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  1. Stackups
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  4. Operating Systems
  5. Centos vs Mac OS X

Centos vs Mac OS X

OverviewDecisionsComparisonAlternatives

Overview

CentOS
CentOS
Stacks13.8K
Followers9.0K
Votes53
Mac OS X
Mac OS X
Stacks288
Followers196
Votes2

Centos vs Mac OS X: What are the differences?

Differences between Centos and Mac OS X

Centos and Mac OS X are two popular operating systems that have significant differences in terms of features and functionalities. Here are six key differences between Centos and Mac OS X:

  1. Kernel: Centos is based on the Linux kernel, while Mac OS X uses the Unix-based Darwin kernel. The difference in kernel architecture leads to variations in system management, hardware support, and overall performance.

  2. Package Managers: Centos uses the yum package manager, which provides convenience for software package installation and updates. On the other hand, Mac OS X uses the Homebrew package manager, making it easier to install third-party software and libraries.

  3. Desktop Environment: Centos primarily uses GNOME as its default desktop environment, providing a classic and straightforward user interface. In contrast, Mac OS X offers a unique and visually appealing desktop environment known as macOS, which focuses on ease of use and aesthetic design.

  4. Software Compatibility: Centos is well-known for its compatibility with a wide range of enterprise software and server applications. Mac OS X, on the other hand, is more focused on providing a seamless user experience with extensive compatibility with multimedia, design, and productivity software.

  5. Hardware Support: Centos is designed to function on a variety of hardware configurations, making it more versatile in terms of hardware support. In contrast, Mac OS X is exclusively developed to run on Apple's own hardware, limiting its compatibility to Apple devices only.

  6. Cost: Centos is an open-source operating system and is available for free to download and use. In contrast, Mac OS X is a proprietary operating system that comes pre-installed on Apple devices and requires purchasing an Apple computer to access its features and functionalities.

In summary, Centos and Mac OS X differ in terms of kernel, package managers, desktop environment, software compatibility, hardware support, and cost. These differences make each operating system suitable for different purposes, such as Centos for servers and enterprise applications, while Mac OS X excels in multimedia and design-oriented tasks.

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Advice on CentOS, Mac OS X

Jerome/Zen
Jerome/Zen

Software Engineer

Aug 2, 2020

Decided

Global familiarity, free, widely used, and as a debian distro feels more comfortable when rapidly switching between local macOS and remote command lines.

CentOS does boast quite a few security/stability improvements, however as a RHEL-based distro, differs quite significantly in the command line and suffers from slightly less frequent package updates. (Could be a good or bad thing depending on your use-case and if it is public facing)

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Detailed Comparison

CentOS
CentOS
Mac OS X
Mac OS X

The CentOS Project is a community-driven free software effort focused on delivering a robust open source ecosystem. For users, we offer a consistent manageable platform that suits a wide variety of deployments. For open source communities, we offer a solid, predictable base to build upon, along with extensive resources to build, test, release, and maintain their code.

It brings new features inspired by its most powerful users, but designed for everyone. Stay better focused on your work in Dark Mode. Automatically organize files using Stacks.

Statistics
Stacks
13.8K
Stacks
288
Followers
9.0K
Followers
196
Votes
53
Votes
2
Pros & Cons
Pros
  • 16
    Stable
  • 9
    Reliable
  • 9
    Free to use
  • 6
    Has epel packages
  • 6
    Good support
Cons
  • 1
    Yum is a horrible package manager
Pros
  • 1
    Stability
  • 1
    Elegant, Minimalist look
Cons
  • 2
    Expensive if you don't want to break the EULA
  • 1
    Even less customization

What are some alternatives to CentOS, Mac OS X?

Ubuntu

Ubuntu

Ubuntu is an ancient African word meaning ‘humanity to others’. It also means ‘I am what I am because of who we all are’. The Ubuntu operating system brings the spirit of Ubuntu to the world of computers.

Debian

Debian

Debian systems currently use the Linux kernel or the FreeBSD kernel. Linux is a piece of software started by Linus Torvalds and supported by thousands of programmers worldwide. FreeBSD is an operating system including a kernel and other software.

Arch Linux

Arch Linux

A lightweight and flexible Linux distribution that tries to Keep It Simple.

Fedora

Fedora

Fedora is a Linux-based operating system that provides users with access to the latest free and open source software, in a stable, secure and easy to manage form. Fedora is the largest of many free software creations of the Fedora Project. Because of its predominance, the word "Fedora" is often used interchangeably to mean both the Fedora Project and the Fedora operating system.

Linux Mint

Linux Mint

The purpose of Linux Mint is to produce a modern, elegant and comfortable operating system which is both powerful and easy to use.

Linux

Linux

A clone of the operating system Unix, written from scratch by Linus Torvalds with assistance from a loosely-knit team of hackers across the Net. It aims towards POSIX and Single UNIX Specification compliance.

CoreOS

CoreOS

It is designed for security, consistency, and reliability. Instead of installing packages via yum or apt, it uses Linux containers to manage your services at a higher level of abstraction. A single service's code and all dependencies are packaged within a container that can be run on one or many machines.

Gentoo Linux

Gentoo Linux

It is a free operating system based on either Linux or FreeBSD that can be automatically optimized and customized for just about any application or need.

Alpine Linux

Alpine Linux

Alpine Linux is a security-oriented, lightweight Linux distribution based on musl libc and busybox.

Manjaro

Manjaro

It is an accessible, friendly, open-source Linux distribution and community. Based on Arch Linux, it provides all the benefits of cutting-edge software combined with a focus on getting started quickly, automated tools to require less manual intervention, and help readily available when needed.

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