Not long ago, I wrote some articles comparing Linux to OS X and explaining where OS X outshined its fully-open-source cousin and where it didn't.  One advantage Apple's operating system has is the "Spotlight" search capability.  I pointed out that this search advantage, while somewhat significant, is also fleeting.  Microsoft has had something like this in the works since before Apple even announced it, and they'll likely include that with Windows Vista when it releases.  Linux also has something like it in the works, in the form of "Beagle".

I tested Beagle on Red Hat FC4 a while ago and was quite impressed with it.  I think it has the potential to be as close to OS X's Spotlight as any search tool could be without lifting OS X's proprietary source code.  Beagle is getting better all the time.

As I stated in the articles on Linux vs. OS X, I think that Linux will approach OS X's functionality and feature set over time.  I don't know how many developers Apple has working on OS X, and I doubt they'll tell us.  I figure there are at least as many working on Linux in some capacity or other, and they've got lots of help from the rest of the Linux community testing what they create.  To me, that means Linux will eventually catch up to Apple's much-vaunted ease of use and perhaps even surpass it someday.  (I don't think it's too far behind right now.)

Related Blogs:

• Boot an Intel Mac into Windows XP, with Apple's Blessing?
• Mac OS X "Tiger" vs. Linux, Part 10 - System Preferences
• Mac OS X "Tiger" vs. Linux, Part 12 - Application Install/Mgmt.
• Mac OS X "Tiger" vs. Linux, Part 13 - Spotlight vs. Linux Search
• Mac OS X "Tiger" vs. Linux, Part 14 - Conclusion

Related Links:

• Grabbing Impossible Mac OS X Screenshots
• Linux System Startup
• What is Darwin (Mac OS X)?
• What's in the Linux /etc directory?