Apple equals easy app dev
IN RESPONSE TO The Open Source, I would like to share the following: Unix may not be the real winner yet, but something has changed recently (see "A tale of two markets," Sept. 23). Apple released the finest desktop UNIX operating system I've come across in Jaguar or OS 10.2. I am not an Apple zealot. In fact, I've used Solaris for 10 years and Linux for eight years.
Apple has proprietary and expensive hardware that, compared with the PC, is easier to develop applications on. On a PC, anything -- from a system or video BIOS version, or a network, peripheral, or video card driver to a 6MB "critical update" -- could be your undoing. Factor in Linux on a PC and you have the same exponentially growing software compatibility issues.
Linux may be fine for replacing a $10,000 Sun workstation working as a print server but it can be very rough to work with as a desktop platform.
Apple is nowhere near ready to take on the server market. That is a good place for commercial UNIX and even Windows 2000 server and advanced server.
Evan Wagner
Bethesda, Md.
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