Mac OS X vs GNU Linux & FreeBSD

[Iker]

I am writing this subject for debate on solutions to implement for mounting services on the Internet; not to challenge the choice of MacG. Today, when I want to work on a server with different Internet services, I opt for a solution that runs on PC and Linux. This choice is motivated by the following points:

• The integration of Apache, PHP and MySQL is the hands down.
• Developers of open source solutions work mostly on GNU / Linux and I think we can legitimately assume that the tests are more mature.
• Security concerns are followed.
• No need to install software that is not needed. It's always potential security holes and less.
• It does not depend on the policy of a manufacturer.

To simplify my point, I'd say the only drawback I see a solution based on GNU / Linux and the required mastery of UNIX, if you own it, I do not see the value of a solution that runs on Mac OS X. Otherwise, things are changing.

[Wannabe]

In charge of Mac OS X, I would say:

1. System too recent and not widespread on the Web: Briefly, lack of perspective.
2. Tedious compile some software (but this is changing fast).
3. Apple's policy on security is not well known.
4. The XServe is no low end! Apple was used,but it is something anyway.

While the Xserve is a good machine, I am not alone in thinking that GNU / Linux is perhaps best suited. Finally, I did not say that Mac OS X is not successful. It is a system that I love. I am talking here only of servers that run on the internet and who are exposed to the public. I did not say that Mac OS X was unsafe. But I say that the low installed base does not pretend otherwise. Mac OS X Server as a good solution to the Internet?!!

[Zeverto]

It is clear that the solution to host the web stuff on the OS and Apple may seem a luxury for many. I find XServe, contrary to what you said, very competitive. Must still be compared to the roughly equivalent. The IBM xSeries are still very expensive compared. We had the choice of solutions much cheaper initially, and some Cobalt, but that problems! Even redundant power supplies arrived to slam together. For over a year, on thirty XServe we have, we are having fewer problems, almost none elsewhere. At the OS, although the Linux but are quickly amortized MacOS X Server is not so expensive (vs. Microsoft, for example). The side "unlimited" OS X Server is useless I will grant it to the web, but it is an OS that has the advantage of being complete and deployable soon: everything is there, PHP MySQL , Tomcat, Sendmail, etc.. If everything is going well, the tools "graphics" Remote Administration should expand. It is clear that at present, apart from the Comptroller of the XServe, which is not bad at all when we have a fleet, there's not much, and the command line is needed quickly. Certainly in these tools that will be born a difference. But one of the real reasons we chose to equip ourselves in Mac OS X is good. If we had only web hosting, our choice would be, as you say, questionable and luxurious. But we still need to put in place full of little robots, batch, roping, sniffers, daemons manufactured home.

[DarenHawk]

I never thought that having a reliable workhorse and was a luxury. But there are 1U PCs that are not bombs and very reliable too. Everything depends on the specification. Everybody does not develop its own tools. There are even dashboards OS X to shutdown / restart of MySQL, Apache 2 and Tomcat. Now, is that it does not Mac OS X (basic) level with your Linux solution? For the record, I have an Apache 2, PHP 4 and MySQL 4 running on my mac. I have compiled and it works properly.

[Mentos]

In addition, Mac OS X Server does not just offer services in more cities. There are very extensive administrative tools and it facilitates the lives of many people who maintain the system. That said, I prefer to break my head on a terminal server to control a GNU / Linux "by hand" rather than spending nights in the machine again because a dishonest massacred the server. These are things that exist, and must be taken into account. In fact in my answer I certainly did not want to say that a solution on Unix PC was worse or better than Unix on Mac, I do not claim nor the knowledge to support such an argument. What I really wanted to say is that there is a solution on Unix / Unix or PC / Mac, the problems would not be different given the structure of our system database that is mounted like a house of map and that causes crashes bases, large load increases at times.