Others projects that spring to mind are clang, which is replacing gcc in FreeBSD, CUPS, which you’re probably using if you print from linux, the zeroconf reference implementation (bonjour in OSX, avahi in linux), and the reference implementation CalDAV server.
I’m sure I’m missing some, and I know they make lower-level contributions (particularly in freebsd and netbsd) that aren’t so easy to flag-wave.
It’s not a free pass, and there are some growing concerns. But they do contribute more than you’d ever expect.
For quite a long time I’ve roasted Apple for the premium they charge on their unremarkable hardware
You think the MacBook Air was unremarkable hardware? Then why did PC manufactures scramble for years to try and even just emulate it (and fail)? The glass trackpad and battery life alone has been the envy of informed Wintel users for years.
Also, the MacBook Pro? Unremarkable hardware? Heh… jeez… ok…
If you’re referring to the Mac Pro, I agree. Apple really backed off updates for that for far too long. Frankly, I’m not all that thrilled with the new Mac Pro trashcan for various reasons as well. It was funny that people kept telling everyone that Apple was going to discontinue the Mac Pro entirely and when I corrected them during that time, they rudely attacked me. Heh… Guess I was right. Funny how those same people slithered back under their rocks after being so vociferous beforehand.
OK - the thing about Apple is they actually engineer their products. The pretty exteriors are one thing, but the techs in Cupertino properly optimise the co-operative performance of each element.
My MBP 2009 is still faster than the new high-spec HP laptops I see at work. Maybe they’re bloated with junk, I don’t know - but the MBP steams them. Maybe LeNovos are in the running, they do the same thing as Apple.
So I’m a happy Apple customer happily paying somewhat more because I know damn well I’m going to get what I paid for. And be happy with it.
That’s the software they use/include, not what they develop/release.
That’s still “participation” in my view. That said, you’re incorrect, some of those they do develop/release (i.e., their contributions to zeroconf networking). And, that said, I do wish Apple would do more. The Apple TV software, for example would be nice.
but the techs in Cupertino properly optimise the co-operative performance of each element.
For some reason, Windows fanboys never seem to grasp that concept. I don’t know how many times I’ve heard a mouth-breather tell the world that Apple uses the exact, same “cheap” components as everywhere else, when that’s often not the case and/or the components have been customized to perform in superior ways.
I’m a happy Apple customer happily paying somewhat more
And, often you’re not paying more at all and even saving money depending on the timing of the purchase, the specific machine, purpose of purchase, etc.
Also, once you consider the time and money saved by choosing a Mac over Wintel machines in many cases, they pay for any initial costs beyond a PC in the mid and short term.
It really isn’t. As an open-source developer, I would say that using but not contributing to open-source is not “participating” in any meaningful sense of the word. It’s better called “taking for free.”
(As you say, they do contribute to some open source projects, however).
It really isn’t. As an open-source developer, I would say that using but not contributing to open-source is not “participating” in any meaningful sense of the word. It’s better called “taking for free.”
Not necessarily if you look at externalities. Getting promotion by Apple is nothing to sneeze at. I’d shit bricks if my OS project got promoted by them. It’s massive exposure to have an OS project get implemented by Apple and as we all know, software is only as secure and free of bugs as the effective code review is. If Apple gets more eyeballs on some code, that benefits the project immensely.
they do contribute to some open source projects, however
Yes they do. And, they’ve certainly had a massively less combative attitude than Microsoft, that’s for sure. Shit, MS has done more to actively attack and thwart OS than any other entity I can think of, actually.
Yeah, they’re more or less in the same bracket as Oracle: piggybacking on FOSS projects in areas where they lack alternatives, pushing out reference implementations for standards they want people to adopt, fixing the occasional bug and giving back as little as they can get away with. Quite a different attitude from the likes of RedHat or Canonical… which is why I don’t really see them as big movers in the space. If RedHat, Canonical or even Google were to disappear tomorrow, the FOSS world would have big problems; if Apple kicked the bucket, in operational terms it wouldn’t be missed that much.
Quite a different attitude from the likes of RedHat or Canonical
Vastly different business models (and businesses for that matter). Redhat, Canonical and even Google can’t do what Apple does. Not sure why you’d compare them. The best comparison is between Microsoft and Apple. Maybe Google, but once again… different business (overall)… Also, I think Google likes to stick its fingers in everything for more nefarious purposes than you may be aware of. IOW, (while often commendable) Google doesn’t deal in OS out of the goodness in its black heart, that’s for sure.
I was looking at the relationship with FOSS rather than business model… regardless, their models are closer than you think: Oracle uses software and hardware as commodity to sell profitable support contracts; Apple uses software and support as commodity to sell profitable hardware. They use FOSS as a tactical resource where it makes sense – after all, they’re not particularly concerned about software in itself, so whether it comes from them or from others doesn’t matter that much as long as they can retain overall control to implement their own models.
Companies like Google, RedHat and Canonical wouldn’t exist without FOSS, so for them it’s strategic to keep the sector healthy. I have to stress I’m not expressing a moral judgement (neither of them is a particularly likeable bunch, when you get down to certain details), I’m just looking at their relationship with the sector I most care about.
As for Microsoft… meh. They’re all over the place, they just cannot decide what they want to be (a software vendor? a hardware vendor? an enterprise vendor?). Their relationship with FOSS has always been non-existent, because they’ve always seen commoditizing software as an existential threat, and their massive Not-Invented-Here affliction is a big problem.
their models are closer than you think: Oracle uses software and hardware as commodity to sell profitable support contracts; Apple uses software and support as commodity to sell profitable hardware
Hmmm, you just proved my point. As I said, they are different business models. Selling support is vastly different than selling hardware and software on many, many levels.
The point was that both commoditise software to sell something else.
(and yeah, Oracle are… Oracle. I worked for them. Their ecosystem still pays my bills. They’re not the nicest company on the planet, more or less like tax-dodging Apple; it’s not a coincidence that Larry and Steve were best buddies.)
Yeah, @Cowicide you might want to save all the righteous indignation for tech companies that are really evil, like Oracle. Holy balls are these guys 110% straight up evil. I mean, Bill Gates started a foundation to solve malaria with all his monopoly money.
Microsoft’s just a lumbering, mostly well meaning giant at this point. Their worst enemy is by far… themselves. Relevant:
I use a 2009 13" MBP as my main computer; I upgraded from 4 to 8 GB RAM after a year or two, and then swapped in an SSD a year ago, and had been dismayed that there weren’t really any other performance upgrades I could make.
So I applaud their efforts on the software end to improve performance, which seems to be the bulk of this OS X update. Haven’t tested it heavily yet but as far as I can tell it does seem to have provided a noticeable boost in responsiveness, in some areas anyway.
I do like some of the more visible updates too, though most of it is stuff I don’t use. Tabs and tags in Finder should be really helpful (only tried them briefly so far); I use Numbers for basic spreadsheets and the interface update there is pretty nice. The Maps app is really quite nice, but I use Google Maps so much (integrated with my Android phone) I probably won’t use it much.
It’ll be a while before I can even think about any of that shiny new hardware, so I’m glad I can still enjoy new software at least.
