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This article is part 3 of an ongoing series of articles on this site comparing Apple Mac OS X 10.4 "Tiger" to Red Hat Linux Fedora Core 4 (FC4). (The previous article is here.) The point of this comparison is not to say that one OS or the other is "better" but rather to point out the differences and indicate where an artist who previously used Mac OS X 10.4 would find Linux to be easier, harder, or the same to use as the Mac. See the introduction article for more information and links to the other articles in the series. Although the focus of this series is on the needs of designers, artists, and content creators, the content should be relevant to any number of Mac users or Linux users. This time around we'll examine:
* Calculator
* Music players
* PDF Viewing
Where appropriate, we'll compare and contrast the functionality provided in Tiger and FC4.
Calculator Applet
Most operating systems include a calculator application that mimics the functionality of a handheld electronic calculator. These are handy for calculating a price, figuring out the surface area of something, etc. Both OS X and Linux contain calculator software. Here's what OS X has to offer:
Apple's calculator also has basic, scientific, and programmer modes. It can save a "paper tape" of its actions to a file, work in RPN mode, and do unit conversions for area, currency, and other measurements. It can also "speak" the results of calculations for you.
The Red Hat calculator has basic, advanced, financial, and scientific modes. While it does not do the "programmer" functions of OS X's calculator, OS X's calculator doesn't do the financial functions that the RHFC4 calculator does. Red Hat's calculator looks like this:
If a Mac artist switching to Linux had a regular need for a programmer's calculator, Red Hat FC4's lack of one would be an issue. Outside of artists working in game programming or something equally technical, this would be a minor deficiency. It should also be noted that there are programmers' calculators available for Linux, and one could be downloaded and installed fairly easily (and at no cost).
Music Playing
This is a tougher functionality to compare. Apple provides iTunes with OS X, which is more than a simple music player. iTunes handles synchronization with the iPod, allows music to be purchased online, rips Audio CDs into your library, and more.
On the Linux side of the fence, there is a lot more choice. Red Hat FC4 has the CD Player, Music Player, Sound Juicer, and Helix Player. Each of these plays a different set of music file formats and provides slightly different functionality. None of them will let you buy music through iTunes.
The iTunes software supports a smaller subset of file formats, and some of these are proprietary to Apple. The Linux software probably does not support the proprietary formats (but since I don't have any Apple DRM-laden AAC files, I can't say), but overall supports more formats than iTunes. On the other hand, the Linux software can't buy music from iTunes or sync with an iPod. There are, however, unofficial and "not endorsed by Apple" solutions for doing both of these. Again, this should not be a barrier for a Mac user moving to Linux.
PDF Viewing
Adobe Acrobat PDF files are used quite frequently in business and art. OS X creates PDF files natively and displays them using its "Preview" application. That application is pretty basic and simple:
Adobe offers a free Acrobat PDF Reader for OS X and Linux. In addition, Linux includes the KPDF application, which can also view PDF files.
Both OS X and Linux include "GhostScript" (a PostScript clone) that can be used to generate PDF files from "ordinary" documents without purchasing additional software. Both view PDF files with equal ease using their Adobe Reader (optional download) or their a non-Adobe viewer. Again a Mac user should be able to find the basic functionality needed on Linux and it is equally easy to work with.
Next Time...
In the next installment of this series, we'll look at bundled email clients and compare Apple's Mail, iCal, and Address Book to Red Hat FC4's bundled "Evolution" client.
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