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I think everyone is aware OSX is closed source software. Most don't care because the open source software community has yet to provide any high quality alternat
by jsz0 17y ago
I think everyone is aware OSX is closed source software. Most don't care because the open source software community has yet to provide any high quality alternative platform that meets the needs of the broader computer market. Very few people outside of the tech community are going to switch to less functional alternatives on the basis of a political statement. Most people can't even be bothered to vote in our real life elections. OSS can win on functionality, price, availability, customizability, etc but it will always lose on politics an zealotry.
- tptacek 17y agoHuge chunks of core OS X code are in fact open source, including several of the most important bits (xnu, webkit).
- boucher 17y agoIt should be noted that much of what is open source is that way because it was already open source when Apple started using it. And much of that remains open source for legal reasons, not because Apple cares about open source.
- tptacek 17y agoThey just open sourced Grand Central Dispatch. They've deliberately chosen to work with open-source projects instead of in-house alternatives --- for instance, Konquerer and LLVM. It's a stretch to say they don't care about open source. Open source clearly isn't their priority, but then, I'm glad of that, and happy not to be running Linux.