Torvalds: Apple's Free OS Is No Threat To Linux

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First Microsoft dismissed Apple's free Mavericks update, now it is Linux's turn. Doesn't seem like anyone is too worried about Apple's new OS.

One of the reasons Torvalds uses the term open source instead of free software because there is a difference between open and free, he said. While Apple's Mavericks update might be free it is not open source and people still need expensive hardware to use the OS, he said. "The fact that Apple gives the OS away is completely irrelevant," Torvalds said. "I don't think that it impacts Linux at all."
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Couldn't you also say Linux isn't any threat to Mavericks?
 
I don't even understand why someone would say that either is a threat to each other. What's the point, really?
 
RedStarSQD said:
when are updates not free? oh right...apple. They are just catching up.
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lol i don't get it either, never mind the fact it still looks and works like the exact same, broken rubbish of an OS, the idea that they used to charge for mostly cosmetic changes is hilarious.
 
RedStarSQD said:
when are updates not free? oh right...apple. They are just catching up.
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Ever heard of Windows? Microsoft charge you for version upgrades.


EndlessRed said:
lol i don't get it either, never mind the fact it still looks and works like the exact same, broken rubbish of an OS, the idea that they used to charge for mostly cosmetic changes is hilarious.
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No it doesn't work exactly the same it has lots of changes underneath and lots of UI changes.

If you can't see that then you are blinded by your hate.
 
I thought political correctness was the enemy of free speech?
If so, then Torvald should be applauded.
 
pxc said:
Couldn't you also say Linux isn't any threat to Mavericks?
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Bingo!

I do know a few people that put Linux on Apple hardware, but it is a small number. By and large, Apple hardware buyers are not Linux folks, and Linux folks are not Apple hardware buyers. (Says someone who runs a 'Hackintosh' high-end workstation with OS X, Linux, and Windows on it...)
 
aShrubbery! said:
I thought political correctness was the enemy of free speech?
If so, then Torvald should be applauded.
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There's a difference between political correctness, which obscures the truth in order to prevent someone from being buthurt over the difference between two words, and tact.
 
Modred189 said:
That's true, I mean Win 8.1 cost me... oh wait, that's right: NOTHING.
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And 10.8.1 cost me.. oh wait nothing to update from 10.8.0, and 10.8.2 cost me nothing again, and 10.8.3 cost me again nothing.

8.1 is a service pack, not a new version. How much did going from 7 to 8 cost?
 
What's the strings attached?
Is there an Apple app store embedded in the OS?
I know everyone already paid for a different version already and they're getting a free "update," Apple isn't passing out a free OS to everyone to use.
Look, Apple people are Apple people and chances are, they're going to stay Apple people because the Apple ecosystem ties all of the iCrap together.
Linux people are Linux people, they're not mainstream and chances are, they're going to stay Linux people.
Windows people are the vast majority, and they usually stay Windows. One veers off every now and then to Linux or Apple when they get tired of major revamps in the OS or their kids putting more viruses on their pcs then there are in a $2 whorehouse.
Its pointless in arguing with people set in their ways because no one cares about anything anyone else says and everyone thinks they're right and everyone else is wrong.
 
Spazturtle said:
And 10.8.1 cost me.. oh wait nothing to update from 10.8.0, and 10.8.2 cost me nothing again, and 10.8.3 cost me again nothing.

8.1 is a service pack, not a new version. How much did going from 7 to 8 cost?
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But your leaving out tiny little detail. MS is mainly a software company and Apple is a hardware company. Apple can give away software as that is not their bread and butter, hardware is.
 
Uh guys it's an OS update. The OS itself is not free. That's like saying Windows 8.1 is free. It's free so long as you own Windows 8. If you own Snow Leopard or later, then Mavericks is free. Again "free" as in you already own Mac OS X cause you paid for it.
 
Spazturtle said:
8.1 is a service pack, not a new version. How much did going from 7 to 8 cost?
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It could be as little as free (or $15-20 from some other), if the system was purchased in the months leading up to Win8's release. The Win 8 upgrade promotion ran through Feb 1, 2013 for $39.99 (Pro upgrade was $70 IIRC). Now it's pretty much full price from legitimate sellers

I'm not sure you can expect Windows 8 to be a free upgrade from Windows 7. The OSs were released 3 years apart. I do think Apple's upgrade costs from the last several years are much better for consumers, even before it went free upgrade with Mavericks.
 
Spazturtle said:
And 10.8.1 cost me.. oh wait nothing to update from 10.8.0, and 10.8.2 cost me nothing again, and 10.8.3 cost me again nothing.

8.1 is a service pack, not a new version. How much did going from 7 to 8 cost?
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If 8.1 is a service pack, why isn't 2012 R2 free also? It sucks for all those people that bought into 2012 Essentials being the WHS replacement.
 
Ruoh said:
I don't even understand why someone would say that either is a threat to each other. What's the point, really?
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Because Apple made out like it was a big thing and that they were the first to come up with it. In fact they said you would pay $199 for Windows 8.1 implying that the update cost you money where as Apples was free.

I guess Apple released you should charge people for service packs.
 
MrMike said:
If 8.1 is a service pack, why isn't 2012 R2 free also? It sucks for all those people that bought into 2012 Essentials being the WHS replacement.
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Ask Microsoft marketing. 8.1 is in fact a service pack, simply a rebranded one. Why? It was done by the same department that's handled previous service packs on earlier versions of Windows: Windows Sustained Engineering.

For various strategic and marketing reasons MS decided it in their best interest to do away the "service pack" moniker.
 
Spazturtle said:
Ever heard of Windows? Microsoft charge you for version upgrades.
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Correct but not in the way you are implying. Windows changed for new OS's not for a minor updates like service packs. Apple version updates are mostly service packs.
 
Spazturtle said:
And 10.8.1 cost me.. oh wait nothing to update from 10.8.0, and 10.8.2 cost me nothing again, and 10.8.3 cost me again nothing.

8.1 is a service pack, not a new version. How much did going from 7 to 8 cost?
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For most people that upgrade from Windows XP, Vista, Windows 7 cost them $15 for the first 6 months I believe.
 
Until you can put OSX on any hardware config (not just Apple branded computers), Apples choice to give their software away shouldn't matter to neither MS nor the Linux community.


With that said, if Apple really wanted to take themselves to the next level, they'd do just that. It would make pretty big waves IMO
 
Maverick being free, would be like 8.1 being free to Windows 7 users. Snow Leopard and Win 7 both came out in 2009.
 
MrMike said:
If 8.1 is a service pack, why isn't 2012 R2 free also? It sucks for all those people that bought into 2012 Essentials being the WHS replacement.
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My copy got upgraded to R2 for free, where did you buy it from? Did your copy not come with continued support?

Freebo said:
Correct but not in the way you are implying. Windows changed for new OS's not for a minor updates like service packs. Apple version updates are mostly service packs.
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Er no, Apple's version updates have always been big, some of them may not have been graphically changed much but underneath they changed quite a bit.
 
I love how people act like Billions of people use a Mac. Its a fraction of the user base of Windows people..

Linux users couldn't give a fuck what MS and Apple are doing anyway.
 
DPI said:
Ask Microsoft marketing. 8.1 is in fact a service pack, simply a rebranded one. Why? It was done by the same department that's handled previous service packs on earlier versions of Windows: Windows Sustained Engineering.

For various strategic and marketing reasons MS decided it in their best interest to do away the "service pack" moniker.
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Not surprised that Microsoft did this instead of calling it a service pack. Most people avoid service packs for a while until all the issues have been worked out. Or in some cases never upgrade.
 
Spazturtle said:
No it doesn't work exactly the same it has lots of changes underneath and lots of UI changes.
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Too bad you can't even name one :rolleyes:

I know the "changes underneath" far more than you ever will bother to know. It's exactly because I know the difference that I firmly believe it's rubbish.
 
Calling Apple's operating system "free" is like saying that Obamacare is "free".

Just because money doesn't change hands the instant that the product/service changes hands doesn't mean the money isn't coming out of your pocket.

I never could believe that Apple would have the audacity to charge for the OS when you couldn't (legally) use it on anything other than hardware you were already heavy "apple taxed" for.
 
Ducman69 said:
I never could believe that Apple would have the audacity to charge for the OS when you couldn't (legally) use it on anything other than hardware you were already heavy "apple taxed" for.
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Most PC users pay the "Microsoft tax," and can't use their OEM version legally on another computer. Do you think PC users should get free Windows upgrades forever?
 
He's right in the since that free OS X is not threat to desktop Linux in that desktop Linux has such small market share there really isn't enough to threaten at this point. At it's not like it even matters unless your Linux machine of choice is a Mac anyway.
 
DPI said:
Ask Microsoft marketing. 8.1 is in fact a service pack, simply a rebranded one. Why? It was done by the same department that's handled previous service packs on earlier versions of Windows: Windows Sustained Engineering.

For various strategic and marketing reasons MS decided it in their best interest to do away the "service pack" moniker.
Click to expand...

What service pack has anywhere near the changes that 8.1 bought relative to 8? Granted, not so much to the desktop and I understand that you have no use for the new UI but for anyone that does there's a lot that's different. If you use multiple monitors or tablets it is different enough for the dot version bump.
 
Windows 8.1 is a service pack level revision, was produced within the time frame of a service pack release and not a full OS version upgrade. Enough already.

Fixing the broken stuff was necessary. Do you think Microsoft is Nokia or something? Oh yeah. :D
 
Ducman69 said:
Calling Apple's operating system "free" is like saying that Obamacare is "free".

Just because money doesn't change hands the instant that the product/service changes hands doesn't mean the money isn't coming out of your pocket.

I never could believe that Apple would have the audacity to charge for the OS when you couldn't (legally) use it on anything other than hardware you were already heavy "apple taxed" for.
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I have OSX 10.9 running on my PC (non apple HW) right along with Win7 (Win 8 is a turd just like Vista) and 10.9 cost me zero to download from the app store, 10.8 was $29. Win 7 upgrades were over $100.
 
Linux is irrelevant on the desktop - even in 2013. Nobody outside of tech knows what it is and anybody who doesn't have an IT engineer in the family doesn't want to waste their time with it. The brand is so unbelievably fractured it isn't even funny anymore. OpenOffice and LibreOffice losing market share is a great indicator of this considering they're the only decent options for an office suite on Linux!

Microsoft can poke fun at Apple all they want. Surface/Surface RT is the laughing stock of the mobile world and Microsoft isn't even a contender. Out of 1,000+ mobile devices at my company, ZERO are running a mobile Microsoft OS. These guys need to get their head out of their rear and realize everyone sees them as a joke. Wake me when their fat stupid CEO isn't running out on stage and behaving like a moronic monkey.
 
pxc said:
Windows 8.1 is a service pack level revision, was produced within the time frame of a service pack release and not a full OS version upgrade. Enough already.

Fixing the broken stuff was necessary. Do you think Microsoft is Nokia or something? Oh yeah. :D
Click to expand...

Who Is to say that many of the changes in 8.1 weren't already in development before 8.0 was even released? If one doesn't use the modern UI I get the notion that 8.1 is a service pack. If one does use the modern UI, I could also understand why people would be wondering why a service pack changed keyboard commands, Start Screen behavior, changed the snapping behavior, totally changed the PC Settings, etc. There's enough difference in the modern stuff to be a dot release easily. Again, I get that many don't use the new UI, I use it all of the time, so the large number of changes is obvious.
 
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