When you hear the time period “open-source,” you would possibly consider Linux. Nevertheless, Linux distros aren’t the one open-source working programs. There are lots in use in the present day apart from Linux. Some date again to even earlier than Linux existed.
9
Plan 9 From Bell Labs
Plan 9 From Bell Labs, named after the sci-fi B-movie Plan 9 From Outer House, was an try and reimagine what an OS could possibly be. Headed by Rob Pike and different members of the unique Unix workforce, Plan 9 took Unix’s “everything is a file” idea and went past it. Community servers could possibly be explored by navigating the file system as you would on a neighborhood machine.
One in all Plan 9’s largest targets was to construct a distributed working system. PCs and workstations served as terminals to entry compute servers and file servers. You possibly can learn all about it within the authentic paper describing the system from the early ’90s. Makes an attempt to commercialize it faltered as a result of Unix, Home windows, and later Linux machines had been too entrenched, but it surely has influenced plenty of trendy OSes, together with Linux. It was later open-sourced, and you’ll nonetheless run it in the present day.
8
Haiku
Haiku is an open-source recreation of BeOS. BeOS, created by Be, headed by Jean-Louis Gassée, previously at Apple, was a radical reinvention of the working system. BeOS was notable for its affinity with multimedia and its help for a number of processors when PCs typically solely had one CPU. The one multicore machines had been usually behemoth servers. Regardless of attracting a cult following, BeOS finally disappeared when Be was acquired by Palm.
An open-source group has taken to resurrecting BeOS within the type of Haiku. If BeOS was like the unique Unix, Haiku could possibly be like Linux.
7
Minix
Minix was created by pc scientist Andrew Tanenbaum to accompany a textbook he’d written on working programs. The system was initially created as an example microkernels, or kernels that transfer plenty of performance out into separate servers. Whereas Minix constructed up a small group round it as a result of it got here with the e book with full supply code for a comparatively low value, it additionally turned identified when a Finnish pc science pupil named Linus Torvalds was impressed to create his personal kernel after studying the e book, in between rounds of Prince of Persia. This effort grew into Linux.
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Tanenbaum later retooled Minix into an try and create a super-reliable system and absolutely open-sourced Minix.
6
HelenOS
Much like Minix, HelenOS is primarily a analysis challenge for constructing a microkernel-based OS. However what you will doubtless discover is the retro user interface that’s inspired by Windows 3.1 and 95.
HelenOS is enjoyable to play with, but it surely’s most likely not prepared to be used as a day by day driver. It is received some attention-grabbing concepts about how one can implement processes, however this can primarily be of curiosity to critical geeks who’re conscious of how issues usually work on Unix-like programs.
5
AROS
AROS stands for “AROS Analysis Working System.” The identify could also be a recursive acronym, but it surely’s an try and recreate the famed Amiga operating system, AmigaOS. AROS goals for broad compatibility with AmigaOS, but it surely’s an entire reimplementation. One benefit it has over AmigaOS is that it runs on several types of computer systems, together with common PCs.
As with Linux, there are a number of variations of AROS out there. One in all them is AROS One. Different variations embrace Icaros, AROS Vision, and AspireOS.
4
ReactOS
If AROS is devoted to reinventing AmigaOS, ReactOS tries to reimplement Home windows in an open-source vogue. It additionally tries to imitate the traditional Home windows 9.x look-and-feel. Below the hood, it is implementing the Home windows NT pressure, so it goals for compatibility with trendy Home windows variations.
In observe, improvement is slowed by the necessity for reverse clear room engineering to stave off lawsuits from Microsoft. Microsoft’s APIs are additionally a shifting goal, so builders usually discover themselves having to start out from scratch.
Nonetheless, you possibly can obtain and run pictures of ReactOS. I discovered it to be fairly usable. It even consists of a Solitaire game, which is something that has been omitted from more recent Windows versions, at least in an ad-free version.
3
FreeDOS
Whereas ReactOS goals to recreate Home windows NT, see should you can guess what FreeDOS is attempting to reimplement. FreeDOS is an apparent clone of MS-DOS. The only-tasking, single-user MS-DOS. The DOS with the 640k barrier, until you run a reminiscence supervisor (which it does embrace).
Why would you wish to run such an working system in 2025? The obvious purpose is nostalgia. I grew up on MS-DOS, so it is a enjoyable journey down reminiscence lane. You possibly can run previous enterprise software program and, extra importantly, video games on trendy and even classic PC {hardware} should you do not thoughts scrounging for brand spanking new CMOS batteries. One sensible use for me was reflashing the BIOS on a Linux-only netbook. Many BIOS utilities solely work with DOS. You might additionally use it as a platform for embedded programs as a result of its simplicity in comparison with even minimal Linux distros.
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2
GNU Hurd
Earlier than the Linux kernel existed, Hurd was the GNU Mission’s first try and construct a kernel for a free software program working system that gave anybody the power to learn and alter the supply code. Based mostly on Carnegie Mellon College’s famed Mach kernel, Hurd is one other try and construct a microkernel-based kernel.
Sadly, the event of the kernel has been a lot slower than the builders initially supposed. The Linux kernel leapfrogged Hurd, but it surely’s nonetheless an energetic challenge. Debian has made pictures of a Debian/Hurd distribution out there, but it surely’s not but steady for manufacturing work. The most important hurdle seems to be the scarcity of drivers, as a lot of the power has shifted to Linux. I’ve solely managed to make it to the set up display screen in a VirtualBox VM. If you wish to tinker with an OS in a digital or spare machine, Hurd is likely to be value a glance if you may get it to work.
1
The BSDs
Of the non-Linux open supply OSes, essentially the most outstanding is likely to be the BSDs. The BSDs collectively can hint their heritage to the Berkeley Software program Distribution, created at UC Berkeley beginning within the late Nineteen Seventies. They modified the unique Unix in ways in which appealed to different universities. BSD was additionally fashionable on workstations as a result of it was among the many first main OSes to implement TCP/IP. This made it simple for these workstations to be networked and laid the groundwork for the fashionable web.
Of the BSDs, FreeBSD is maybe the best-known. It grew out of the 386BSD challenge to port BSD to PC-based {hardware}. When that challenge floor to a halt, a variety of builders used the supply code to create their very own model. FreeBSD aimed to proceed 386BSD’s try and primarily deal with PC and Intel {hardware} on the expense of different architectures. Nowadays, FreeBSD runs on a wide range of architectures. It is best identified for its file server talents, with native help for ZFS. FreeBSD powers Netflix’s Open Connect content material supply community as well as the FlightAware flight tracking site.
NetBSD is one other offshoot of the 386BSD challenge. The place FreeBSD initially centered on x86 computer systems, NetBSD aimed for portability, creating variations for practically any pc structure in existence. Wish to run it in your PC? Certain, you are able to do that. Do you have got some previous machines, possibly even a Motorola 68000-based machine like an previous Mac or Amiga? You possibly can run NetBSD on that, too.
Perhaps you also have a Digital Gear Company VAX minicomputer? Sure, you may get NetBSD for that, too. NetBSD’s slogan is “Of Course It Runs NetBSD.” It is even run on a toaster, as seen on Laughing Squid.
OpenBSD is the results of a dispute that NetBSD developer Theo de Raadt had with different members of the challenge. He cut up off and began his personal system. OpenBSD is famend for its deal with safety. They declare to have solely had a number of distant holes within the system all through its improvement. That is a powerful declare for any system, even an open-source one. Components of OpenBSD have grow to be fashionable somewhere else, like OpenSSH and the tmux terminal multiplexer.
DragonFlyBSD is a system that has made some radical modifications to the usual BSD codebase. The system options the HAMMER2 filesystem with deduplication and snapshots for reliability. It additionally presents digital kernels, the place a kernel can run in person area slightly than within the common privileged mode. This makes it simpler for builders to debug kernels.
Linux is not the one open-source OS. There’ll doubtless be extra to come back as builders wish to attempt new concepts. If you’d like one thing totally different, there’s nonetheless lots to discover proper now.
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