Newbie Linux Question.

<3Daemonguy

I'm pretty sure you find embedded Linux on devices because of two things: cost and scalability. Windows and OS X aren't designed to be run on such devices (yes, I know, the iPhone runs OS X; that's beside the point), and they cannot be modified or slimmed down to do such. Even if they could, Apple and Microsoft would charge a fortune for such a system compared to what any individual company could do with Linux using their own developers.

OS X is unix based, but I kind of think they are targeting their marketing dollars on stuff other than robots and what not. Doesn't microsoft have the embedded XP that they use in those little thin clients? I guess if it had an operating system on it, it wouldn't be a thin client, maybe I should quit nit picking.

spork you forgot windows mobile. they put that on pdas and cell phones too >.<


plenty of electronic devices have OSs. i.e. cell phones, video game consoles, calculators, dvd players...

we should get back on topic :]

Where were we? Was it embedded systems like Symbian OS or general linux?

Thanks Daeminguy for applying what I was trying to say about wine.. I relate it's effectiveness on a timescale. Does it take longer to get a windows native application working properly with wine than it takes to install XP on an old box, install the application, and then enjoy it working properly.. It takes me about an hour.. any more is time I could be using for something else.

The only thing I have found I NEED windows for is Nokia and Samsung phone software, and it's easier to keep an old P3 clunker with warez xp on for the one use.

I don't like wine because I think it is a disincentive for open source application developers to continue to write standards compliant good cross platform applications. Apart from the aforementioned phone software tools (suppliers of which I have contacted many times about cross platform versions.. is it so hard to write a phone updating software suite in say Ruby?) I haven't found anything in my world that I can't achieve with linux, at a fraction of the cost on my old hardware.

Experiments running BSD with nothing but gnome/debian packages continues.

If I don't get back before the holidays because of work.. Have a great Christmas fellow open-sourcers

Technically, OS X *IS* UNIX.
http://www.opengroup.org/openbrand/regi ... nd3555.htm

I was interested into exploring some nonWindows operating systems. Will you provide some of your preferences for nonWindows OS's you use, please? Any particular versions, red hat, fedora...Unix, Linux, ...Mac....?

The nice thing about the linux systems is that you can download which ever ones you want for free, then play around with them and pick your favorite out of the bunch. Some of the most popular are ubuntu, fedora, gentoo or slackware (but those two might be a bit frustrating to use for your first linux). Knoppix is a good one because you can boot it from the cd/dvd and not even touch your hard drive, that way you can hang on to your windows for a little while longer. Actually, most distros have some sort of a live cd like that.

The thing with Mac OS X is it's not free, so if you buy it you are pretty much committed. But I have an apple laptop at home with Tiger and I really like it.

Request technical explanation: [quote:Daemonguy[quote:kc0tma wrote:

OS X is unix based, but I kind of think they are targeting their marketing dollars on stuff other than robots and what not. Doesn't microsoft have the embedded XP that they use in those little thin clients? I guess if it had an operating system on it, it wouldn't be a thin client, maybe I should quit nit picking.]

Technically, OS X *IS* UNIX. ]

What do you mean, Daemonguy, that OS X *IS* UNIX.
Please elaborate on what Unix is.
This, too, is confusing: [spork wrote: There's nothing requiring you to install a graphical environment. In fact, most common distributions give you the option to perform a "minimal" installation, which will only install the bare essentials necessary to run the system. From there, you can add packages as you need them, such as servers and utilities, all of which would be controlled via the terminal.]
How do you selectively install an OS?

You're joking, right?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unix

Or hell, just Google Unix and you will come up with hundreds of "What is Unix?" sites.

Are you asking how to install other operating systems? Really? Take a wrong turn at the Windows forum? Heh.

Or is the question, how do I install part of an OS? Which is technically inaccurate; all of the OS is installed each time ... what one chooses to install or not install are considered add-ons or packages that enhance the core OS.

As for OS X, I thought the post made that plainly clear. OS X IS Unix, with cited reference.

I am not sure what your question is.

what he mans is that osx is based on the unix kernel.
"what is unix"
you could basically think of linux similar to DOS and Windows (early version.. 3, 3.1, 3.11, 95, 98, ME). theres DOS which is the command line interface, and then theres windows, the graphical interface. except in linux, theres the command line and then x11 provides the graphical interface (x11 = windows). you selectively install an OS by doing a "minimal install", and then using the package manager to only install the programs you're going to be using i.e. apache, mysql, php. then you can install openssh, do a little configuration and throw the hunk in the closet >.<


// daemonguy is faster than me :[ lol