on a Mac. Mac OSX have the elegance of Mac OS9, but the structure of Windows. The system is full of files you dont understand the function of, and the structure of the multi-user system seems very complex. All this compared with Mac OS 9.
Still I´m very pleased with Mac OSX. In my work I have discover that teacher who want a simple system to teach their students (children in pre-school) have different needs than the system-administrators who runs the local network. If Apple continues to develop X to a system with a simple user-interface (we don´t need another Linux) I think that Mac OSX can please both groups.