Alternative operating systems to Linux: 3 current options available
For those of us who make life in the world of Free Software and Open Source always our first choice of "Alternative Operating Systems" it is usually evidently GNU / Linux. However, there are many options available that remain current and operational today, and therefore, are worth knowing.
And in this present post, we will explore some projects of «Alternative Operating Systems » that are still in force and are being maintained and modernized little by little. These being known under the following names: "Haiku, KolibriOS and Visopsys".
It is worth noting that one of these traditional options "Alternative Operating Systems" to Linux very followed by us in «DesdeLinux» is ReactOS project. Which to this day, year 2021 continues to have progress and news.
Consequently, we will immediately leave the links of the latest publications related to ReactOS below so that at the end of this publication you can explore them and deepen on it, if necessary.
"Has arrived React OS 0.4.12, the new release that brings Windows Snapping, new themes for the appearance, and also novelties in the kernel of this open source operating system compatible at the binary level with Microsoft Windows, that is, it tries to imitate the Redmond company's system to that your software can be installed without problem (well ... with some other little problem, as it happens with Wine). But without a doubt, it is an interesting alternative to MS Windows, especially to learn how it works." ReactOS 0.4.12 Release! With some news ...
Alternative operating systems up to date
What alternative and modern Operating Systems exist to GNU / Linux today?
As we mentioned at the beginning, the existing "Alternative Operating Systems" to Linux, which today we will explore are "Haiku, KolibriOS and Visopsys", especially since these projects are still current and active today.
Haiku
According to his Official websiteThis Operating system It is briefly described as follows:
"Haiku is an open source operating system specifically aimed at personal computing. Inspired by BeOS, Haiku is fast, simple to use, easy to learn, and yet very powerful."
Whereas, then add the following in more detail:
"Haiku is in constant development and is powerful enough to be used by computer users of all skill levels. Also, Haiku offers something about other open source platforms that is quite unique:
The project consists of a single computer that writes everything from the kernel, drivers, human services, toolkit, and graphics stack to the desktop applications and included preflets. Although numerous open source projects are used in Haiku, they are seamlessly integrated. This allows Haiku to achieve a unique level of consistency that provides many conveniences, and is really enjoyable to use for both end users and developers."
Currently going for the version R1 / Beta3 which has recently been released the day 25/07/2021.
Hummingbirds
According to his Official websiteThis Operating system It is described as follows:
"Hummingbirds it is a powerful and fast little operating system. It only requires a few megabytes of disk space and 8MB of RAM to function. Kolibri includes several applications: word processor, image viewer, graphic editor, web browser and more than 30 games. Full support for FAT12 / 16/32 is implemented, as well as read-only support for NTFS, ISO9660, and Ext2 / 3/4. There are drivers written for the most popular sound, network and video cards. "
While, then briefly add the following:
"KolibriOS started in 2004 using MenuetOS code as a base, but since then its development has been independent. All of our code is open, with most of the code released under the GPLv2 license."
Currently going for the version 0.7.7.0 that was released the day 13/12/2009. However, its development has continued to be updated to this day, with an official ISO image available released at April 2021 and latest ISO images dated from August 2021.
Visopsys
According to his Official websiteThis Operating system It is briefly described as follows:
"Visopsys is an alternative Operating System for PC compatible computers. In development since 1997, this system is small, fast, and open source. It has a simple but functional graphical interface, preventive multitasking and virtual memory. Although it tries to be compatible in several respects, Visopsys is not a clone of any other operating system. You can test the layout from a "live" USB stick, CD / DVD, or floppy disk."
Whereas, then add the following in more detail:
"Visopsys (VISual OPerating SYStem) is written "from scratch" and developed primarily by a single hobbyist programmer since 1997. Visopsys is free software and the source code is available under the terms of the GNU General Public License. Libraries and header files are licensed under the terms of the GNU Lesser General Public License.
Most of Visopsys is a fully multitasking, 32-bit, virtual memory, massively monolithic style kernel. Added to this is a basic C library and a minimalist set of applications, which make up a small but reasonably functional operating system that can work natively in graphical or text mode."
Currently going for the 0.91 which has recently been released the day 30/07/2021.
Note: There is another alternative Operating System that is in full development and is called redox. If you want to know about redox they can explore their Official website or explore our previous related post on the same:
Summary
In short, when it comes to thinking and implementing technology solutions for "Alternative Operating Systems" a GNU / Linux, Windows and MacOS, as there are well-known options such as "BSD or ReactOS"However, there are many projects that are still in force and are maintained and modernized little by little, such as "Haiku, KolibriOS and Visopsys", among many others. So it would be great to download and test their ISOs to learn a little more about these cool, not-so-well-known tech projects.
We hope that this publication will be very useful for the entire «Comunidad de Software Libre y Código Abierto» and of great contribution to the improvement, growth and diffusion of the ecosystem of applications available for «GNU/Linux». And do not stop sharing it with others, on your favorite websites, channels, groups or communities of social networks or messaging systems. Finally, visit our home page at «DesdeLinux» to explore more news, and join our official channel Telegram from DesdeLinux.
As curiosities it is not bad, but nothing more.
Greetings, Diego. Thanks for your comment, and they certainly lack more development but they are interesting alternatives in progress.
Well, an alternative not mentioned will be Redox-OS, and unlike many of its competitors, it aspires big, they are making a libc library in rust to create compatibility with programs that normally run on linux systems, running OpenTTD and are currently doing tests to run QEMU.
Greetings, Miguel. Thank you for your comment and suggestion. We will explore that project.
Excellent article ... hopefully those OS evolve better to see them as serious alternatives to Ubuntu, Fedora or commercial systems either Windows or MacOS
Greetings, Paul Cormier. Thanks for your comment. Completely agree with you.