OSs (not poll)

[Kezil]

I'd like to gain some info on the main OSs I've heard about: Linux, BSD, and BeOS.

Mainly, I would like to know:

1. Main type of user/use

2. Advantages/Disadvantages

3. Any more useful info (or not particularly useful, either one)

Info on other OSs also appreciated, and please, no flaming on any OS, present arguments thoughtfully.

Thanks for all input.

[psi0nic]

Okay, I want to answer this post, and have resigned to the fact that the answer is going to be longer than I usually like to give.

<snip!>
OSs (not poll) << good I am sick of those !!!!! >>
I'd like to gain some info on the main OSs I've heard about : Linux, BSD, and BeOS.

Mainly, I would like to know:

1. Main type of user/use
Linux - ex Windows users, University Students, Programmers, hackers (good and bad), Open Source hobbyists, Server and Networking folks etc.. etc..

FreeBSD - ex Linux users, Programmers, Open Source hobbyists, hackers (black, white, grey, uber, nice guy), Server and Networking folks etc.. etc.. (same can be said about NetBSD and OpenBSD, some small differences but this post is going to be long already)

BeOS - no idea, never even met anyone who uses it, hear it's cool.

VMS - Programmers, some old school and some very elite hackers, large companies that have not upgraded to another OS.
(DOS users would love VMS, a large portion of DOS commands were yanked straight from it. )

2. Advantages/Disadvantages << loaded question >>
Linux vs. Windows = Linux has just about everything over Windows, game support and office tools are a bit behind and it is not as easy to use, but it blows every version of windows away in any other respect.

Linux vs. Free/Open/NetBSD = is quite a bit trickier. The ELF is faster than UFS (ELF = extended linux file system a.k.a. ext2fs adn UFS = Unix file system). The Linux kernel is evolving very rapidly ( a new version about every other week). Linux game support is improving as we speak. Linux will probably replace Unix on 90% of servers currently running Unix in the next 5 - 10 years. On the other hand FreeBSD has higher uptimes than Linux, the devlopment cycle is broken up into `current', `release', and `stable'; in other words if you are running `stable' all the known bugs have been fixed in the OS and the packages. Buggy apps have plagued Linux since it began. The HURD (Open Source Unix kernel) is a bit more stable than the Linux kernel. In my view the positive and negative things of each end in a tie.

Linux vs. VMS = VMS is nifty, but it is closed source and quite a dinosaur of an OS, it is a cool thing to know for `geek points' but it will fade out of common existence before too long so I wouldn't waste too much time on it.

Linux vs. BeOS = no idea, my guess is Linux.

3. Any more useful info (or not particularly useful, either one)
I recommend going to your local Library or bookstore and browsing the section about OS's. There is a tom of stuff out there, and it would be better for you to make your own decision about which OS is best.

Info on other OSs also appreciated, and please, no flaming on any OS, present arguments thoughtfully.
<< oh, come now why would anybody do that ? >>

Thanks for all input.

<< you are welcome >>

[hehbris]

it is pointless to learn anything.
you are headed for a career in dick sucking

[petemcevoy]

You know hehbris, not everybody is on the same slippery slope as you. I find your posts amusing, sometimes. This is banal.

[RiOtEr]

why?? hehbris he is asking a genine question unlike those " how do i hack hotmail i promise its only to save my girlfriend from a life of prostitution" and u flame him i think all your negative points are given in good reason thank you to all those that gave them with out me having to thank u

[chsh]

[QUOTE]Originally posted by psi0nic

BeOS - no idea, never even met anyone who uses it, hear it's cool.




Think MacOS for the PC and you're close. It's pretty nifty. I played around with it for a bit but lost interest. I switched to linux because I wanted more functionality and control than windows offered, and BeOS is about the opposite of that.

[Focmaester]

Originally posted by psi0nic

game support and office tools are a bit behind and it is not as easy to use, but it blows every version of windows away in any other respect.

<< you are welcome >>

Well you probably have never heard of Staroffice?
I have it running on both my wintel and linux systems, and where I work they are testing it to see if they can use it instead of upgrading to Office XP.

[Ennis]

Originally posted by hehbris
it is pointless to learn anything.
you are headed for a career in dick sucking

Another amazing contribution from hebris.

[psi0nic]

Well you probably have never heard of Staroffice?

Yes I have used Star Office quite a bit actually. I am currently running the 6.x Beta. Star Office is at best `Ok'. Previous versions are bloatware in the extreme depsite SO taking up about 1/3 of disk space as MS Office.

I really think this is where *nix desktop apps need the most work. There really needs to be a set of Office tools much closer to MS Office in ease of use and functionality. There are things that very advanced MS Office users can do in it that SO just does not offer. Applixware is yet again just Ok.

Someday we will have a suite if Office tools that rival MS Office in all aspects (except the bugs ).

The only people at my company that don't run Solaris 7, AIX 5.x, or Red Hat 7.x are the administrative people that need the features of MS Office 2000. Trust me, if there were a good replacement that met their needs we would have done it. We really don't like MS, and I look forward to the day that all of our servers and workstations are running a Linux or BSD flavor.

[psi0nic]

On the other hand FreeBSD has higher uptimes than Linux, the devlopment cycle is broken up into `current', `release', and `stable'; in other words if you are running `stable' all the known bugs have been fixed in the OS and the packages. Buggy apps have plagued Linux since it began.

Sorry, just a quick clarification that I should have mentioned in the original post.

Almost all apps people associate with Linux have an xBSD port. So whether it is Eterm, GNOME, Mozilla etc.. there is either a xBSD port for the app, or you can use the Linux port. (there are a few apps that have degraded functionality on xBSD like portsentry and tripwire, but not many). The comment about `buggy apps' has to do with there not really being a widely followed testing phase of the assorted Linux flavors. So, when Red Hat comes out with say 7.2, some of those apps are going to be a bit buggy, there will be bug fixes to those apps, but when 7.3 comes out we are back to new and perhaps buggy versions of some software or maybe even the kernel that will require patches and updates. FreeBSD has the 3 releases. Current is a snap shot of all the packages and the kernel that the developers want to have in the next full version, it is often very buggy, and you don't want to run it unless you like hunting down bugs. Release is what is initially sold/available for download to the public after all the bug have been found and fixed. Stable is yet another snapshot of the particular FreeBSD version with even more bug fixes and patches etc., to be called stable the sanpshot must have all known issues resolved.