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Comment by jackalope | Hacker News Reader

Great article, and it's nice to know there are more choices for package management on the Mac.

But, sadly:

Install Xcode from the Mac App Store...

This is the main reason why I've stopped using OS X and am installing Linux on the Macs I use personally. I know it's free and I have an Apple ID, but it really bothers me that Xcode is no longer included with the OS and is unavailable as an anonymous download.

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>it really bothers me that Xcode is no longer included with the OS and is unavailable as an anonymous download

Like before MAS, it's still available at: https://developer.apple.com/downloads/index.action

The latest version listed is Xcode 4.6 (1.6GB DMG) with Feb 21, 2013 release date.

But it still requires an Apple ID, and that's what bothers me. Xcode should be an optional install included with the OS or downloadable anonymously. After all, I need it to install free software with MacPorts/Homebrew/pkgsrc, so I don't think my position is unreasonable, even if it seems extreme or impractical. It's just the line I wouldn't cross myself. With Linux, I don't have to, so I'm enjoying the alternative while it still exists.

Seems somewhat over the top and unreasonable to me to be honest. If it was included only on the install dvd or disk image, it could be out of date or have known bugs that are fixed in other versions. Keeping it downloadable means llvm can be updated independent of the OS. Not sure why an id is so offensive to you.

Before Software Update was integrated with the Mac App Store, Xcode was an optional install from the DVD that was also freely and anonymously updated via Software Update (beginning with Snow Leopard, I believe). It allowed me to freely and anonymously use my computer in a way that I wanted, so requiring an Apple Id makes it feel like that freedom was taken away. Everyone has a line somewhere, and that was the one I couldn't cross. Why do I need Apple's permission to install Mutt? It seems crazy and, yes, offensive to me.

Where do you get apples permission to install mutt? They're only going for a developer id. Put in bogus information if you want.

I guess I don't see this as being a freedom issue at all. From my vantage it seems over the top. And this is from someone thats used linux since 1997ish and osx since whenever 10.3 was. Seems over reactionary to me.

In addition, if you don't need all of xcode, you can just use the 'command line tools' download. MUCH smaller (120MB ish).

May I ask what the big deal is? Halting all use of OS X because you can't download Xcode without a free Apple ID seems extreme.

Some people are.

I think this is a rediculous excuse not to use an OS.

Yeah that's a shame. I'll experiment with using just the Clang binaries[1] for OS X and update the post if I have any success.

[1] http://llvm.org/releases/download.html

use this https://github.com/kennethreitz/osx-gcc-installer/

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