This. You can literally do anything you want with Linux. The only reason it has this stigma of being "unstable" is because manufactures who produce proprietary drivers don't release the source code for it, and thus, if you want support your at their mercy. I rarely have any issue with the OS itself. Especially ones which don't get fixed pretty quickly. In almost every instance of instability I experienced, it was always with closed, proprietary software. Like dodgy network drivers, or Macromedia Flash (which is just buggy crap). I mean, there's a reason most servers use Linux. It's because it's solid as a rock!
Whenever my kernel crashed I knew EXACTLY why, can't say that about other operating systems. Bottom line: I love Linux!
I swapped my Super Drive for a 1TB HD in my 4 year old MBP... clearly voiding the warranty, and they still fixed a known Nvidia problem for free, 3 years out of warranty. Name any Microsoft product you can do that with? Read my last post on page 2. Yes, but do you need a server to get most of your stuff done? No. Linux servers are traditionally not running X, which is a big source of resources and potential crashes that you simply don't have to deal with. There are things that are done far better on either Windows or Mac, as there are no viable competitors on Linux. The Adobe Suite comes to mind. Yes, there are Gimp and other free alternatives (and they work great) but they are not always the same. If you're used to a workflow, you probably don't want to relearn it. I've still yet to find a decent BluRay authoring program... or even DVD authoring program on Linux compared to something like Nero.
Have you tried WINE with software like Nero? It's surprisingly very good but keep your eye out for software thats free or opensource. I had been using OpenOffice for ages even as it was getting bloated. When I installed Ubuntu for the first time I found out about Libreoffice that has since replaced my Office setup.
I've tried hackintoshing and failed. I think it may have been a problem with my video card. I have a new video card now, so maybe it would work. I just have so many more important/enjoyable things to do than to battle with Mac OS X on my PC. It's really not an easy or enjoyable experience at all. Linux is cool, but it's extremely buggy (depending on your hardware). Ubuntu is, anyway. And you can't run programs like After Effects, Photoshop, or FCP on Linux.
How long is it since you used it? Its gotten far better. I don't understand why you'd want to use FCP anyway, You mentioned AE and PS so I don't understand why you wouldn't be using Adobe Premiere.
Fuck Ubuntu, and its Unity bullshit !, but yay to it, when it comes to Linux Mint. Ubuntus Unity has stolen/taken/been heavily inspired by Mac OS , so Ubuntu sucks now a days. But Linux Mint on the other hand fucking rocks now.
Not into wine. I will check LibreOffice though. OpenOffice is just too clunky. Hmm...Buggy isn't the word I'd use to describe Linux as a whole. It's 99% Open Source, which comes with it's own issues, but for the most part, I find most applications (including the OS) works as it's documented. It has a learning curve, sure, but then again, you get to do whatever you want with it, and chances are, someone already has done it first and documented it, making it easier for you.
You don't even need WINE. Nero has a Linux version. You just need to pay for it like you do for Windows. As for X issues, I use Ubuntu and it seems to work just fine for me. Bare in mind Ubuntu/Debian repos and community are the largest so a huge swath of dependency hell and compatibility issues are avoided right off the bat. Before I used Ubuntu, I used Fedora as my first dip into Linux. RPM and Fedora was a nightmare and I went back to Windows. It was only until I learned about Debian and Ubuntu that I went back again and everything was smooth as butter for me. Now I get around Linux great. I agree. Unity was a piece of trash. With 11.10 it got better, but I still prefer Gnome 2.6 or Gnome 3.0 Shell over it. Thankfully, switching your Desktop is simply an apt-get away.
I consider it a good thing that X is independent from the Kernel under Linux. If X crashes, your Kernel is still running, just restart X and you're good. Everything that was running in the background is still running. If a Windows system crashes, it crashes completely... dunno about Mac, never had a Mac crash on me... (never really worked on a Mac to be more precise).
Mac is Unix, so technically, no. But, the only times I've gotten it to crash are usually on drivers, which are graphics related, and they take down the whole system. Since Mac is aimed for people that wank to Apple products, the Unix stuff is pretty well hidden. I don't even know how to start it in single-user mode.
Libre Office is the result of disgruntled employees tired of where the product was going (originally a good lightweight office setup, now a clunky heavy piece of crap) and created their own.
mac often do not crash, is pretty solid, but if it crash, regret for all your sins, probably you need to reinstall the OS in the best case. something i like to point out that is great, linux run on defective hardware, used to have a PC-Chips with a blown up regulator, crashed with windows, but linux run smooth, the PC from which i'm sending this message is a compaq with leaked capacitors running Debian (Unstable/Experimental branch), the HW problem are so bad that after of some time running the machine start to hung up and lose the texture of everything, (black icons, invisible toolbars, etc) and still machine will not crash, with windows it won't even boot up.
Or you can just restart, in the rare situation that I get a kernal panic on a real mac, all is well after reboot, never heard of having to reinstall mac os... unless you mess with the .kext's and other system structures a lot. then you can easily screw up mac os and require a complete reinstall.
Linux is great on defective hardware! My co-worker had a hard drive that was on it's last leg and Linux detected this. Instead of doing the regular process, Linux went and mounted the drive up as read-only to give him a chance to backup his data before it was too late. On Windows? Heck. Windows would just let it run, become unstable and you wouldn't know about it until data was being lost and your OS crashes.
The more I use Apple the more I like it. I gave up on Microsoft when my XP lappy just gave up and decided it was a pirated copy. I had always dabbled woth Linux but it was getting to be a pain to get it to play nice with new printers etc. Added to that I just got a 3gs and it just wouldn't work with Linux. I ended up getting a 2008/9 Mac mini and it was the best computer ive ever had. There has only ever been two issues with it, some dvd wont eject from it (I had to take it apart to get it) and the 2nd was a failed hardrive which after swapping out I didnt lose anything off it. I love the iphone 4 yeh is not open...yadda yadda same old crap. Its really doesnt bother me, because it just works. Applpe my steal ideas off others but when they do they make it work better. VOICE CONTROl yeh it was on google voice but on the 4s its taken to a new level. Right going to have to stop writing at my MIRCROSoft keyboard is crapping out (RANDOM SHIFT KEY stickies)
I disagree, The Galaxy S2's voice recognition is far better. http://techcrunch.com/2011/11/05/that-iphone-keyboard-is-still-coming/ So now Apple are getting praise for things they might do in the future, by the logic Microsoft should have gotten awards for the multiple motherboard revisions they made for the Xbox 360. inb4 TECHCRUNCH? LOL! etc.
