In my mind, Unix-like operating systems run on "boxes", "workstations", or "servers", depending on how they're being used. Of course, with Unix, it could be all three at once.

But when you're talking about Unix, there's almost no point in relating the OS with the hardware it runs on; there's too many possibilities to fixate the OS to one type of system.

I just called mine Linux Computer or Linux Box. While i see your point, and it has crossed my mind many times, it is true that the orginial intent of naming computers "PC's" was an abreviation of Personal Computer and Power Computer when refering to the Intel based ones. The same is said for Macs which were strictly bounded to Apple's hardware and while they now use intel processors they still require some Macintosh Specific hardware to run.

OS X doesn't need MacIntosh specific hardware to run. I have it running on an MSI k8n-neo4 platinum with a AMD64 3700+ with no problems. So is it a PC or a Mac? Both? I just call mine, my SlackBox and GentooBox.

The term PC or "Personal Computer" was coined by IBM when they introduced their first personal use computer in 1981. The intel processor was used because IBM obtained the rights to manufacture their chips. Back in those days there was Commodore, Atari, Radioshack, Heathkit, and Zenith building different computers besides IBM and Apple. Nowdays IMO the term PC refers to Intel/windows compatable computers.

Mac is shorthand for Macintosh, it is just a name and nothing to do with the OS. There have been many models since the first one was introduced in 1984. It used the Motorola 68000 processor.

I thought the term for anything with a Unix/Unix-like OS on it was a "box"...

ie: Linux box, Solaris box, AIX box, NetBSD box, etc.

just for fun...
tuxbox (think of the possibilities do you run fluxbox on your tux box )

what about

Gnumerator

Tuxerator

It's a box.

A friend of mine's wife calls his Slackware box his desktop mistress, because she says he spends more time with it than with her... Yes, really, a "friend" of mine.

I think I'll just call it a computer running GNU/Linux, Linux for short.

I also have a "friend" who is exactly like that!!

As soon as I saw this thread (before I even read it), I thought it's gotta be "Tux." "Do you use a [Windows] PC or a Mac?" "I use a Tux."

Maybe I'm just weird but I think that sounds kinda catchy.

I just call it a box, sometimes a machine. What about all the dual-booters out there? What category do they fall under?

To be exact, UNIX runs on "hosts," not "servers."

UNIX/Linux run on too many different platforms, it's impossible to place them all under one category. AIX runs on PowerPC, HP-UX on PA-RISC and Itanium, Solaris on SPARC and Intel, QNX Neutrino on Intel/PowerPC/SH4...

I think they have the same dilemma when running windows on a mac.

Salesman: So do you have a pc?
customer: no I have a Mac!
S.:Sorry, we do not support OS-X.
C.:Oh, I do not run OS-X, I run Windows mostly.
S.:So you've got a PC?
C.:No, well yes, but no....

I think it depends on what you run on the box most of the time, if you're a windows user who once or twice a week boot up into linux to try it out, then you've got a windows PC. But if you run Linux as your main desktop, and only use windows for some gaming or app X, then you've got a windows compatible box of tux.