Interoperability

[tinyjo]

Given that I've decided that my next laptop purchase is going to be a Mac, does that affect my decision re what op system to run on my server? Do Macs play nicely with a Windows network? (They claim to, but do they really?). Alex's computer is running Windows, so I suppose it's a question of what's more difficult - getting a Windows computer to play nicely on a Linux network or getting a Mac to play nicely on a Windows network? Also, I suppose it would be quite cool to have the server running Linux because then I'd have access to all 3 op systems at home for testing purposes...

Update: cross-posted to macosx as per jintys suggestion

Comments

[jinty]

The macosx community is a good one to ask this sort of question in -- there is a lot of knowledge about networking, interoperability, MacOSXServer, etc. Quite a few are people who've either switched or use a number of different kinds of operating system, including *nix.

[entirelysonja.livejournal.com]

What do you mean by "play nicely on a windows network"? What kind of services are you looking to share with the server?

[tinyjo.livejournal.com]

I want to connect to the internet using the server as the gateway. And possibly fileshare. Not much else, I don't think.

My mac is happy enuf

[damiancugley.livejournal.com]

My powerbook 12" uses the same file share that Jeremy's NT box does (which is in fact hosted by my Linux box). That's how Jeremy and I exchange files between these and the ancient Mac Performa the scanner is plugged in to.

Ariel (the PowerBook) gets its internet connection via the Linux box, too -- through standad Unix routing. It reads the WWW via my caching proxy in the usual way. All the standard IP, TCP, HTTP, etc., stuff works as standard (because these ARE open standards).

I have not as yet persuaded it to use my printer (I have been trying to get old-style LPR printing to work). Allegedly Panther (the next iteration of Mac OS X) improves Windows network support for printing.

My mac is happy enuf

[tinyjo.livejournal.com]

Good lord! Where did you spring from :)