Green, power reduction, and climate change are all the rage these days, and the world of computers is not off the hook on this one. Software and hardware manufacturers are trying hard to keep power consumption down - while first something for mostly mobile computers, desktops and servers are now part of the effort too. PC World tested Windows Server 2008 and two Linux server offerings and compared their power usage patterns.
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Member since:2005-07-07
So in order to get the same power saving benefits that I get for free with OS X, not only do I need to manually tweak the services that run, remove unwanted features, unload unneeded modules and analyze my power consumption via powertop, I need to roll my own distro!?
Thanks, but I think I'll pass.
Member since:2007-06-29
Apple has already rolled their own distro to only include the drivers and service need for their limited hardware spectrum. So, OSX will always perform in the best possible way on Apple hardware.
On the other hand, Ubuntu is made to run on most modern hardware. So, it is loaded with drivers and services to cover almost anything that it may encounter out in the wild within reason.
I'm not a betting man, but I would venture to guess that if OSX was made to run on off the shelf hardware that it would not perform as well as Ubuntu or any modern distro for that matter.
Member since:2007-09-06
"So in order to get the same power saving benefits that I get for free with OS X"
Did the Apple store not invoice you for the hardware and software license? I'm limited to only getting benefits from Apple that I pay for. Any way I could get in on that sweet deal you have going?
Member since:2007-04-06
My MBP, too, lasts considerably longer on OSX than either XP or Kubuntu 8.04
A more interesting, and perhaps fair, comparison would be a custom Linux distro vs OSX on a Hackintosh. Maybe one of those Psystar boxes. Suddendly OSX wouldn't be able to take advantage of all that custom (and in many cases, proprietary) firmware, etc.
I'd love to see the results from that - anyone?
Member since:2008-06-03
Same here....
I heard someone was releasing a OSX based tablet laptop. Dunno if it's out yet, but using that thing loaded with Leopard vs. a similar sized Fujitsu/NEC/Dell/HP laptop loaded with a custom build of Ubuntu/Kubuntu/Xubuntu would be a good comparo for power consumption..
My money's on the Linux one, though, coz I'm cheap.
Edited 2008-06-10 22:15 UTC
Member since:
2007-06-29
Remember that with a MacBook, Apple has designed both the OS and the hardware to work together. I bet that if you rolled your own version of Linux targeting your exact hardware you could possibly surpass the power efficiency of OSX on it's native hardware.
just my 2 cents...