Best OS

[MuK107]

what is the best OS that is out?

 

[tm37]

That depends on what software you want to run!

If you want to run old dos software I would recommend DOS!

You need to say what you plan to use the comp for and what you are going to install it on. A 386 ain't gonna run XP!:Q

 

[MuK107]

im saying in jeneral what is the best one? the main thing i do is program and, make pictures

 

[Hyperblaze]

No offence...but your still being a bit vague.

Lots of programming can be done in either windows or linux

What exactly do you mean by "make pictures"?

 

[MuK107]

ok well i normaly make picture like gif and i program im getting started in c++ but i have been programing in VB

 

[MuK107]

o and i could double boot that would be a nother posiblity in my mind

 

[tweakmm]

If you have been programing in VB then that takes linux out of the equation. It sounds to me like you would want an OS like win2k or XP. I would go 2k because its stable as hell and not as much bloat as XP

 

[MuK107]

would double booting be an posibility?

 

[Willoughbyva]

"Dual" booting can be done as long as you have enough hard drive space. (now days that usually isn't a problem) I used to dual boot a lot, and I liked to have the different os's on different partitions. (you can only run one os at a time, so it really isn't double booting, but dual booting)

Good luck with it.

Will

 

[MuK107]

thanks i think i am going to dual boot XP and linux

 

[FOBSIDE]

<< thanks i think i am going to dual boot XP and linux >>



then comes the question, "what is the best distribution of linux?" the discussion can go on forever on what is best. imho there is not best, only best suited for your needs. i personally like running windows 2k for my windows apps and running redhat for my networking. on my laptop, Mac OS X. its all up to your needs though.

 

[MuK107]

ok ill take that into constideration

 

[robisc]

<< the main thing i do is program and, make pictures >>



If that is your main goal I am of course going to say BeOS, I would say that if if this wasn't your main goal too though. Go check out this post and see this demo and tell me that XP could do this, no way. Not to get into and OS war because I like and run WP and Linux on a daily basis but I love Be, check this out.

Link

 

[Sunner]

robisc, as much as I loved BeOS as a product, I think we can definately say that it's dead.

I would have loved to see BeOS take off, but it didn't happen, and it most likely will never happen, lets all just move on.

 

[robisc]

Sunner we can always dream can't we? Seriously there is actually a lot of talk and possibilities in the Be world right now, particularly with OBOS. And there's that leaked 5.1 version out there which could be promising.

 

[ILikeSprite]

Windows 2000

 

[MuK107]

thanks for your help in picking, im taking it that there arent that many OS out

 

[freebsddude]

I am POSITIVE I have missed a few thousand of them, but here are the ones
that I know of. I believe all of these should last you a lifetime of fun and preoccupation!

(FYI, my intention is NOT to be a smartass, I am just sharing this, since it reminded me of a
question that I had sometime back myself!!).

Hopefully this list should help you know about various OS'es if you have'nt already.

PC operating systems:
===============

Apple MacOS
DR-DOS
FreeBSD
Redhat Linux
Debian Linux
SUSE Linux
MS-DOS
Minix
NeXTStep
Linux/PPC
NetBSD
OpenBSD
OS/2
PC-DOS
SCO
Solaris
UnixWare
Windows 3.1 for Workgroups
Windows NT 3.5
Windows NT 4.0
Windows 95
Windows 98
Windows 2000
Windows XP
PC-Geos
Coherent
Lynx

RTOS (Real Time Operating Systems) courtesy Dedicated Systems:
================================

AMX, KwikNet, KwikPeg: (from KADAK Products Ltd.)
The AMX Multitasking Kernel, first released in 1980, has been recognized as a superior RTOS which meets the critical needs of the most challenging real-time applications. Yet it remains simp ...


C EXECUTIVE: (from JMI Software Systems, Inc.)
JMI's C EXECUTIVE pioneered the use of C language to implement a real-time kernel. Its 64 system calls are based on standard C and Unix-like calls such as open, read, write, close, io ...


CMX-RTX: (from CMX Systems, Inc.)
CMX-RTX is known as the "lean and mean" RTOS because it offers the smallest footprint, the fastest context switch times, and the lowest interrupt latency period of any commercially a ...


CORTEX -- COncurrent Real Time EXecutive: (from Australian Real Time Embedded Systems (ARTESYS))
CORTEX is a real time multi-tasking operating system for embedded applications. SOURCE CODE: Full source code is available for down loading and is free for evaluation as well ...


DeltaOS: (from CoreTek Systems, Inc.)
DeltaOS is a complete real-time ope-rating system for embedded applications using most of the popular micro-processors such as PowerPC, Intel X86, ARM, MIPS. The DeltaOS family of products c ...


eCos: (from Red Hat, Inc.)
eCos, the embedded Configurable operating system, is an open source real-time operating system for deeply embedded applications. It meets the requirements of the embedded space that Linux ...


embOS: (from SEGGER Microcontroller Systeme GmbH)
embOS is a real time operating system for embedded applications designed to offer the benefits of a fully featured multitasking system even for hard real time applications using minimal reso ...


eRTOS: (from JK microsystems, Inc.)
Embedded software for Intel compatible computers. Small foot print. Rapid development due to powerful APIs. Includes extensive network support. ...


ETS: (from VenturCom)
Embedded ToolSuite (ETS) is a complete embedded development environment for Intel's 32-bit x86 processors, featuring a Windows-friendly real-time operating system (RTOS), the Real-time E ...


EYRX: (from Eyring Corporation)
EYRX is a compact, high-performance, modular, scaleable, multitasking, real-time operating system for 32-bit x86 PC compatible hardware platforms. A single FLAT system memory segment contain ...


INTEGRITY: (from Green Hills Software, Inc.)
The INTEGRITY Real-Time Operating System (RTOS) is a secure, high reliability, royalty-free RTOS intended for use in mission critical embedded systems. INTEGRITY uses hardware memory protec ...


INtime® real time extension to Windows®: (from TenAsys Corporation)
INtime® software is the ideal solution to combine deterministic, hard real-time control with standard off-the-shelf Windows NT® 4.0, Windows 2000®, and Windows XP®. By using INtime software ...


IRIX: (from SGI)
REACT is the term given to the real-time extensions that come standard with the SGI IRIX operating system. The REACT extensions enable a programmer to design an application that delivers ...


iRMX: (from TenAsys Corporation)
The iRMX III operating systems are the latest in a long line of real-time systems that have become the standard real-time software for the Intel architecture. The iRMX III O/S consists of a ...


Jbed: (from esmertec, inc.)
esmertec engineers have been working intensively with Java since its inception. Our highly experienced Java and embedded engineers are the foundation of esmertec's ability to provide ...


LynxOS: (from LynuxWorks)
Designed for Real-Time: LynxOS is a UNIX-compatible, POSIX-conforming, multiprocess, and multithreaded operating system designed for complex real-time applications that require fast, determi ...


MQX: (from Precise Software Technologies Inc)
MQX is a full-featured, scalable RTOS with a royalty free license and full ANSI C code. It provides extensive runtime error checking and recovery and is designed for reliable, continous oper ...


Nucleus PLUS: (from Accelerated Technology, Inc.)
The Nucleus PLUS kernel provides efficient, high performance task management, inter-task communication, inter-task synchronization, memory management, and component query features. Optimizat ...


On Time RTOS-32: (from On Time Informatik GmbH)
On Time's royalty free embedded operating system for x86 compatible CPUs implements a Windows NT subset in only 16k of memory. It fully integrates with Microsoft Visual Studio. Available ...


OnCore OS and Linux for Real-Time: (from OnCore Systems Corporation)
The OnCore OS provides a robust foundation for mission-critical applications that require stability, speed and flexibility. Based on a modern, battle-tested, industrial strength microkernel ...


OS-9: (from Microware Systems Corporation)
Microware's OS-9® RTOS is the total network operating system for intelligent devices. For more than 20 years, Microware's component-based RTOS has provided the essential building blo ...


OSE: (from OSE Systems )
OSE,the new generation RTOS, did not evolve from the conventional RTOS model, but was designed specifically to address the shortcomings of that model. Conventional RTOS's push much of th ...


PDOS: (from Eyring Corporation)
PDOS (R) - is a high performance real-time operating system for the Motorola 680x0 processor family. PDOS is reliable, deterministic, and proven. It is supported by a robust development envi ...


PSX: (from JMI Software Systems, Inc.)
JMI's PSX is an optional extension to C EXECUTIVE, and provides a single-user, single-group subset of POSIX.1. PSX adds POSIX signals, threads, mutexes, and condition variables, plus man ...


QNX Neutrino: (from QNX Software Systems Ltd.)
The QNX Neutrino microkernel delivers core realtime services for embedded applications, including message passing, POSIX thread services, mutexes, condition variables, semaphores, signals, a ...


QNX4: (from QNX Software Systems Ltd.)
The QNX 4 realtime OS offers you all the advantages of a true microkernel. It's small, scalable, extensible, and fast. As a true microkernel OS, QNX starts with a lean core of highly ...


REDICE-Linux: (from REDSonic, Inc.)
REDSonic?s REDICE-Linux is a real-time Linux kernel that combines hard real-time scheduling and a preemptible kernel with the ultra low latency support of RTAI in one complete hard rea ...


RTLinux: (from Finite State Machine Labs, Inc.)
RTLinux(tm) is a hard realtime operating system that follows the POSIX 1003.13 "minimal realtime operating system" standard. RTLinux runs Linux as its lowest priority execution thre ...


RTOS-UH: (from Institute of Automatic Control)
- Supporting task oriented programming in compliance with DIN 66253-2 (PEARL90). - Certified compliance with DIN/VDE 801. - Fully preemptive kernel. - Clock and event driven operatin ...


RTX 5.0: (from VenturCom)
RTX enables Windows NT/NTE and Windows 2000 to address the real-time development and execution environment of mission critical applications that require high performance and real-time determ ...


SHARCOS: (from CETT - MIS)
SHARCOS is an extension to uC/OS-II, allowing both fast signal processing and easy development. It is optimised for single processor real-time applications. Due to its Super-Task concept, ...


smx (Micro Digital, Inc): (from Micro Digital, In.)
smx is a field-proven kernel with hundreds of users. smx has undergone steady evolution and bug fixing. smx represents man-years of development effort, yet costs the equivalent of less than ...


SuperTask!: (from U S Software)
SuperTask! is a suite of development tools intended to aid in the creation of multitasking embedded applications. At SuperTask!'s core is MultiTask!, U S Software's Real Time Operati ...


ThreadX: (from Express Logic, Inc.)
ThreadX, the highest performance and best quality embedded RTOS. ThreadX gives the embedded developer a streamlined, small, fast, and reliable RTOS with NO ROYALTIES! ThreadX also provides m ...


TimeSys Linux: (from TimeSys Corporation)
TimeSys Linux starts with a no-cost, fully open source GPL version (called TimeSys Linux GPL) that consists of a powerful, fully-featured, preemptible Linux kernel and all other components n ...


Treck AMX: (from Elmic Systems USA, Inc.)
Treck AMX Real-Time Multitasking Kernel (developed by KADAK Products Ltd), provides a simple solution to the complexities introduced by real-time multitasking in which several activities mu ...


Treck MicroC/OS-II: (from Elmic Systems USA, Inc.)
MicroC/OS-II is next generation of uC/OS and is an very simple, low cots, preemptive RTOS that that has mailboxes, semaphores, and queues. It is delivered with the book "MicroC/OS-II ...


TronTask!: (from U S Software)
TronTask! is a real-time operating system implementing the µITRON real-time kernel specification designed for consumer products and other small-scale embedded systems where memory constraint ...


TTPos: (from TTTech Computertechnik AG)
The operating system TTPosT has been specifically developed for fault-tolerant real-time applications based on the time-triggered approach. TTPos combines a tiny footprint with fast task swi ...


Virtuoso: (from Eonic Systems)
The Virtuoso real-time operating system (RTOS) and tool set is an application-specific kernel technology that overcomes the greatest barrier to using a commercial off-the-shelf RTOS in DSP a ...


VxWorks 5.4: (from Wind River)
VxWorks,® the run-time component of the Tornado® II embedded development platform, is the most widely adopted real-time operating system (RTOS) in the embedded industry. Tornado II also incl ...

 

[robisc]

freebsddude WOW! How long did that list take to type? By the way you did forget BeOS.

 

[freebsddude]

hehe! lost track of time in pursuit of knowledge !!

Thanks, "robisc" for BeOS!

Actually I may have also forgotten Windows CE, Pocket PC and PalmOS!!

Keep it coming ....

 

[MuK107]

well that list should keep me goign for a long time thanks a bunch

 

[hwz8b]

<< Windows 3.1 for Workgroups >>



I think the last version is Windows 3.11 for Workgroups.

Sobs, the good old days.

There is no such thing as the best operating system. Depending on your needs, you would find certain operating system to be more attractive than others. Even then, it would probably not due to the OS features, but due to the specific applications running on the OS.

In your particular case, the need to learn Visual Basic would limit you pretty much to Microsoft operating systems. Among the many variants, the Windows 2000/XP branch is the most current. Both platforms should be stable enough for your programming need. Windows 2000 is less resource hungry, and is just as stable as Windows XP from my own anecdotal observation.

On the other hand, you would probably learn a different set of programming skills on the Linux platform. If your C++ skills are limited to the ISO C++ and STL, then Linux and Windows would serve pretty much the same purpose for your studies. Nonetheless, as you advance further, you would realize that to program those two different platforms using C and C++, you would rely on different APIs and foundation libraries. It doesn't hurt for you to familiarize yourself with the platform you wish to program in from the very beginning.

 

[freebsddude]

Thanks for the correction and your assessment!

I agree, there is no such thing as a "best" OS. However, if you are Unix newbie, you would
be better off installing Redhat Linux, which IMHO is by far the easiest one to install (with
RPMs, etc).

You should also consider purchasing the Red Book, by SeeBass and Hein called
"Unix SYstem Administration Handbook", which has a lot of good info.

Best Wishes.

 

[MuK107]

thanks im still thinking of linux unless you can tell me other wise but i would dual boot it wiht XP so i could still do my windows operations

 

[freebsddude]

You should do just fine with Linux!