From MacMinute: Linux on the Rise

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Linux on the Rise

Macminute has a couple stories on Linux in relation to Macs.

The first is that Linux has surpassed the Mac as the second most prevalent desktop OS. It’s not entirely surprising as Linux combines the low price of x86 hardware, the low cost of the Linux OS, and the hard stability and functionality of a *nix operating system. It’s ideal for many corporate and software development settings. Despite looking like a loss for Apple, this is actually a win. Increased use of Linux will lead to the necessity of all businesses needing a cross-platform solution. It will also decrease the amount of web pages that are Windows IE only as more and more customers will not have that as an option. Additionally, most software being developed for Linux is also being made available for OS X through the terminal and X11. This is a major win for Apple.

IBM has also been pushing the G5 as an excellent computer to run Linux upon due to high end performance and components in a cost effective package. When being compared to high end x86 workstations, the G5 looks like quite a bargain. This is an important fact that Apple needs to not only embrace, but investigate further. If Apple can make a case for their use in software development environments, that may lead to not only increased sales, but a Trojan horse method to get Macs back into a corporate setting. As users begin to realize that OS X can be easily used as both a Unix workstation and a personal computer, we can expect to see increased popularity. I know I’d like to use Apex on a Mac.

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