Macintosh-Linux networking, an Apple user's perspective

I started dabbling with Linux in the fall of 2004.  I did it more to learn what all the fuss was about than anything else.  I did get pretty excited about it for a while and even paid for some SUSE upgrades. 

When Tiger came out in May of 2005, I thought maybe SUSE was the way to go.  I was pretty enthusiastic about it.  Unfortunately either my skills were not up to the task or the SUSE upgrade process needed some help because I eventually fell off a cliff.  Ubuntu's Breezy Badger came to my rescue.

Since my first experiences with Mac-Linux networking things have improved a lot.  In my tradition of Saturday afternoon system engineering (the wind is blowing too hard to go boating), I decided to see how hard it would be to share files between my G5 desktop running Tiger and my Zonbu Linux computer.

It turned out to be a piece of cake.  This is the screen which I started with on the Zonbu.  All I did was click the two check boxes and hit Apple.  Zonbu had figured out the computer name and picked up the default "Workgroup" name which I suspect came from turning on Windows networking on my Mac.

I then when to my Mac and did a "Connect to server" and used the "Browse servers" function.  This is the screen that I got.  I supplied my credentials and instantly I was looking at files that are on my Zonbu.

This is actually pretty easy networking for passing around a few files.  I can remember the days of "sneaker net" when we ran around with floppies.  I often travel with some files on a tiny USB drive, but most of the time when I am moving files around for my self I just email them to myself as long as they are not large ones.

I will continue to play with my Zonbu and to use my Windows "real estate" box, but the Macs will handle the heavy lifting for the foreseeable future.

It's warm and windy on the Crystal Coast this Saturday before Easter.

May everyone have a wonderful Easter. 

I heard Caribou, Maine just set a season record for snowfall.  My sympathies go out to those folks. 

When I lived in New Brunswick, I always believed the temperatures in Caribou were nearly identical to ours in Tay Creek.