[krying_krab]

Perhaps what most interests me about the article is not the dichotomy of the two cultures, but in the area between them.

I'm a college sophomore studying EE in a notable university, but I spent most of my free time (and much of my homework time!) coding in high school. I had been using Linux from middle school, so my way of learning coding was picking up K&R's C book, learning the ropes, and starting to code on Linux. Linux really was an incredible atmosphere to learn to code in, and I learned more than just C. The ability to look at the source of other applications, to submit bugfixes for projects, and the incredible POSIX standard that makes C and other languages just ... whistle ... was great.

That said, I later abandoned Linux (several reasons: time, laptop incompatibility, much more time spent fiddling with radios, I "sold out", whatever) for day-to-day use. I still code and do it on Windows, but it's not the same. Now there are a lot of things of the "Windows culture" that I really like -- a shiny GUI for everyone, a huge smattering of applications which means that if I don't want to write it I don't have to, not having to deal with finding obscure driver patches so that my out-of-date hardware can stay supported, package management clashes, etc. But when I want to code, and I do so intermittently, I feel the intellectual gap.

I want that great POSIX interface, but more importantly I want an atmosphere that works around the code that I write. And here's where I feel the gap the most -- what about those of us who really enjoy a satisfying, intellectual coding experience, the "Unix culture" (and I don't code often enough to want to want to grind out consumer software), but still want the benefits felt for other users of the OS somewhat appreciably, and still want this end-user directed drag-and-drop "Windows culture".

I've heard that the Mac bridges the gap, but I'm an impoverished student, and spending $1000 on a Mac laptop is something in my semi-distant future.

[socillion]

If you want a {star}nix, try FreeBSD if you've got a day or two to set it up. If not, maybe PC-BSD. PC-BSD is based on FreeBSD but integrates KDE. The reason I like FreeBSD is that it just seems to have more tools available, like sysctl to view/set various options like computer temperature, turning the reading light on/off (on my used Thinkpad T43). Compared to Linux, I like the core OS more, but there are more programs available for Linux. FreeBSD can run Linux programs through a compatibility layer. Actually, thats how I'm running the Adobe Flash plugin, but it is a little slow.

A second point: if you think there aren't many games on Linux, wait until you try FreeBSD - there are even less. There's minesweeper and a few similar, but thats about it.

FreeBSD users seem to think that Slackware is the most similar Linux distro. Anyway, FreeBSD might be worth a try for you!

Hardware also seems to have excellent support built in.

[billswift]

Maybe I'll try it; Slackware was my first and still favorite distro. The big problem is I'm on dial-up and can't download much - and too many linux resellers are apparently rip-off artists, since at least half the CDs I've bought by mail won't work. That's one reason I bought the new Ubuntu 8.10 DVD; unfortunately I don't like it much more than Vista, which isn't much. I haven't got a Slackware distro that will work on my current computer, the 10.1 setup apparently can't handle SATA disks.

[stewiecat]

Students get pretty hefty discounts from Apple (hundreds off). All you need is to prove that you're a current student.

Apple refurbs are also great, just got a new(er) mac book pro for 1350 (650 off).

[rdouble]

The Apple student discount isn't "hefty." They are a little less than 10%. Typically $100 off laptops less than $1500, $150 off $1500-$2000 and $200 off $2000. Late summer they usually throw in an iPod for free. It's not a bad deal overall, but refurbs are the way to go if you need a real discount.

[ekiru]

When last I got something with the discount, it was exactly 10%.