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Mr. Bob · Dec 12, 2003, 07:31 PM

Ok, I am still pretty new to the whole Apple thing, I started looking at an powerbook and am thinking about switching. I have one major question about UNIX in OSX. Can I really run just about any Unix application on my powerbook with osx? "e.g. go to freshmeat.net and get a *nix application" and just run it on my powerbook? Also, is the shell just like Unix or is there some subtle differences that I didn�t see while jazzing around with it "I am still very new to Unix, but need to start getting into it for my college major". Overall how is the Unix'ness on OSX.

Again thanks for the help.

Developer · Dec 12, 2003, 07:54 PM

You might want to ask in the Unix forum here.

http://fink.sourceforge.net/

MacGorilla · Dec 12, 2003, 08:08 PM

Okay, first you can't just run any app you find on Freshmeat. At the minimum it would need to be recompiled to run. Like Developer said, fink.sf.net has an awesome package system thats easy to use and powerful.

Now how Unixy is Mac OS X? well, its pretty Unixy. Its not like Linux or Solaris. Linux is based on different DNA than Mac OS X. Solaris is closer is Mac OS X but its still a different beast.

Mac OS X is based on the Mach nanokernel and BSDLite 4.4. Its closest relative is FreeBSD.

So in short, if you are going to do Unix work in college, Mac OS X will serve you well.

Mac OS X's default shell is now bash. In 10.0 to 10.2 it was tcsh.

mitchell_pgh · Dec 12, 2003, 08:16 PM

As others have said, OS X is very much like Unix, but there are differences, especially with the file structure tree...

If you are trying to learn how to program like a pro, everything is similar, C is the base of all programming (let the other tell you what you want, but it's the springboard to other programming languages).

Shell scripting is very similar.

Compared to Windows, OS X, Linux, Unix, Solaris... all very similar...

Once you get a handle for the command line, it's hard to go back.

Moonray · Dec 12, 2003, 08:20 PM

In short: You get a 'normal' Unix called Darwin. It's based on BSD 5 so theoretically you can run just about any Unix application in OS X. Of course you can't install any 386-rpms you find on freshmeat.

The ways are either to get the sources and compile and install the applications yourself which is often possible without running into problems, or you get help compiling from systems like opendarwin or fink.

In addition to that there are a number of Unix GUI-applications being ported to Aqua (OS X GUI) as well.

Maybe you would like to read more at http://www.apple.com/macosx/features/unix/. Here on MacNN is also an Unix forum.

I find the unixness great. All I miss is a better standard for package managing, but it will come, sooner or later.

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DaGuy · Dec 12, 2003, 11:46 PM

I've used SunOS, Solaris and HP-UX. I wouldn't trade my Panther for any of them. The Unixness is legit no fraud or wannabe. Even X11 looks better and works great!

redwood · Dec 13, 2003, 11:40 PM

I have to agree with DaGuy. There's nothing "fake" about OS X. It's basically a BSD type unix, however you want to cut it up at the end fo the day, if you have the developer tools installed you can go and get almost any software and compile it and run it.

Just like a linux binary (pre-compiled) will not run on solaris, same thing with BSD, so you do have to compile and most autoconfig (./configure) scripts even recognize "darwin/PPC/OS X" now.

I've been a sysadmin on solaris/HP and other BSDs for 10 years now and just like DaGuy I wouldn't trade my panther for anything. It's the basis for all my other work on unix-type systems.