Is Mac OS X a viable developer platform?

OS X isn't a mature enough environment relaitive to PCs. Focus on how OS X can thrive in the corporate world (home users obviously don't need help): for example, Active Directory integration (other then LDAP) and how we may take advantage of it, JavaScript and Flash inter-communication and its workarounds, getting MS Windows Media Player 9 codecs to work on OS X....how to make MS Exchange pages Mac-accessible, and so forth. Don't get me wrong - I'm a PC user and will stay a PC user, but as a web developer I see all those roadblocks involving a portion of potential clients.

OSX is a top-class implementation of Unix with a 10+ year pedigree of BSD and Mach, ships with Apache running and numerous open standards.

What's more, is after 20 years in the business -- having Macs at home, and (since say 1994) using PCs at work -- OSX made me enjoy personal computing again.

OSX is actually the best 'lead' platform for Linux development and I think it should be treated as such.

Having already used Windows for several years, I had
way too many problems with stability, speed and
reliabilty. I dumped Windows overnight and switched
to Mac OS. It wasn't all that hard to find compatable
programs, it is far more stable and reliable, and it
runs and processes faster. For web development,
Mac OSX is the best alternative, with Apache built in,
Perl, MySQL, and CGI all available as well. I am far
better off with Mac and do not intend to go back.
So it would be nice to see articles and quick tips on all
of that, and listings of new apps that are out there and
are designed for Mac OSX. They are out there, and
many more get developed or updated every week.

I'm getting my first Mac this week. After having developed on Windows and Linux platforms for appx. 4 years, I am extremely excited to see what this OS can do.
I would love to see more Builder.com coverage of this platform, especially for newbies like me.

With the UNIX/BSD and GCC underpinnings, a wide variety of Linux and Mac development platforms and Virtual PC, a Mac OS X machine offers the best of all worlds. I can develop a cross platform Mac, Linux and Windows app (and test them) all on the same reliable box.

A lot of people are starting to look at the Mac in the same way, even Slashdot now talks about macs and a lot of slashdotters use them.

I think builder.com should cover setting up apache and mysql on a mac (its included!), lookat java on the mac, look at web design and deveopment tools and techniques, look at C++, the fink project, X11, ...

>> Is Mac OS X a development environment
>> Builder.com should be addressing with tools >> and articles?
Yes, it is a pleasant platform for Unix development.

>> What should Builder.com cover with regard to
>> Mac OS X?
Differences BSD UNIXand OS X.