4 ms·

While I encourage people to embrace open source tools and libraries as much as possible, I also would like to issue a word of caution on feeling too comfortable

While I encourage people to embrace open source tools and libraries as much as possible, I also would like to issue a word of caution on feeling too comfortable targeting a proprietary environment such as Windows. Some people have compared Mac OS X and Windows because of their proprietary nature, but one key difference is that you don't run Mac OS X as a server operating system or on the cloud. While many people develop on Mac OS X, they might still build and deploy to a Linux server. For Windows to support the GNU/Linux userland is to finally empower Windows as a competitive platform for the cloud. Windows has suddenly became a viable deployment target for a wide spectrum of software that prior to this could not target Windows. I am not looking forward for a lower market share of Linux (or BSD, Solaris derivatives, to be fair) on servers or on the cloud.

creshal 11y ago
And people should also take a long look at Silverlight, XNA, and all the other technologies Microsoft dropped on a whim and left developers relying on them to hang dry; before they decide to bet on Microsoft SFU 4.0 "This Time For Reals" Edition.
nekkoru 11y ago
(...)one key difference is that you don't run Mac OS X as a server operating system or on the cloud. http://www.apple.com/osx/server/ http://www.apple.com/osx/server/ It's actually a pretty decent server environment.
- partycoder 11y ago
  That's a valid point, but you cannot elastically provision 100 OS X servers machines on demand in the cloud.
  - nekkoru 11y ago
    I don't think anyone has tried it, but is there a reason why it couldn't be done?
- WatchDog 11y ago
  Am I missing something or does this only run on apple hardware, yet apple don't make any server hardware?
  - creshal 11y ago
    They used to; nowadays you're apparently supposed to rackmount Mac Pros: http://www.sonnettech.com/product/rackmacpro.html http://www.sonnettech.com/product/rackmacpro.html

creshal 11y ago

And people should also take a long look at Silverlight, XNA, and all the other technologies Microsoft dropped on a whim and left developers relying on them to hang dry; before they decide to bet on Microsoft SFU 4.0 "This Time For Reals" Edition.

nekkoru 11y ago

(...)one key difference is that you don't run Mac OS X as a server operating system or on the cloud. http://www.apple.com/osx/server/ http://www.apple.com/osx/server/ It's actually a pretty decent server environment.

partycoder 11y ago
That's a valid point, but you cannot elastically provision 100 OS X servers machines on demand in the cloud.
- nekkoru 11y ago
  I don't think anyone has tried it, but is there a reason why it couldn't be done?
WatchDog 11y ago
Am I missing something or does this only run on apple hardware, yet apple don't make any server hardware?
- creshal 11y ago
  They used to; nowadays you're apparently supposed to rackmount Mac Pros: http://www.sonnettech.com/product/rackmacpro.html http://www.sonnettech.com/product/rackmacpro.html