Operating systems and Linux distributions
Operating Systems
Linux
GNU Linux aims to be a free and open-source unix (or unix-like) operating system that will run on most types of computer hardware and uses an X11 graphical user interface. Various distributions of GNU/Linux exist that have different package management systems and other features. Most of these are ideal platforms for X-ray crystallography and other scientific computational requirements.
Linux Distributions
This list is taken directly from Wikipedia's article on Linux Distributions:
Well-known Linux distributions include:
- Fedora which is a community distribution sponsored by Red Hat
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux, which is a derivative of Fedora maintained and commercially supported by Red Hat
- CentOS, a distribution derived from the same sources used by Red Hat, maintained by a dedicated volunteer community of developers with both 100% Red Hat - compatible versions and an upgraded version that is not always 100% upstream compatible
- Debian, a non-commercial distribution maintained by a volunteer developer community with a strong commitment to free software principles
- Ubuntu, a newly popular desktop distribution maintained by Canonical that is derived from Debian.
- Mandriva, a Red Hat derivative popular in France and Brazil, today maintained by the French company of the same name
- openSUSE, originally derived from Slackware, sponsored by the company Novell
- Gentoo, a distribution targeted at power users, known for its FreeBSD Ports-like automated system for compiling applications from source code
- Knoppix, a LiveCD distribution that runs completely from removable media and without installation to a hard disk
- Slackware, one of the first Linux distributions, founded in 1993, and since then actively maintained by Patrick J. Volkerding
- Linspire, a commercial desktop distribution based on Ubuntu (and thus Debian), and once the defendant in the Microsoft vs. Lindows lawsuit over its former name.
DistroWatch maintains a popularity ranking of distribution information on its web site, but this is not considered to be a reliable measure of distribution popularity.
Useful Links
Mac OS X
Mac OS X is a proprietary BSD-unix-derived operating system that runs on Apple's computers. The BSD-subsystem, called Darwin, attempts to be open-source. Unlike most other flavors of unix, OS X is not based on an X11 windowing system, but instead uses a proprietary Aqua graphical user interface. For crystallographers and others who need the conventional X11 windowing system, an Xserver for OS X is available, and installs by default on the most current version of OS X.
Links:
- Apple's Mac OS X Unix page.