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If you could make a non-linux OS go mainstream, which one would you pick? (programming.dev)

submitted 6 months ago by ICastFist@programming.dev to c/asklemmy@lemmy.ml

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I make the specification of non-linux because otherwise this would just become a thread full of obscure distros that do the same thing as a million other distros.

Some lesser known OSs:

AROS - based on Amiga OS, has some derivatives like IcarOS and MorphOS
Haiku - based on BeOS
Redox - Unix-like, made in Rust (might technically count as linux?)
Serenity - Unix-like, very late 90s look and feel
Kolibri - Tiny OS, the image is ~44MB. It also has a smaller version that fits in a single floppy.
PhantomOS - When 3 Russians decide to turn everything about a typical OS upside down.

(page 2) 35 comments

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[-] maniii@lemmy.world 3 points 5 months ago

I wish Nokia N900 / N950 with Maemo or Meego OS. And full opensource, full MPL or MIT licensed.

I truly wish SailfishOS could be that replacement but I've been burnt too many times already.

[-] Crozekiel@lemmy.zip 3 points 6 months ago

That "Unix" os from the og jurassic park movie.

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[-] yogthos@lemmy.ml 3 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago)

Definitely Haiku, BeOS had a lot of neat ideas in it.

[-] mexicancartel@lemmy.dbzer0.com 3 points 5 months ago

Guix GNU/Hurd of course lol

[-] Melatonin@lemmy.dbzer0.com 3 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago)

GEM

Because it's truly outrageous

[-] ICastFist@programming.dev 2 points 5 months ago

This? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GEM_(desktop_environment)

[-] Melatonin@lemmy.dbzer0.com 3 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago)

Yes. My first computer was an Atari 520ST. No hard drive, 520k of ram, and and GEM ran on a dedicated chip.

It's a graphical shell over DOS, but still exists.

[-] A7thStone@lemmy.world 2 points 5 months ago

I'll second GEM. The 520ST was my first computer as well.

[-] Melatonin@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 points 5 months ago

It did a lot with a little!

[-] xia@lemmy.sdf.org 2 points 5 months ago

Maybe minix? Because microkernel.

[-] JohnBon@discuss.tchncs.de 2 points 6 months ago

Qubes

[-] Fubarberry@sopuli.xyz 2 points 6 months ago

Qubes is linux isn't it?

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[-] ICastFist@programming.dev 1 points 6 months ago

But that's Linux

[-] JohnBon@discuss.tchncs.de 1 points 5 months ago

Honnest question: why is it Linux? I can't find relevant information on the matter. Every source point the fact that it's a bare metal hypervisor therefore not Linux but that's all. Could you enlighten me on the matter? Thanks in advance.

[-] ICastFist@programming.dev 1 points 5 months ago

That was my first impression after a quick glance at it, since it listed Fedora, Debian and several other linux "flavors", plus wikipedia lists it as "OS Family: Linux".

Looking and paying proper attention, I see that it doesn't actually use the linux kernel, the OS just starts VMs for whatever applications you need. The dom0, the "main virtualized OS" and basically the bare minimum the user will interact with, runs Fedora, which is linux.

I see why I'd still call it linux, even if it's "not really" linux due to the kernel (Xen hypervisor) being something completely different, because all the user interaction goes through Fedora.

[-] JohnBon@discuss.tchncs.de 2 points 5 months ago

Thanks for the explanation, I understand now your point of view. It sums up on which layer we consider then. BTW qubes is a fantastic OS if you want isolation of information or privacy. One VM could serve for work, another for browsing, and eventually for privacy. Take care !

[-] jet@hackertalks.com 2 points 6 months ago

Qubes

[-] pastermil@sh.itjust.works 2 points 6 months ago

seL4

A formally verified microkernel

[-] barsquid@lemmy.world 2 points 6 months ago

L4! Imagine all we could do if the kernel was tiny and everything was user space.

[-] ICastFist@programming.dev 1 points 6 months ago

Had a quick read about it, looks like an interesting skeleton to base an end user OS.

[-] Andromxda@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 points 5 months ago

Here's the link for Redox OS btw: https://www.redox-os.org/

[-] JackbyDev@programming.dev -3 points 5 months ago

Honestly, if I had this magic power, I'd pick something like Ubuntu or Fedora. The exact pick doesn't matter, I don't want this to devolve into a holy war, but I want to "The Year of the Linux Desktop" to stop being a tongue in cheek meme. I want Windows and Apple to have to make meaningful changes to maintain their market share.

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this post was submitted on 29 May 2024

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