Entries tagged 'cat:Operating Systems'

1990s bootloader memories

Entry created on 2026-04-17 author:steeph (374) cat:Computers (22) cat:Linux (36) cat:Operating Systems (24) lang:en (253)

When I was growing up I didn't have a menu to select which OS to boot. I had to use fdisk to change the active partition in order to switch from Unix* to DOS or back. (Or switch boot order in the BIOS when they were installed on separate HDDs. But I was rarely so lucky to be allowed on an expensive computer like that.)

When I first tried Linux I was thrilled by the fact that it came with a boot loader that would let you add other OSs. Dual-booting was so easy. Linux (developers) seemed so thoughtful, considering the possibility that you might want to use other OSs alongside it. And MS just blindly overwrote the MBR without even asking.

GRUB (legacy) was a great improvement over LiLo. But nowadays LiLo's simplicity is kind of attractive compared to the >1000 lines of GRUB 2 config that every distro ships nowadays.

Web Links Regarding Operating Systems

Entry created on 2025-11-30 author:steeph (374) cat:Links (7) cat:Operating Systems (24)

Alternative Operating System: ToaruOS

Entry created on 2022-03-29 (edited 2025-08-24) author:steeph (374) cat:Computer (78) cat:Operating Systems (24) cat:Software (53) cat:incomplete (21) lang:en (253) top:Software:Alternative Operating Systems (18)

This entry is referencing the entry 'Alternative Operating Systems'.

ToaruOS

This one I consider one of the more interesting ones. It has a modern, well-designed desktop and window manager. It's user-friendly in that it just starts as expected with no need for settings or choices and has an introduction for newcomers. The well-rounded visuals make it look very mature. In fact, the first time I booted it I checked that it really isn't "just" a Linux distribution that's trying to hide that fact on the surface. And it isn't. The person who developed ToaruOS over 13 years apparently focused on finishing the parts that help create a good first impression before starting other features that might be expected from an OS.

The one feature that makes ToaruOS stand out among other hobbyist operating systems is one of its compositor: Windows can be rotated in any angle by dragging the window's title bar while holding down the ALT key.

Besides the usual UNIX-like command line utilities there are very few apps pre-installed on the live system. Not even a graphical text editor. There is a package manager. But since the NIC of my laptop is not supported, I couldn't try it out.

Overall this feels like a very promising project. An OS that is usable right now and would benefit the most by getting more apps written for or ported to. All tho more disappointing that the sole developer has abandoned the project recently.

tba:screenshots

HelenOS

Entry created on 2024-11-23 author:steeph (374) cat:#100DaysToOffload (41) cat:Computer (78) cat:Operating Systems (24) cat:Software (53) lang:en (253)

This entry is referencing the entry 'Alternative Operating Systems'.

HelenOS (Github)

One of those operating systems that is used for operating system research here and there. I think that's also what it was made for. The last release was earlier this year, which makes it seem one of the more actively developed research OSs. With the release there are also prebuilt ISOs for a variety of platforms including the usual, Raspberry Pi, other ARM platforms and older PCs.

There are similarities to UNIX-like systems but it is clearly not a POSIX system. Basic utilities are included as well as some basic console and graphical applications and demos. I didn't look for any additional software, yet. I'm not sure if I will use this OS much more. But by booting flawlessly without any changes and effort, this is one of the more usable OSs I've tried. So I might. It has network capabilities, a basic GUI and TUI, window manager and its own shell.

The GUI is optional. Most applications run in the console mode as well, which is a TUI that mimics the GUI with its start menu. Which is good to have because the GUI is really slow to the point that the mouse pointer is lagging behind.

On my desktop PC neither a PS/2 nor a USB mouse worked. But the touchpad in my old latitude worked fine, including the second set of mouse buttons that work in almost no OS. Graphics mode worked with the appropriate resolutions automatically. Above that I haven't tested any hardware.

There are screenshots in the official wiki.

Alternative Operating System: Haiku OS

Entry created on 2022-03-29 (edited 2024-11-15) author:steeph (374) cat:Computer (78) cat:Haiku (2) cat:Operating Systems (24) cat:Software (53) lang:en (253) top:Software:Alternative Operating Systems (18)

This entry is referencing the entry 'Alternative Operating Systems'.

Haiku OS

Haiku OS is a BeOS clone. I didn't use BeOS back in the day (although I wish somebody would have showed it to me). So I'm not sure, but Haiku seems to be pretty much the same experience. But Haiku is open source, still actively developed and compatible with newer hardware. It ran relatively well on the Core2Duo PC I've tested it on. Except for the included web browser. That thing crashed. For a lot of people whether a desktop OS is usable is decided on how good of a web browser is available for it. Haiku OS Beta 3 looked promising with its WebPositive using WebKit 612.1.21. But at least on the old PC I've tested it on it wasn't usable. It was slower than imaginable and kept crashing after one or two page loads. (The simple included help pages at that. I didn't even feed it something complex, like YouTube or Google Docs.) But I've heard others hat a pretty good web experience with it. At least as long as nobody asks about security. The rest of the system is snappy enough. It's no KolibriOS, but on any x86 or x86_64 from the last ten years it should be as fast as anyone wishes their OS to be and much older computers run it just fine. There seems to be a not so small community of users and developers. Every new Beta that is released comes closer to a desktop OS that has everything that people ask about/for. (Let's not talk about big games people are familiar with.) And because of the growing community and the fact that the 32 bit version can still run many applications compiled for the original BeOS this is not just a small OS with theoretical goals bigger than its community. It's really usable already and it looks to me that it has good chances of becoming more important in the future. I'm not sure if I'd have said that five years ago. It's moving slowly (compared to Windows and Linux), but consistently towards its goals.

Edit 2024: The have been two new alpha releases since I wrote about Haiku here. It is definitely capable of being an everyday desktop OS even though the release candidate's version labels are modest. The biggest change recently has been that GTK3 has been ported to Haiku, meaning that a large number of graphical applications becomes available or portable. Applications that have been written with other operating systems in mind. This has been demonstrated with Inkskape and GIMP. But many more applications will follow, I'm sure. I suspect that this also means that Firefox or some fork of it will be the web browser most people will use on Haiku. It certainly makes it more usable as ther main OS for many people.

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