Operating System Selection

After seeing the 900th post on "which Linux is better?" or "which Windows is the most secure?" Well, to be honest, one thing you have to understand about Linux and *NIX is, there all so good and well built in their own ways that, the best one depends on what you need it for. same with Windows.

I'm going to go over a few different systems here so you can see some of what i mean, i have experiance in alot of systems so im going to give detail where i can and also if i havnt used it (like solaris iv never used) ill give information about what iv heard about it.

PC-DOS: Ok for starters, stop laughing, this has almost no RAM requirements and alot of hacking tools were written and run under DOS, if you wanted to start learning some stuff about hacking, or advanced features in Windows, you need to know a little DOS. If you have a few older machines and want to set up a LAN, adding DOS is a good idea to learn.

Windows 3.x : For the PCs of the 80386 class and up, Windows 3.x is still a choice, it’s faster than Windows 95 and there are a lot of hacking tools that run on it. not for people looking to build a server obviously though.


Windows 95/98: This operating system you need to know, a lot of PCs run this, this was the home user and end users only real choice for a long time. Very insecure so setting up a Window 9x box on a LAN can be a good idea to start learning how to hack and secure a box. Also if you are into gaming, Windows 98 SE is like a very VERY good choice.


Windows NT: Better than Windows 95 and requiring more resources, this operating system cannot be ignored, many corporations still run this system and it’s also full of holes to explore.

Windows 2,000: This is for the people looking for a reliable version of Windows. its fairly nice and iv used it before.

Windows XP: better than what it gets credit for, Windows XP is fairly reliable and also a nice OS if you have a good fast computer. This is the only other real choice for gaming and alot of people use it so learning it helps.


UNIX: Found in large corporations, banks, insurance companies, universities, and phone and network companies and in the military, UNIX has always been the hacker’s operating system of choice, written by Ken Thompson and Dennis Ritchie for AT&T’s bell labs in the late 1960’s, the original UNIX ran off a floppy disk. If you plan on becoming an actual hacker, knowing UNIX is a must, it runs the web.


Linux: Linux is THE hacker’s choice, written by a MINIX hacker named Linus Torvalds, completely open source, so you can change what you want about the operating system and keep going, millions of hacking tools run on Linux, and millions of hackers run Linux, I don’t think I need to say anymore about this system, learn it.

Now for those of you who ask, which Linux should i use? Well, heres a few types of Linux:

Red hat: This is the most popular version and everyone says to use it, personally i dont use it, it does have some nice features though, if you actually buy it, it costs as much as Windows XP pro does for the upgarde version.

Open Linux: this is a distro that is amied at businesses, its fairly easy to learn and is a nice distro.

Caldera: This is a nice easy to use distro, this was my first Linux experiance, its easy to install and if you use the "teach yourself Linux" books this comes with it usually.

Turbo Linux: more of a workstation type Linux, i dont have alot of Experiance in this noe though.

Lindows: I dont know why im actually putting this here, It's ok if you wanna play around but not exactly the high point of reliability.

SuSe : This is like, my personal favorite. SuSe is very easy to install, if you have never used Linux this is the one i would recommned, some people have problems with the mouse but i never have had a problem like that at all, i guess it depends what you use and how you install. It has a very nice GUI but if you want you can also use it with less GUI effects. It comes with ALOT of tools, if you buy it its fairly cheap and comes with alot, you get a SuSe Linux install and user guide and also a Linux Admin handbook, 7 CDs and a DVD (yes alot of tools) everything from ham radio and scanning tools to MP3 and video and picture editing tools. Also after you becomes familiar with Linux you can play with the advanced features, basically you can grow with this distro.if you install with the basic install, it will take an entire 3 mouse clicks to install.

Debian: this is a Linux elitists distro, not exactly easy but youll learn alot.

Slackware: this is for those who want to get into Linux alot, its a great distro, if you want to really learn Linux and dont mind learning hard, go for this.

Basically with Linux, if you want to use it for basic use and learning it and having MP3s, go for Suse, also Suse is good for students and even scientists. It comes with tools for science, chemicals, alot.

for games, Well every Linux has awesome games, but if your into games that you buy your going to have to stick with Windows.

Open BSD: Very secure and a good OS to learn.

Free BSD: Free BsD is awesome, great for servers, and also they make a distro for destop users, it comes with alot of games Like Linux does and also can run Linux binaries.

http://www.freebsd.org

Free BSD is in my opinion one of the best OSs ever made.

for more information on Linux distros check out

http//www.linuxiso.org

and http://www.linux.org

also for BSD check out
http://www.maximumbsd.org

and remember, google is your pal.

Good post, but since you bragged on BSD don't forget. . . http://www.netbsd.org/ :)

since i know damn well that little "click here to send a request" button in the anti point center has never worked theres no point in clicking on it because the person never replies sosince this is my thread im going to ask a question here.

"Isn't it awesome that you can fit so much bullshit into one thread? I'm glad your opinion is the authority on OS's...(cough cough...vomit)"

to whoever read my thread and negged me for it, i was wondering where exactly MY OPINION on OSs is stated as true at all in this thread? i gave my experiance in Oss on this subject and no where did i say "this is all fact".

....**** it not like your going to actually reply here either, worried i might beat your ass in an arguement.

Quote:

---

to whoever read my thread and negged me for it, i was wondering where exactly MY OPINION on OSs is stated as true at all in this thread? i gave my experiance in Oss on this subject and no where did i say "this is all fact".

---

Heh, it does not seem to matter how cleverly put your thread is, somebody somewhere will find the excuse or the reason to neg it. I would not worry about it. It was a very nicely made post. I look forward to more.

Anyone looking for information on Operating Systems... a great site is here.


Also as a side note... Windows 3.x was not an OS, just a DOS shell...... It ran on top of DOS.

Its been a while since i read an interesting thread. Well done. I like it alot.

Cheers.

Very well said,,, Nice post :)

What about MS-DOS?

-Flooda

thanks guys, and thank you to regs for adding the site and keeping Os info flowing, i plan on adding more to this post soon and maybe we will have an awesome tutorial on OSs, i didnt post this in tutorials though because 1. its not ready and 2. i believe that the tutorials section should be information about things about computers that arent already on there, and we all know almost every mainstream OS except BeOS has a tutorial, maybe one day ill write one about that.

and to flooda. When i go to add mor to this i plan on putting some MS-DOS stuff in the thread also so dont worry, it will be here :)

yes, it was a good post though being a fan of openbsd I think you could've enlightened some of the readers more about ;-)

oh well. good post anyway. :)

First i want to say im pissed off, i had a nice 7 or so page thing i was typing up with a huge amount of Links and then when i hit "submit reply" the ****ing thing asked me to sign in, i tried hitting back to see if maybe i could copy it all and then just paste after signing in and it wouldnt let me, so i signed in where it asked me to the first time and then it just showed me the damn thread and my post was gone....

Second, Thefiend your awesome, this is one of my favorite subjects in computer stuff.

First ill start REDOING my post by giving a hole lot of links to info asbout OSs.

Links :
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BSD :

http://www.freebsd.org/doc/en_US.ISO...q/funnies.html

Humor for Free BSD.

http://www.bsdcentral.com/

You should check this site out if your looking into learning BSD or already know it.

http://www.freebsd.org/

Free BSD is my Fav BSD, its amazing.

http://www.bsd.org/

BSD and UNIX info.

http://www.openbsd.org/

Free, functional and secure are understatements.

http://www.bsdtoday.com/

BSD info.

http://www.netbsd.org/

NetBSD is a nice system and can be installed on almost anything.

http://www.google.com/bsd

I know its not info about BSD but its got a BSD logo and you can FINd lots of info with it.

http://slashdot.org/bsd/

A BSD info page from slashdot, awesome!.

http://www.onlamp.com/bsd/

ALOT of BSD info, look at it alot.

http://www.daemonnews.org/

BSD news.

http://bsdvault.net/

Saying this site is awesome would be an insult...it OWNS.

http://bsd.reedmedia.net/

Have a BSD problem? well go here.

http://www.bsdmall.com/

Buy BSD Stuff, hehe.

http://www.mckusick.com/beastie/

Need a break from reading MAN pages but wanna keep it on BSD? go here and enjoy.

http://world.std.com/~jimf/papers/sockets/sockets.html

BSD sockets.

http://www.maximumbsd.com/

a rocking ass BSD site.

http://www.bsdapps.org/db/owa/bsdapps$.startup

Need help finding a BSD proggie? look here.

http://www.bsdsearch.com/

looking for a BSD server? looking for things? look here.

http://www.bsdatwork.com/

Make BSD bust its balls for you.

http://www.lemis.com/bsdpaper.html

What about BSD? learn here.

http://bsdfreak.org/

BSD freeeeks.

http://support.daemonnews.org/

BSD for people.
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Linux :


http://www.linuxworld.com/

http://www.linuxhq.com/

LinuxHQ is a great and has alot for newbies and Linux elitists alike, check it out.

http://new.linuxnow.com/

Another good Linux site.

http://www.linuxcentral.com/

The /Root for Linux.

http://www.linuxsecurity.com/

Well this being AO i think there also should be security based Links:)

http://www.bastille-linux.org/

This is a good site of you would like to lsecure your box more. "The Bastille Hardening System attempts to "harden" or "tighten" Unix operating systems. It currently supports the Red Hat, Debian, Mandrake, SuSE and TurboLinux Linux distributions along with HP-UX and Mac OS X. We attempt to provide the most secure, yet usable, system possible."

http://linux.box.sk/

Another good site.


http://www.linux.org/

if your a newbie or a Linux user, look at this site.

http://www.linux.com/

another good site for everyone.

http://www.tldp.org/tldp-redirect.php?url=/

RTFM :)

http://www.kernel.org/

Whats in Linux?

http://freshmeat.net/

Linux progs.


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V2_OS :

http://www.v2os.cx/

"Welcome to the domain of V2_OS, an operating system written in 100% in asm, whereof only a tiny, tiny bit is 16bit, and the rest is 32bit!"

"What is V2_OS?
The goal of V2_OS first started as making a stunningly fast operating system for video processing. This goal held for all versions until 0.70, where a major redesign was forced.

The 0.70 versions are completely different, still aimed for maximal performance, though. These are the major features of V2_OS 0.70:

Single addressing space (SAS), this was to avoid far jumps in the code. Far jumps means loading 8 bytes for a single jump to another position in code. Using SAS we more or less force the coders to use shorter jumps (4 bytes to load for one jump), which makes modules smaller.

It is oriented towards the Object Oriented Programming (OOP), which makes even your assembly code able to use OOP.

It is not using any kind of memory protection from start, which enhances the perfomance compared to other systems. This is because the CPU will not have to check for permissions.

V2_OS 0.70 uses a static call table, a table with pointer to commands. This means that you can easily replace system functions with your own system functions. You can, for example, replace the malloc command, which reserves memory for your application, with a new memory allocator which you have coded yourself - maybe with some extra features? This change then instantly takes effect for all running applications."

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
SkyOS :

SkyOS is pretty cool, you can look at shots of it and dowbnload it at the site.

http://skyos.org/screenshots.php

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DOS :

http://www.freedos.org/

FreeDOS is a pretty cool DOs, check this out!

http://www.opus.co.tt/dave/

looking for DOs proggies? look here.

http://www.dosgames.com/

DOS games...a good reason to install DOS huh?

http://www.fdisk.com/doslynx/

Looking for DOS web ****? look here.

http://www.drdos.com/

This is a pretty cool site.

http://www.computerhope.com/msdos.htm

Need help or learn about MS-DOS? look here.

"ABOUT MS-DOS
Microsoft DOS (Disk Operating System) is a command line user interface. MS-DOS 1.0 was released in 1981 for IBM computers and the latest version of MS-DOS is MS-DOS 6.22 released in 1994. While MS-DOS is not commonly used by itself today, it still can be accessed from Windows 95, Windows 98 or Windows ME by clicking Start / Run and typing command or CMD in Windows NT, 2000 or XP."

http://www.computerhope.com/msdos.htm#02

DOS commands giving you hell? learn why.

http://www.computerhope.com/msdos.htm#03

"Secret" DOS commands.

http://www.computerhope.com/dosapp.htm

DOS proggies.

http://www.computerhope.com/doserror.htm

DOS giving you an error? look here and see why thats happening.

http://www.computerhope.com/xdoseror.htm

DOS being a bitch and giving errors in HEX? look here.

http://www.computerhope.com/ac.htm

"ABOUT THE AUTOEXEC / CONFIG"

http://www.computerhope.com/boot.htm

Whats a boot disk again? how do i make one? read here.

http://www.computerhope.com/batch.htm

Batch files can be fnu, learn to play with **** ;)

http://www.computerhope.com/irqs.htm

advanced MS-DOS stuff.

http://www.computerhope.com/rdebug.htm

DOS debugging.

http://www.computerhope.com/dissues.htm

Things that can be a problem in DOS that Microsoft knows about.

http://www.computerhope.com/history/dos.htm

History of MS-DOS.

http://www.computerhope.com/dosqa.htm

Youv got questions? well for once we have more than a damn dancing paper clip.

http://www.computerhope.com/dostop10.htm

Hmm, what are the top ten DOS commands? What are the top ten command pages? look!



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Windows 3.x :

http://www.computerhope.com/win3x.htm

Windows 3.1
(enhanced mode)

REQUIREMENTS:

Released 1992

Computer: 100% IBM Compatible
Processor: 80386 or higher processor
Memory: 2MB + RAM
Drives: 8MB Hard disk drive space
3.5" / 5.25"Floppy
Sound:
Video: VGA
Controls: keyboard / Mouse
Operating System: DOS 3.1 and Higher


Windows for workgroups 3.11

REQUIREMENTS

Released 1994

Computer: 100% IBM Compatible
Processor: 386 or higher processor
Memory: 3MB + RAM
Drives: 14MB Hard disk drive space
3.5" / 5.25"Floppy
Sound:
Video: VGA
Controls: keyboard / Mouse
Operating System: DOS 3.3 and Higher

"Released in 1990 Microsoft Windows 3.0 was a revolutionary operating system for the PC as one of the most used GUI operating systems."

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Windows 95 :

http://www.computerhope.com/win95.htm


WIN 95 OSR1
REQUIREMENTS
Released 08/1995
Computer: 100% IBM Compatible
Processor: 386 DX or higher
Memory: 4MB RAM
Drives: 35MB Hard disk drive space
CD-ROM or Floppy
Sound: Sound Blaster compatible Sound Card.
Video: VGA or higher-resolution
Controls: 100% compatible Microsoft keyboard / Mouse
Operating System: DOS 5.0 and Higher
Price: $70.00 - $90.00

"The next installment of Windows from Windows 3.11. Windows 95 added major enhancements when compared to Windows 3.11.

Some of the new features that Windows 95 have which Windows 3.x Does not have are:

Plug and Play Allows hardware devices to be automatically installed into the computer with the proper software. Does not require jumpers to be played with.
32 Bit 32-Bit operating system allowing the computer to run faster and more efficiently.
Registry Combines the power of multiple configuration files into two files allowing the system configurations to be located easier.
Memory Windows 95 has an improved memory handling processes compared to Windows 3.11.
Right mouse click Allows you new access and text manipulation by utilizing both buttons instead of one.
CD-Player Enhanced CD-Player with improved usability and AutoPlay feature."

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Windows 98 :

http://www.computerhope.com/win98.htm

WINDOWS 98
REQUIREMENTS
Released 1998
Computer: 100% IBM Compatible
Processor: 486DX/66 MHz or Higher processor
Memory: 16 MB of RAM
Drives: Approximately 195MB; can take up to 295MB
CD-ROM or Floppy
Sound: Standard Sound card for sound capability.
Video: VGA or higher-resolution
Controls: 100% compatible Microsoft keyboard / Mouse
Operating System: Windows 3.x, 3.1x or Windows 95 to upgrade
Direct X: Includes Direct X 5.0
Price: $80.00 - $100.00

WINDOWS 98 SE
REQUIREMENTS
Computer: 100% IBM Compatible
Processor: 486DX/66 MHz or Higher processor
Memory: 24 MB of RAM
Drives: Approximately 205MB; can take up to 315MB
CD-ROM / DVD
Sound: Standard Sound card for sound capability.
Video: VGA or higher-resolution
Controls: 100% compatible Microsoft keyboard / Mouse
Operating System: Windows 3.x, 3.1x or Windows 95 to upgrade
Direct X: Includes Direct X 6.0
Price: $100.00 - $200.00

"Microsoft Windows 98 is the upgrade to Microsoft Windows 95. While this was not as big as release as Windows 95, Windows 98 has significant updates, fixes and support for new peripherals. The following is a list of some of its new features.

Protection - Windows 98 includes additional protection for important files on your computer such as backing up your registry automatically.
Improved support - Improved support for new devices such as AGP, Direct X, DVD, USB, MMX,
FAT32 - Windows 98 has the capability of converting your drive to FAT32 without loosing any information.
Interface - Users of Windows 95 and NT will enjoy the same easy interface.
PnP - Improved PnP support, to detect devices even better then Windows 95.
Internet Explorer 4.0 - Included Internet Explorer 4.0
Customizable Taskbar - Windows add many nice new features to the taskbar which 95 and NT do not have.
Includes Plus! - Includes features only found in Microsoft Plus! free.
Active Desktop - Includes Active Desktop which allows for users to customize there desktop with the look of the Internet."


"
COMPUTER SOFTWARE
Information about Windows 98

QUICK LINKS
Windows 98 Overview
Windows 98 SE Overview
Basic trouble shooting
What's new
New programs
Tips and tricks
Q&A
Device manager information
Windows versions
Registry
Msdos.sys
Other operating systems

WINDOWS 98 OVERVIEW



Microsoft Windows 98 is the upgrade to Microsoft Windows 95. While this was not as big as release as Windows 95, Windows 98 has significant updates, fixes and support for new peripherals. The following is a list of some of its new features.

Protection - Windows 98 includes additional protection for important files on your computer such as backing up your registry automatically.
Improved support - Improved support for new devices such as AGP, Direct X, DVD, USB, MMX,
FAT32 - Windows 98 has the capability of converting your drive to FAT32 without loosing any information.
Interface - Users of Windows 95 and NT will enjoy the same easy interface.
PnP - Improved PnP support, to detect devices even better then Windows 95.
Internet Explorer 4.0 - Included Internet Explorer 4.0
Customizable Taskbar - Windows add many nice new features to the taskbar which 95 and NT do not have.
Includes Plus! - Includes features only found in Microsoft Plus! free.
Active Desktop - Includes Active Desktop which allows for users to customize there desktop with the look of the Internet.

WINDOWS 98 SE



Including the same additional features as Windows 98 however includes additional fixes and all of Year 2000 patches have been included in Windows 98 Second Edition. The following is a listing of the various new features Windows 98 SE includes.

Updates - Includes all the latest updates for Windows 98 including Year 2000 updates, USB support and more.
Software - Updated versions of Internet Explorer, outlook express, windows media player, DirectX, NetMeeting and more.
Drivers / Support - Additional support for latest technology such as MMX, USB, Pentium III and more."

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Windows ME :

http://www.computerhope.com/winme.htm

I have no idea why I would put this here, but hey maybe it will come in handy for someone.

WINDOWS ME
Released 09/14/2000
Computer: 100% IBM Compatible
Processor: Intel Pentium 150 MHz or faster.
Intel Pentium 300 MHz or faster for users who wish to use the Windows Media Player
Memory: 32 MB RAM
64 MB RAM for Windows Media Player.
Drives: At least 270 MB can take up to 410MB of hard disk space
CD-ROM / DVD-ROM drive
Sound: Sound Card with Speakers recommended.
Video: Monitor with VGA or higher resolution.
Controls: Keyboard / Mouse
Operating System: Requires Windows 98 for Windows ME upgrade.
Price: Upgrade: $70.00 - $100.00
Full: $150.00 - $190.00

Now i know i went over some detail fromt he web site in this but ****, for Windows ME, if you wanna really know check the web page. The site i am using to give you this info is amazing and very useful i think.

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Windows NT :

http://www.computerhope.com/winnt.htm

WINDOWS NT 4.0
(Intel Based Systems)
REQUIREMENTS
Computer: 100% IBM Compatible
Processor: 486 33MHz / Pentium highly recommended
Memory: 16MB RAM
Drives: 110MB Hard disk drive space
CD-ROM
Sound: Optional
Video: VGA or higher-resolution
Controls: keyboard / Mouse
Operating System: Requires previous Version of NT for upgrade.
Direct X: Shipped with Direct X 2.0
Price: $150.00 - $314.00+
Prices may vary higher with additional clients


WINDOWS NT 4.0
(RISC Based Systems)
REQUIREMENTS
Computer:
Processor: Workstations with Alpha AXP, MIPS R4x00, or PowerPC
Memory: 16MB RAM
Drives: 110MB Hard disk drive space
CD-ROM
Sound: Optional
Video: VGA or higher-resolution
Controls: keyboard / Mouse
Operating System: Requires previous Version of NT for upgrade.
Price: $319.00+
Prices may vary higher with additional clients

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Windows 2,000 :

http://www.computerhope.com/win2000.htm


WINDOWS 2000 PROFESSIONAL
REQUIREMENTS
Released 2/2000
Computer: IBM or 100% compatible
Processor: Intel Pentium 133 MHz or equivalent
Memory: 32 MB
Drives: 650 MB Disk space
CD-ROM / DVD drive
Sound:
Video: VGA or higher
Controls: Microsoft mouse / keyboard or compatible
Operating System: Requires Windows 95, 98 NT 3.5 or 4.0 for upgrade.
Direct X: Direct X 7.0
Other: NIC required for network installation
Price: Upgrade: $200.00 - $220.00
Full: $300.00 - $320.00


WINDOWS 2000 SERVER
REQUIREMENTS
Released 2/2000
Computer: IBM or 100% compatible
Processor: Intel Pentium 133 MHz or equivalent
4 CPU's Supported
Memory: 256 MB
Drives: 1.0 GB Disk space
Sound:
Video: VGA or higher monitor
Controls: Mouse / keyboard or compatible
Operating System: Requires Windows NT Server 3.5 or 4.0
Price: Upgrade: $500 and higher
Full: $900 and higher
Prices are based off amount of clients beginning price is 5-client edition


WINDOWS 2000 ADVANCED SERVER
REQUIREMENTS
Released 2/2000
Computer: IBM or 100% compatible
Processor: Intel Pentium 133 MHz or equivalent
8 CPU's Supported
Memory: 256 MB
Drives: 1.0 MB Disk space
CD-ROM / DVD drive
Sound:
Video: VGA or higher
Controls: Microsoft mouse / keyboard or compatible
Price: Upgrade: $3,200.00 and higher
Full: $3,600.00 and higher
Prices are based off amount of clients beginning price is 25-client edition

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I know alot from one site huh? well think, DAMN THAT SITE ROKS.!!

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Misc OS Info :

http://www.500mhz.net/ndx.html

Some of the links dont work but knowing that these OSs exist is cool too.
Well, it took a while to type this **** again because of me having to RE DO it all, but oh well, OSs are one of my favorite subjects in computers so anyway, i hope this post has helped someone who was searching for some OS links, i enjoyed making this post for you all and Thanks again to TheFiend for welcoming more info, you rock man!.

Holy ****! Digital Syntax man that post is great dude! so much info! and thankd everyone for some links, i collect OSs and its cool to get fresh info :)

I think i dont have to add anything about DOS for a bit, by the way Digital man, that site is awesome i looked at it for like 3 hours, VERY nice. And thanks alot for adding so much to my post, i appreciate it man, you rock!

Great posts everyone! The links will take me forever to get through! I agree with TheFiend about SuSE for us Linux Newbies, but one thing that I haven't seen mentioned here. What about the Mac OS's...Personally, I am definetly a PC person, but learning the Mac OS's definetly helps with being an admin type. They are out there. Anyone have any comments on the Mac family of OS's?

Acch. I just got back from a sales presentation (actually a clubbing) from a *nix vendor and this raised a question for me that I hope will fit me'ah.

Basically between the 'big' players of *nix (HP, IBM, Sun) or just commerical *nix in general:

1) Are there any 'good' tutorial sites for people who want to learn more about those?

2) In comparing how these OSs' perform, has anyone found some good benchmarking data that is neutral of the vendor who sells that *nix? Why am I asking? Because after the sales pitch I and others just went through, I am really questioning their data and their 'superior performance' over their competitors.

Last - just wanted to mention that this is a great thread, so thanks to everyone for the great information, especially TheFiend and DigitalSyntax. Great info!

Quote:

---

Also as a side note... Windows 3.x was not an OS, just a DOS shell...... It ran on top of DOS.

---

If we want to quibble over details like this, then perhaps we should add Windows 9x since they too run over DOS.

Hmm, hopefully this answers your question or points you in the right direction at least.

For HP-UX, iv seen a thread or two about this and also you may wanna check HPs website and also IBM has a few things about theres on the ibm.com site, as for sun they to have a website with information but i think what you mean is a non biased opinion.

HP-UX:

http://www.hp.com/products1/unix/operating/

this has a good amount of info including what playforms and things it runs on and also some good info to read about.

Sun's website should have something similar and also me supporting IBM (hey they made the first PC and allowed others to use the idea so we have mroe than one brand name of PC) and i go to IBM.com once ina while and they have a lot of info, id just check there websites and google the three types you were curiouse about and see what pops up, also if i find some better sites to go over it ill list them here and more info if i can find it, hope it helps :)

If the goal with this is operating systems for hackers to study, you left out a huge class of systems. Multi-level secure systems. These are the systems that actually have any worthwhile information on them at banks, tech companies, and the military (and anywhere else with higher security requirements) Many of these systems looks like various flavors of UN*X but are in fact profoundly different.
Most of these systems are very expensive (and XTS-300 system running STOP will set you back over $80k for example and it is just a P3.) However a recent uprising of crappy MLS systems like SELinux and the TrustedBSD project which is being even further debased in FBSD 5.x are free. Give them a try, because until you understand labeled security you're just playing in the minors. ;)

For more resources, you can go here: http://www.radium.ncsc.mil/tpep/ or check out the TCSEC ratings B1+, ITSEC E3+, "Mandatory Access Controls", "Domain Based Access Controls", and "Bell-LaPadula" should get you started. After a quick review of the TCSEC and ITSEC criteria you will see how OpenBSD does not differ in security from oh... Mandrake Linux. If you disagree, don't flame me, i am just telling you what those criteria say... go flame the NCSC or the NSA etc. cause they wrote it, not me. :)

catch

Great post's guys, you put a lot of hard work into that. :thumbsup: to both of you and the thread. Id pat you on the back, but then it would get too personal. Ha! Very good.

Try reading the whole post, no where did i say this is what every hacker should know, i made this thread because i got tired of people posting asking which OS they should use, i was pointing out its a philosophy not an answer and i gve some info about some iv used and other things and then DigitalSyntax kicked some ass with his post.



EDIT: I just realised, Im now a Jr member! w00t.

nice post but if you want a quick no install operating system try white glove linux (all.net)

TheFiend, I liked your initial post... I was just trying to expand on it, nothing negative. Nor was i directly responding to you with regards to what people should know, I thought someone else made a comment about what is good to know for a hacker/security person. :)

Also those trusted systems are good for selection if you wish to run a secure server of some type, so it fits in with this thread. I am not sure why I got negative feedback.

Win 98SE is the best Windows OS, you can hack it to fix errors yourself, which is really what you want

Actually i like Windows 98 SE, i used it alot back in the day, i liked it, it was easy to use which i needed (iv only had a computer for 3 years, and before that i didnt even know how to turn one on) and i learn from Windows 95 and mostly Windows 98 SE, you can play games on it, its better than 95 and ME and also you can use DOS things on it, and its not a RAM hog unless you leave it up a few days (which i have with no crashes) and also you can use alot of things on it, alot of prograns run on it and also it has some nice media tools, i still use it once in a while when i reformat my Linux box, just because most of the easier partition tools i have use 98 SE easily, and sometimes i dont have time for CLI partitioning. I like Windows, i mean everyone flames Windows alot, but for me, i enjoy using it, i rarely had a problem with it and also, it was easy to partition with and use other OSs, i give Windows respect because its not as bad as people say, maybe i just learned how to secure the Windows box and keep updates but i hardly ever have problems with it.

That was a great post, TheFiend. Just brushed over the general pro's and con's of each available distro. Thats what I was looking for, not with all the B.S.!

I will now be getting all the info that I can in regards to the 'Red Hat' distro.

:DThanks!:D

well If we're talking about pro's and cons, this should be an interesting link

MacOS, M$ XP and linux compared :

http://thetechnozone.com/comdex/2002...otout-2002.htm

Have fun choosing ,.... :D

"A similar story plays out elsewhere in the realm of development tools. There are, it seems, simply fewer good tools available for the Mac. Says former Mac OS X user and programmer Maarten Hekkelman, "Windows is like heaven to a programmer. There are so many tools to chose from and the documentation is wonderful." Says Hekkelman, "Microsoft delivers a very, very good set of documentation and tools for developers. For free. It was a real eye opener to have such great documentation so easily available.""


Lets see this in those ****in switch adds.






Also i wanted to add this site as something to look at:

http://tunes.org/Review/OSes.html

Well, I decided to add to this thread because iv gotten a little more experiance and decided to give my thoughts on the OSs i have used.

Iv boughten alot of OSs and also had some given to me so ill list them here.

My first computer had Windows 95 and it was in 1999 (im going on my 4th year of having a computer!)

I have:

Mandrake Linux 7.1: (bought it at best buy) This is a good distro for someone just learning and its pretty easy, The hardware support isnt the best but its ok.

Mandrake Linux 9.1: (just got it the other day) This is a huge improvement to 7.1. I really do like it. Its fairly stable and i havnt had many problems with it at all. It comes with some fun games and has good hardware support and found my NIC fast. Also i didnt have to do much for my souncard to work. Id recommnd this for someone who wants to try Linux or wants a new distro. The new galaxy GUI is also pretty nice. Its not a huge RAM hog and it works well.

Turbo Linux: (got it with system commander 2000) This is more for business people or someone setting up a work station. I wouldnt recommend this for basic web ad e-mail use. but if you have a business it might be good for your workstations.

Red Hat Linux 6.2 : (bought this at best buy) This one is what made me really not liek red hat. Ivhad this thing **** my computer up multiple times. Last time it screwed my partition table by failing while it was writing it. before that my MBR needed to be re done. If you wanna try red hat id say go for 7.3 on up. It gotten a hell of a lot better since then.

Red Hat Linux 8.0: (got this same day as mandrake 9.1, Im typing this to you on mandrake 9.1) This is a god improvement over 6.2 by far. but if your a power user stick with 7.3.

Red Hat Linux 9.0: (got this same day as others) Pretty nice looking in my opinion. I havnt really tested it out much but what i saw i liked.

Slackware : ( my friend bought me an older version and i now have 9 and 8.1) This si for Linux elitists. Its not easy and its not supr GUI based. This is for the people that are anti GUI. but, its also really good. not for newbies though unless your into BD S&M.

Debian 3.0R1: (got this same day as others) So far i like it. im gunna try it out again pretty soon but its really cool. Again not for most newbies but a good one.

Caldera Linux: Nice distro considering the company are ****ing dicks. Fairly easy to install and lets you play tetris while you wait for the install to finish.

Open Linux: (got it from my best friend when i gave him Red Hat 7.2 and some software.) This is a good one. I like it and its not super hard. basuac users would love it.

SuSE Linux: (Got it at best buy) THE BEST IN THE WORLD. Good for newbies and power users, I LOVE IT.

Free BSD 4.0 Power Pack: (got it at best buy) Free BSD is awesome no matter what number is on it. Install is easy but not for newbies. etting up X is a pain in the ass though.

Free BSD 4.7 (same as above so i ont keep typing)

Free BSD 5.0 : (got it at the store a few weeks ago) This ones a bit different from the 4.x ones but its really nice. id recommend it.

PC-DOS 6.3: ( got it with my computer from my unckle) This is installed over Windows 95 and it works out pretty good. if you have some really old system id say put it on, it works good.

Windows 3.11: (got it from my unckle that gave me DOS) This sucked ass but it runs fast, I installed this After DOS. Maybe if you have an older system id say go for it but...not to good.

UNIX: (got it from my best friend, duno how he managed to buy it but oh well) My best friend got me this and its not a burned copy, UNIX is the **** plain and simple. BUT fter what SCO is doing im not to sure ill be using this again soon. No newbies are going to like it but the people that use Slackware might. enjoy ;)

Windows 95: (came with computer) Good for games but thats about it.

Windows 98 SE: (came with computers) I have 2 copes of this and i think two copies of 95...Its a lot better than 95 and a little easier to keep up. I had no probs with crashes but oh well. lol.

Windows ME: (came with a computer) dont buy it and if you have it format your HD.

Windows 2000 pro: (bought ti at best buy) This is really actually nice but can be a pain in the ass. its still good though. Shitty for gaming.

Windows XP: (came with computer) I hve yet to have a problem with this. I really like it, its a good OS and can actyually play games. resource hungry but nice.

Thats all for now people. Hope you liekd it.

You are are the first i have heard speak of using unix at home. Is it available at a reasonable price ? Is there a GUI or is it down and dirty? Is it even availabe? I would love it if you would elaborate on the subject pleeeeez (being a BSD whore i am very curious)

You can get Solaris 9 x86 from Sun for only 20.00, download the ISO's then burn. I've installed it a couple times, relatively straightforward, but really picky about hardware. Had to add the RealTek 8139 drivers. Hint: You don't really need the first CD.

This is the site for us masochists:
http://solaris-x86.org/

I havnt used reg UNIX muxh, i got it from my best friend and he got it because his brother was a sys admin so he gave him it and he gave it to me :) its not as bad as youd think, if you get a chance try it out i liked it.