What do people think of Os X as a flavor of Unix?  Do you think BSD is
implemented well under Os X?  How about security, stability, etc?  I just
purchued an ibook 900 640mb 40gig Os 10.2.4.  I love it so far in being
able to issue Unix comands like top, having acess to old friends like
Pine, yet also being able to run Mozilla, Photoshop, Final Cut, etc.  I
did try mandrake Linux 8.0 a couple off years aago and found KDE and Gnome
not ready for prime time for productive gui use which is too bad beecause
I really like the gnu/free software concept.  Anyway what do you think of
Os X? Any advice or tips for Os X newbies?

17 responses total.

I like OS X;  I've had an iBoo for about 1.5 years with it.  The only thing
I don't like is that a coupel of my favorite Linux apps are
difficult/impossible to run under OS.  So I dual-boot Linux (Yellow Dog Linux)
which works really well.

I thought it was possible to run an x server over the mach kernel, then
BSD/Linux apps can be compiled for Os X?  I thought that's how they got
the gimp running on Os X.  Is the directory structure too different to
directly complile Linux apps even with the X server. Curious minds want to
know. 

It's a window manager issue.  Apple does have a beta release of an X11 window
manager which can then be used for apps which require X11, but I haven't
figured it out yet.  Plus I'd still like to run Linux anyway, even though OS
X is very nice.

I've run the Darwin X11 implementation, on 10.1, because Terminal did not
include click-and-drag between windows.  On 10.2, it does, so I've stopped
using X, even though it is still installed.  I'm currently running 10.2.6.

I like that it is multi-user, even if I never log off.  (We've three
iBooks in the house, so there is no sharing, even though we can in a pinch:
everyone has an account on all three machines.)

I've not yet installed mh; when I do that, I can do just about everything
on my laptop.

Here is an interesting article on installing xfree for Ox X, fink and then
the gimp:

http://www.creativemac.com/2002/12_dec/tutorials/thegimp021231.htm

I would do it but it's a lot of files to download over dialup.  Someone
should stick them all on a cd for us on the dirt roads of internet access.

Is there any way to turn on vt100 emulation on OsX's term app so my
backspace key will work?  Any other interesting OsX tips?

I think my solution was to change the backspace key in my 'dot' files on the
remote hosts.

I'm just in the habit of using the "bs" command (on Grex) to dynamically
switch the backspace character.  Guess I'm too lazy to actually fix my dot
file for the most common client (Linux "konsole" or OS X terminal) in my
regular Grexing.

bs works great for now thanks Scott. I discovered what seems to be
questionable security setting on Os X. sudo is set to use your intial
given logins password to grant root permission.  If someone
discovers your login and password for your user account you are rooted.  i
wonder why they don't havee you assign a seperate password to sudo upon
configuring your computer?  Also I noticee Os X is configured wwith root
access disables except for sudo.  I guess this is too keep newbies from
erasing system files.  have ya'll enables root access? I did read how to
and I'm debating whether i sshould since I don't do any programming and
I'm not running any sservers or doing network admin.  Any good reason
other than that to turn on root access?

Hmmm according to what I have been reading sudo is supposed to use the
users password to gain root access for commands.  I suppose the idea here
in Os X is to give users some level of control over their system withouut
making setup too complicated? Clever I guess as long as no one gets your
admin level single user password. 

How is an attacker supposed to get your password?  And why would that
method not also work for the root password?

I enabled root on my machine and found it to be more trouble than it was
worth, especially when I forgot the root password.  So I went back to
using sudo.

A suggestion:  Create two accounts, one with admin privileges and one
without, then use the unprivileged account, logging in to the other ONLY
when, and for as long as, admin privileges are needed.  This will give
you the advantages of separate passwordes, one rarely used, and of sudo.

I enabled root.  Mostly I just use it in the terminal window to read logs and
fix perms and such.

If someone has console access to your machine there are all kinds of
things they can do.  I think this is only an issue if you allow remote
connections (via ssh or similar.)

But then, I have my RedHat Linux system at home set up to automatically
log in as my user account on boot, without any password at all. ;)

I do have the firewall activated and no services running so I am probably just
being paranoid. :)

While going through some (relatively) old mail, I found this:

Date: Wed, 23 Jul 2003 10:02:17 -0400
From: John M Hickey Jr <hickey@apple.com>
To: macosx@umich.eduSubject: [macsig] Security - Root on Client

Team-
        I have been asked a number times in the past few days about
enabling root access on end user "client" machines.  "The UNIX 'root'
account permits total control over the system, which is why security attacks
typically target this account. In Mac OS X, the root account is disabled by
default and instead sets you up as the 'Administrator' role. This default
configuration guards against hackers taking control of your system. In
addition, Mac OS X uses the timetested UNIX permissions model to protect
user data from other users on the computer or on the network."[1]

        In order to maintain a higher level of security for the general
user base I recommend that root not be enabled.  As with all things there
are exceptions, but this would be a good starting point to work from.

-John

Additional information on Security and MacOS X:
[1] http://www.apple.com/macosx/technologies/security.html

So it looks like 'root' is disabled to prevent User A getting access to
User B's files.  If there is no User B, the issue is moot.

Thanks that does clarify things.  Any other comments on the Unixy aspects of
Os X?  How about the non Unixy aspects?  Any good recomended programs?  i
am enjoying Safari and Poisoned (a file haring client if you are intto
such things), plus having access to Photoshop and Pagemaker, and I like
the way itunes catalogs music.  All in all I am a happy camper with Os X
esp. considering my last Os was Windoze Me which was bad eveen by
Microsoft standards.  I also tried 2000 better but not perfect.  Any
comparisons between XP and os X.  Just curious because I havee never used
Xp for any extended period of time.

Re: #13. ugh, David.

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