Other Operating Systems

[kingroka123]

So I just installed linux on my laptop and I was very pleased overall with the system so far. It got me wondering though, what other operating systems are out there that people actually use? Let's leave Windows and Macs away and focus on real backwoods Systems .

[kpars]

Solaris.

[Troncoso]

:)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_operating_systems

That people actually use,  mate. A list of mostly outdated systems doesn't help.

Anyway.  Besides some proprietary stuff used by certain companies, you'll really only find Windows, OSX, Unix, Solaris, BSD (those last two being rare), and there is also ChromeOS by Google.

Games published by our own members! Check 'em out!

[HeroesGraveDev]

I think that Linux (in it's various distributions) is the only other desktop OS out there that people use.
Windows and Mac thrive simply because machines come with them pre-installed - People will switch to Linux, but very rarely will they actively switch back.

Linux covers pretty much all use cases anyway, so there isn't much need for other operating systems.

[opiop65]

Not to start a flame war, but I've tried switching to Linux a few times, and everytime I do, something goes wrong and the whole OS crashes and I'm forced to use Windows again. Honestly, I've never had to reinstall windows except a few times when I was screwing around with my netbook (its now dead). Never had a computer crashing virus, BSOD  or anything else; the only thing I don't like about windows is its not free and it comes with a lot of software I dont use. Sure, Linux is cool, but why do I need it? I actually have Ubuntu installed right now I think, maybe I'll give it another try and see how it holds up!

[Jimmt]

#1...linux supports less games = >productivity
#2 linux is always going to be waaay faster than windows or mac. Mainly because it's open-sourced, and, well, isn't made by Microsoft or Apple
#3 very few viruses specifically engineered for linux
#4 http://www.whylinuxisbetter.net/

[kpars]

It's the freedom that Linux has. In rights and features.

Not to sound like an ass or start a flame war either, but the only other reason to use Linux than that is if you're a hipster or if you honestly do not know how to find a free copy of windows.

- Jev.

[opiop65]

Alright, it is faster, I cant argue with that! I actually don't play games anymore, so thats never been a problem

[Troncoso]

If you know how to use Linux, it is a god send for development purposes. Well, maybe not for Java, but for C/C++ HTML/PHP/MySQL etc. Seriously, it takes some time, but once you know your way around the terminal and the file system, it really is very efficient.

[kpars]

True, I forgot to add that.

Made by developers, for developers.
Gaming really isn't an issue. Valve is targeting Linux as their main platform from now on, and TF2 + Minecraft are the only games I play on a daily basis.

- Jev.

Games published by our own members! Check 'em out!

[Jimmt]

Linux will never be their main platform as long as linux is used by the minority.

[CodeHead]

Gaming really isn't an issue. Valve is targeting Linux as their main platform from now on, and TF2 + Minecraft are the only games I play on a daily basis.

Valve isn't so much targeting Linux as targeting OpenGL and SDL. Their goal is to make their platform less reliant on Microsoft, and the only shot they have at that is by enticing developers to target something that's cross platform. In the event that Microsoft shuts out distributors like Valve, and makes the Windows Marketplace the sole distribution channel for Microsoft software, they could switch to Linux or Mac as their main target platform with relatively little pain. How likely this scenario is remains to be seen, but I'm not going to fault Valve for promoting cross platform development even if their motivation is to remain profitable. On the other hand, what Valve chooses to target as a game producer is honestly of little relevance. Their games output is a small percentage of the released titles for any given platform.

As a home Linux user, I am honestly excited about Valve's approach. The excuse usually given as to why more games aren't ported to Linux is due to cost vs potential profit. If you have the ability to make your software cross platform ready with relatively little effort, it begins to make less sense not to target a second (or third) OS. The only real long term downside is that you have to provide support for those additional platforms. I would wager that Macs are far easier to support that Linux installs due to the "guaranteed configuration" aspects.

Back to the original topic, AmigaOS is still in existence, though I have no idea how many or few people actually use it.

[HeroesGraveDev]

I'd actually say that Linux would be the easiest for customer support due to most of its users having a decent knowledge of how their OS works and being able to fix most problems themselves.

[CodeHead]

Yes and no. The trouble is that there is no "standard configuration" for a Linux box, and no central vendor to lean on in the case where you may have incompatibility between game requirements and installed libraries. It's one of the prices that come with a "bazaar" development process. Valve partially alleviated this problem with SDL2 by stepping up and committing money and resources to making sure that it was finished and stable. Despite accusations and insinuations from marketing departments, there are a lot of smart users of Windows and Macs, and conversely a lot of clueless users on Linux. Any half way sensible developer is going to know that an attitude of "you're smart, figure it out yourself" isn't going to cut it no matter what community you're discussing. These are your customers; there's nothing that makes them so reliant on your product that they won't be willing to seek a similar experience from someone who is more sympathetic to their issues.

[xsvenson]

Here's comment by princec about supporting Linux with puppy games:
http://www.java-gaming.org/topics/go-on-ask-me-anything/23960/msg/210820/view.html#msg210820

However, later in the thread, he says that HumbeBundle made it commercially worth it.

[princec]

SteamOS will be a game changer (arf arf). That's all I can really say about it. Don't make the mistake of thinking that it's "not Linux" and that Valve are just trying to avoid dependency on Windows - it is Linux, and you have to code your games to work on Linux, doing things the Linuxy way and deploying Linux binaries. When I say "you" I mean Valve's entire publisher portfolio. I hope that sounds significant enough, hmm?

Now, the only problem left is Ubuntu's mission to destroy the desktop UI experience, and the general shitness of every other Linux distribution once you get beyond the shell.

Cas

[nsigma]

Now, the only problem left is Ubuntu's mission to destroy the desktop UI experience

In your opinion.   Yes, there's people that dislike it (as big a percentage as Win 8?), but also a lot of us who were initially sceptical and then realised it's a highly effective and efficient OS, particularly when keyboard driven (which belies those who say it's all about tablets).  This quote from Jack Wallen that's on the WikiPedia page pretty much sums up my own impression.

I’ve noticed something lately. Since Ubuntu 12.04 was released, and I migrated over from Linux Mint, I’m working much more efficiently. This isn’t really so much a surprise to me, but to many of the detractors who assume Unity a very unproductive desktop... well, I can officially say they are wrong... I realize that many people out there have spurned Unity (I was one of them for a long time), but the more I use it, the more I realize that Canonical really did their homework on how to help end users more efficiently interact with their computers.

Which is not trying to tell you your opinion is wrong - just that some people's problems are other people's solutions.  Then again, I've always thought Windows was a shit desktop experience, having grown up using RISC OS. ... And to bring this back on topic, RISC OS (the OS which the ARM chip was developed for) is still alive and kicking on the Raspberry Pi. 

[Regenuluz]

I guess that iOS and Win7 beat them easily.

Not to nitpick, but iOS is the OS on iPhones and iPads, and you can't run javac on those. (At least not without jailbreaking)

Also, most people on here that talks about various OS's being shit, have more often than not, not used the OS they're referring to as shit(No, I'm not baiting for a flamewar, but I really honestly doubt that more than half of this forum has run all 3 systems as their main system for a longer period of time, let alone owned a newer Mac). :/ There's zero reason to use Linux, unless you need all the stuff that's offered there. (Which is, mostly offered for both OSX and Windows too)

I know plenty of people who, being hipsters, bought either a Mac or installed Linux, and didn't know how to use those systems. Best/worst example is the people that buy Macs, because they look pretty, and then install Windows on them for their main OS. xD

For the main question, most people I know, that use Linux as their main system use a Debian variant with KDE, they also use Debian for servers.

Cheers!

[princec]

I've tried to hard to use Unity/Ubuntu and every time I do it's beset by hideous bugs, colossal usability snafus, inexplicable behaviour, just sheer plain ugliness that makes my inner designer cringe (and yet they get some things so right, like that font), or as often as not... a total failure to work at all.

That and the insistence of distros to attempt to maintain everything + kitchen sink in their repositories really turns me off of Linux. I don't want centrally managed everything - just the core OS. Bleh.

Cas

[Troncoso]

I have to agree. Ubuntu is trying too hard to be just like Windows. I don't go to Linux for a fancy interface, when what I use the most is the terminal. Then again, they are trying to appeal to a wider audience.

[princec]

And Windows is trying too hard to be like OSX. Which is the worst of the bunch, usability-wise.

Nicest OS I've used for a long time was BeOS. Ah, BeOS. Sigh.

Cas

[Roquen]

[grumpiness mode]
All current OSes that have more then 0.5% of the market share are (more or less) identical and they all suck.  What people really mean when the say "OS" is that set of bundled user space applications that start up automatically for them.
[/grumpiness mode]

I almost tried using Be when it came out, but figured my NeXT experience was enough of "user base than can be counted on one hand".

[kingroka123]

I really only switched to linux because my laptop is quite old and was running Windows XP, I was just surprised how much I liked linux after the switch.

[princec]

Linux desktops - well, Mint at least - seem roughly on a par with XP. Trouble is Windows 7 moved the game along quite a way. Good thing Windows 8 screwed it all back up again

Cas

[kappa]

Not a fan of Ubuntu, personally been using OpenSUSE with KDE4 for number of years, its pretty much the perfect desktop for my use.

KDE4's matured a lot since its initial release and highly polished for desktop use, more should give it a try.

Further the underlying library (QT) is very solid and IMO a lot better designed and functional than the equivalent (GTK) that powers Gnome.

Also even better these days with Steam (and DOTA2 ftw) working flawlessly.

[deepthought]

linux mint with XFCE. the main barrier for me to getting into linux is i know i can do everything i can do in windows in linux, but i don't know how yet. but i need to be able to di it NOW for college. so im stuck on windows for now.

[relminator]

Linux desktops - well, Mint at least - seem roughly on a par with XP. Trouble is Windows 7 moved the game along quite a way. Good thing Windows 8 screwed it all back up again

Cas

Damn right. At least on the desktop.  Ms screwed the desktop version of w8.

I just bought my wife a lumia on win 8 and I thought it rocks.

[Cero]

Linux Mint is very very nice
based on Ubuntu without the horrible Unity ui
and there is even a version where you already have all codecs you need, so you can watch all the videos you have

Since I already use mac at work and being productive, I could use Linux as well
only problem, like even since, Adobe Suite.
If the Adobe suite works, only then people can be really productive in the media industry
And the rest is the devil in the details: like you have software to download youtube videos... but thats windows only, gotta find an alternative, if there is one, which I am sure there is no alternative which is quite as good as the DVDSoft thingy with all its features
you simply want everything to be like you'd expect... foe example I need a image viewer where I can rotate the mouse and the images change, instead of getting smaller and bigger. Some free linux/mac programs CAN do this if you change settings, some cannot - and so on.

On the mac a lot of things are weird. for example you cannot change what happens when you close the lid on a mac book. there is no setting for it.. you need an external tool.
you also cannot change the odd mouse movement which feels slippery for windows users.
and I had to do a set of shell commands to get my macbook to hibernate instead of sleep

So I dont know: obviously you can do everything in linux; but when you have an operating system that can actually do less/or at least offer less options than fucking windows, we have a problem.
I would take linux with adobe stuff over mac any day, but until then mac works too I guess

also the fucking mac key...
have fun changing either all your programs or your brain to use the mac key instead of CTRL... wft

[princec]

Lots of little things need to be fixed. Like that amusing anecdote about how Linux lets you choose exactly in which way you want your sound broken. Or the complete failure of real, modern desktop windowing system to rise from the mess of KDE/GNOME/all the others so we can all just code to one API. I do admit that it edges in the right direction.

Cas

[Cero]

I do admit that it edges in the right direction.

Just takes too freaking long