[Ardour-Users] OSX vs Linux

[sonofzev at iinet.net.au]

>I need advise.
>
>A musician friend of mine wants to build a small home-studio.  Seeing my 
>setup he wants Adrour at the center of it all... (A good demo is a good 
>selling point :-) I'm running Linux (64 studio on a dual-core AMD PC) so 
>I suggest him Linux... But his wife being a Mac addict, and he, having 
>already used some Mac to do simple tasks (photo, video, drawing), wants 
>to go Mac.
>
>On Ardour site, in System Requirements, I read OS X and Linux. But I 
>need feedback from users of both camp...
>
>If he goes Linux I can help him with Ardour and the rest... But if he 
>goes Mac OS X, I have no clue and no time to learn yet another operating 
>"environment" to do simple task like update/install software, add/modify 
>hardware devices (disks, MIDI keyboard, dual-monitor, ...), modify 
>system parameters (dynamic CPU speed, PCI latency, ...), compile/link 
>source code, ...
>
>What is the easiest path? (I would add: ... the easiest path for me :-)
>
>-- 
>lucus


I use Ardour on an old PowerPC G4 and also a new AMD Phenom II triple core on
Linux. (but i have seen ardour on a 2 year old macbook.. running too)

My suggestion is, if your friend is not a Linux person, then for your sanities
sake, get a MAC.. All of the low level customisations (CPU speed PCI latency
e.t.c.) don't really need to be touched on a current system as will get excellent
performance (OS-X is compiled with full optimisations for the core2 cpu).... as
for monitors and hard drive setups, these are all very simple to do... 

MIDI support is trivial although you may have to install a driver here or there. 
Ardour configuration is pretty much the same.. 

Just make sure they get a 3-button mouse and all will be fine. 

Supporting someone elses linux unless you have full control of the system and
they have little.. is somewhat like hell.. This isn't a corporate desktop you are
proposing but a Personal Computer.. in which case they will want to make their
own customisations e.t.c... so you can't lock it down..