Someone here using any other OS than Win/Mac/Linux?

Hi there,

due to the pretty unfortunate but widely accepted naming of this subforum and the poll right around the corner [1] I'm curious if there are any users in these forums who use something else than the "big three" (assuming that Linux* can be called "big" itself), i.e. BSD, Solaris, Haiku or something completely different I didn't think of.
I'm mainly asking for desktop users who actually use the system, not only play with it in VMs. But since I'd like to have some answers at all, anybody else is welcome too, no matter if he's running his own server instead of a desktop or just a VM to play with it.

I was an OpenSolaris user for some time. It never was my primary OS, but I actually used it and I still have some secondary installations for testing and cross checking. Unfortunately I don't see a big future for the project under the current circumstances.
I also tried some of the BSDs, mainly the FreeBSD family. While I'm a little bit too lazy for a pure FreeBSD, I pretty much liked DesktopBSD and TrueBSD which unfortunately are discontinued. Frankly I don't like PC-BSD very much because it's pretty bloated.
I think I'll soon give Debian/kFreeBSD a try. One thing is for sure, BSD users have the best sense of humor [2].

*) Take it as the collection of distributions in this context, not as the kernel.

[1] http://forum.notebookreview.com/lin.../502162-how-many-people-solely-use-linux.html
[2] NYCBSDCon 2006 - BSD is Dying

 

Used to use FreeBSD but not anymore.
Feature is a important factor and in this aspect BSD lags Linux by a huge margin.
The corporation (read: Apple) free use of BSD codebase under BSD License without returning anything remotely useful (opencl is their agenda not a feature) back to the community is a major turnoff.

 

I tried Solaris for a while just for fun, but I didn't like it enough so I took it off.

 

PC-BSD is one of the only minority operating systems that seems to keep pace with the OSS community, relatively speaking. Even then it isn't recommended for those expecting the latest and greatest.

 

I flip the bits manually with a magnet. Who needs an OS?

 

I've always meant to try out OpenSolaris, but haven't got round to it. I know nothing about it apart from the name and I'd like it to succeed because I got into linux from UNIX and Solaris was my first flavour.

 

I used OpenSolaris, and I may run OpenIndiana soon.

OpenSolaris is the opensource distribution of Solaris

 

Solaris, MS-DOS, DR-DOS and of all things Q-basic in some embedded controllers

 

I know some people who use BSD because Linux has no kernel mode ZFS support (and most likely never will).

So I guess we have already worked out the strengths and weaknesses of GPL and BSDL.

Pfff! Magnets. I use my finger nails.

At first sight OpenSolaris looks pretty much like a random Linux distribution with Gnome. You'll only notice differences when you want to install software (although they even have Synaptic) or access the console.

I didn't realize that those were actually still in use. Thanks for the update!

fyi:
This site provides a good overview on various OpenSolaris distributions:
http://genunix.org/

 

As for Q asked, i also use IBM Aix and HP HP-UX, but only on servers.
Since this is laptop forums i gotta say no.

 

I lawled something fierce

I have too, but I just haven't had gotten around to it.

 

I've used Solaris on Sun workstations with SPARC processors at both universities I went to. Aside from being on hardware that has no business on desktops, I liked it. It is really cool to be able to treat the computer as your own in a multi-user, multi-computer environment. Even the browser's cache was still there every time I logged in.

 

I put NetBSD on my Vaio U3, most linux install CDs die so NetBSD worked and well at that.

 

I've never run anything but Windows and Linux. I guess I'm not adventurous.

Back in my distro-hopping days I would have been tempted but these days I just don't have the time to futz around for fun.

 

I'm not using it yet cus it's still in alpha stage but I look forward to using React OS. It will be a Free Windows XP clone that will run all your apps that work on windows. Even Games

Frontpage - ReactOS Website

" ReactOS® is a free, modern operating system based on the design of Windows® XP/2003. Written completely from scratch, it aims to follow the Windows-NT® architecture designed by Microsoft from the hardware level right through to the application level. This is not a Linux based system, and shares none of the unix architecture.
The main goal of the ReactOS project is to provide an operating system which is binary compatible with Windows. This will allow your Windows applications and drivers to run as they would on your Windows system. Additionally, the look and feel of the Windows operating system is used, such that people accustomed to the familiar user interface of Windows® would find using ReactOS straightforward. The ultimate goal of ReactOS is to allow you to remove Windows® and install ReactOS without the end user noticing the change. "

 

OHHHHHH new toy I JUST gotta work with !!!

 

I tried that out about 6 months ago. It seemed very outdated and looked like win98.

 

I still work in MS-DOS and DR-DOS, cant be more outdated then that .... besides its an alpha release with an old GUI. should be able to port any of the open source desktop GUI's ontop of it

 

Maybe you should forward that idea to the developers. With KDE 4 it might come close to Win7.

 

I did, even got a response back. Since it is an early alpha ( 0.3 )they are worrying about the functionality and core of the OS at this point in time, the GUI and finishing touches are for Beta stages.

 

1 more Operating System for you to play with
OpenIndiana

 

Besides Linux (many different distros) I use Solaris, HP-UX, IRIX, and AIX (All Unix.) Develop software in all mentioned.

 

virtual dos...

 

android. (on my phone )

 

I was using lucid puppy for a good while, love that OS.

 

Android runs Linux...**Facepalm

 

So does puppy - never mind!

 

Has anyone played with Haiku? It based on BeOS.

 

Yes I have, and no it is not. It is a BeOS clone, not based on it. There is a big difference.

 

Yes, I have played with it, but nothing more.
Unfortunately I don't know the original BeOS, but assuming that Haiku is a good BeOS clone and considering that BeOS was around 10 to 15 years ago I found the concept very impressive.