One word: Abacus.

Seriously though, go with a Mandriva or an SuSE. You can make any of them look however you want.

You can use Ubuntu as well. Nobody is forcing you to use the command line but you will have to spend hours with the GUI in order to do the most simple task you would do in 1 sec in the command line.

I didn't get your scale between windows, mac and Linux (like the <--windows--macos--Linux-->). You can't compare linux to macOS or to windows. MacOS can be compared to Windows because the systems have common traits. Linux is quite different, it is another world. It describes something much more wide than proprietary operating systems. You can use it like a macos or a windows but you loose all the benefit of linux. Just use openOffice and firefox from the gnome menus and never open a terminal.

mrclisdue --- try KAMASUTRA LINUX

OP gone---we wore him out.
Or maybe he's studying up on how to use the CLI.....

Next!! Next customer step up please......

"LinuxQuestions.org - where Linux users come for help" .... and ridicule.

lol! I can honestly say that this has been one of the most entertaining threads I have read on this board for a while.

Install any version of Linux than modify the GUI to look like Mac OS X
http://www.sumedhk.com/articles/appl...-linux-kde.htm

i'm still missing something i guess
mach microkernel with a little bsd (VFS file system and networking) thrown in to make it not micro because micro sucks.
mach device drivers.



apple OSX is NeXTSTEP plain and simple seems to me
"BSD under the hood" is just plain "BS under the hood"

I don't want to make my new system LOOk my my mac, i really could care less what it looks like. I want to make it PRODUCTIVE for a mac user. That means having the behaviors I'm accustomed to, without having to change 22 years of habits. I don't want to have to retrain my fingers to go to the key to the far left of the keyboard instead of the key next to the spacebar when I want to copy or paste. I don't want to accidently close a window because the close box is in the position I expect to find the zoom box. I don't want to spend hours trying to figure out how to get work done, I want to GET WORK DONE.

I won't have a weeks to get my machine setup and ready for use, I will have an hour or maybe 2, then I need to be ready to GET WORK DONE.

There are tons of distributions that do that for those coming from Windows, such as Linspire or Xandros, but what they do to accommodate those familiar with Windows, creates obstacles for those of us who are mac users. So of the thousands of distributions out arent ANY of them are designed to put the former Mac user at ease?

I would love to get feedback from people who have actually used a Mac, and know what I'm talking about. If you have never used a Macintosh, more than casually, you are UNQUALIFIED to meaningfully contribute to this thread.

Darth;
Perhaps you could repeat the original question. I, for one, have lost sight of what your issue is....

You want to avoid CLI? Not going to happen.
You want Linux to make the transition easy for Mac users? Maybe valid, but Linux does not try to make it HARD....
You think the Linux community tends to worry more about Windows converts thatn Mac converts? maybe so, but hardly surprising...

Linux is different--from Windows, from Mac, from lots of things. Some ways better, some ways a bit more primitive.

How can we help you make choices that will be good for you?

PS: Most of the good advice already given here could easily have come from someone who had never even SEEN a Mac.

I'm not trying to avoid the command line as I said before, I use the command line for some things. What I'm trying to avoid is needing to spend time in forums like this, searching the web for answers, reading MAN pages and figuring out how to translate them from geek to english. I'm trying to avoid spending time working on my system instead of doing work using my system. I am trying to avoid waisting time, and getting stuck, and needing to ask advice on an ongoing basis (In the 22 years I've been a mac user I have spent a no more than an hour a year, learning how to do things on my system.) I'm trying to avoid slowing down my work because I have to rethink how to do things and correct errors cause by falling into old habits. I'm trying to avoid cursing my employers open source only policy.

And in doing that, as an added bonus, I would like to get as much as possible of the smooth, responsive feel, that I'm used to with my Mac. I have played a little with older versions of KDE and Gnome in the past, from what I could tell Gnome did a whole lot better than KDE at this.

OK---so what can we do for you???

This means: MAC ... out, Windows ... out, Solaris ... out. Darn near everything EXCEPT Linux ... out. I'd suggest you use what everybody ELSE in this company is using (unless for some bizarre reason YOU are the only one who is subject to these limitations). Since you're going to be needing help at some point since you can't use your MAC skills, might as well get that help from the locals, by using what they use. Sounds like you want a Linux distro that is better than Windows, better than or identical to a MAC, and even better than Linux itself. All without having to learn anything new. I'm a bit skeptical that you'll ever find that anywhere. Your employer is your employer. What they say goes ... or you should. I'm not exactly thrilled when I have to dual boot my Debian box back to Windows and fire up IE, just so I can access some company webpage that is IE-only. But such is life when a company is paying you to be there.

Did you ever try Enlightenment (Looks better than anything else without loosing to much performance).
The easiest way to get a full GNU/Linux running enlightenment is IMO using a beta Ebuntu system(=ubuntu base + the latest Enlightenment):
https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Ebuntu

Maybe accomplishing what you need could be as simple as a custom keyboard mapping. What you're asking makes sense to me now. Just as there are Windows specific keys on most keyboards, Macs have their own special keys. A lifetime's use of these keys can be an almost impossible habit to break. So you're right - why break them.

How about this for a solution - use a Mac keyboard and map the keys to perform the functionality you desire. Then the distro you use becomes unimportant. (Can you plug a Mac keyboard into a PC?) The keyboard programming may take some time, but look on the bright side - you only have to do it once. Come to think of it, I'd be surprised if you couldn't find and download one all set to go.

I don't have a great deal of experience customizing the GUI except in XFCE. But I think XFCE already has a Mac skin. Or you could use the farslayer's link to make the distro look and act Mac-like. The hardware specs you gave should be ample to run KDE smoothly.

Between a genuine Mac keyboard and compatible mapping as well as presenting a familiar interface, you should be productive right out of the gates {pun intended}.
+-+-+-+
Edit: Apparently you can use a Mac keyboard - http://www.linuxquestions.org/questi...p?postid=85338

They're right. I'm still fairly new to Linux and I've realized that the command line is about 1,000 more powerful than pretty much any GUI feature...
If you get good with the command line then there's not a thing you can't do.
Command line is definitely king.

Good Luck.