OpenSolaris will challenge Linux says Sun

[praka123]

Sun seeks to apply the lessons of Linux and turn open source Solaris into an operating system to rival Linux and to be as commonly used as Java.
By China Martens, IDG News Service


Sun Microsystems has ambitious plans for the commercial and open-source versions of its Solaris operating system, hoping to achieve for Solaris the kind of ubiquity already enjoyed by Java.



To come close to reaching that goal, Sun needs to reach out more to developers and endeavour to overcome some long-held prejudices against the OS.
Sun's Java programming language, which debuted in 1995, is present in most of today's PCs, mobile devices and embedded systems. The vendor is now seeking that same kind of omnipresence for Solaris, its flavour of Unix.
Sun intends to take the operating system into markets where it hasn't traditionally been a force, such as desktop and embedded systems, according to Marc Hamilton, vice president of Solaris marketing at Sun. The vendor is also keen to position OpenSolaris as a real alternative to Linux.
"There's an enormous momentum building behind Solaris," said Ian Murdock, chief operating platforms officer at Sun. He joined Sun in March after serving as the chief technology officer of the Linux Foundation. Murdock is also the creator of the Debian Linux distribution and is keen to take the lessons he's learned in the Linux community and apply them to Solaris.
Sun is preparing to release OpenSolaris binaries early next year in a distribution code-named "Project Indiana" that will be similar to Linux distributions. The work, which is getting under way in the OpenSolaris community, is aimed at creating a single CD installation of the basic OS and desktop environment, giving developers the option to install additional software from network repositories.
Developers also will be able to create limited releases of the distribution targeted at attendees of a particular event.
The whole idea behind Indiana is to build more of a developer community around Solaris, Murdock said. "How can we lower the barriers to programmers and run OpenSolaris as an ideal open-source operating system not originating from Sun?" he asked. Indiana will also enable faster release cycles, with a new version appearing every six months.
With Indiana in place, Sun will adopt a two-tier development model, Murdock said, establishing a clear path from Indiana and OpenSolaris -- for developers and early adopters -- to Solaris, which will be largely used by more conservative enterprise users. The challenge will be delivering what's effectively a single Solaris platform to two very different communities, he added.

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[kalpik]

That would be great! Im always open to look into new things And Solaris is great!

[azzu]

wanna get a hand on this

[mehulved]

In one of the initiatives in this direction, Sun India has come out with a competition Code For Freedom where one of the projects is Open Solaris. Thus, many college students can participate in this and get acquainted with Solaris. Also, sun get a bigger community for solaris.
See http://in.sun.com/communities/univ/codeforfreedom/

[gxsaurav]

Off topic : Can I run Linux application on OpenSolaris, like can I download Pidgin & run it on OpenSolaris or do I need Solaris specific Pidgin?

[praka123]

actually heard sun is making opensolaris able to run linux s/w or "linux compatible"

[mehulved]

Originally Posted by gx_saurav

Off topic : Can I run Linux application on OpenSolaris, like can I download Pidgin & run it on OpenSolaris or do I need Solaris specific Pidgin?

I don't get it, what's wrong with you?
You want to run windows apps on linux, linux apps on solaris and so on.
Are you retarded or something?

Originally Posted by praka123

actually heard sun is making opensolaris able to run linux s/w or "linux compatible"

run it natively? or something like linux compat on FreeBSD(maybe other BSD's too).

[infra_red_dude]

^^^ mebbe he doesn't want to wait till there are abundant native apps for solaris. anyways you can always compile from the source code (if you think u are competent enuf in doing so. u don't hafta be a programmer for that). so all ur linux apps work there. even compiz and beryl work!

@prakash
thats good news i'll surely be one of those installing solaris... a step ahead in "unix on desktop"

[praka123]

^i am not limited to "Linux" as well open to experimenting!except illegal mac os x installation like some guys doing here.

[gxsaurav]

Originally Posted by mehulved

I don't get it, what's wrong with you?
You want to run windows apps on linux, linux apps on solaris and so on.
Are you retarded or something?

Isn't Pidgin available for Linux & that way for Solaris? Thats what I meant. U got problem in reading?

nyways you can always compile from the source code

Thats what I was trying to ask . Mehul, i think u need better logical understanding.

[infra_red_dude]

Originally Posted by gx_saurav

Thats what I was trying to ask

yes, read it from the horse's own mouth:

Originally Posted by Sun Website

Interoperability with Linux

Sun's commitment to open systems stretches back over two decades. Since the Linux operating system comes from the same roots, the Solaris OS and Linux are complementary and a natural fit to work together in most any environment. As Linux interfaces continue to evolve, the Solaris OS maintains source-level compatibility, helping to ensure that applications developed for Solaris or Linux software will compile and run on both platforms. This includes the addition in the Solaris OS of libraries such as Glib, zlib, and Tcl/Tk; scripting and shell utilities such as Perl, Python, zsh, tcsh, and bash; and common user and administrative interfaces such as GNOME, KDE, and Webmin.

In addition, in an update to the Solaris 10 OS, the Solaris Linux Application Environment will allow users on x86 systems to take existing, unmodified Linux binaries and run them on the Solaris platform. This new level of interoperability will give users access to the applications they prefer while at the same time enabling them to reap the benefits of Solaris 10 functionality.

[mehulved]

Originally Posted by infra_red_dude

so all ur linux apps work there. even compiz and beryl work!

Compiz already works on opensolaris but only with nvidia cards, atleast last when I heard of it. I am not aware of the latest developments.

[infra_red_dude]

^^ oh ok. i'm not aware of the nvidia-only compiz.

edit: yes, mehul. i checked it out. compiz is jus one line install and works fine on nvidia and intel chipsets ati driver is expected soon. so we can expect full support since amd has now released new linux ati driver

[Garbage]

Originally Posted by mehulved

In one of the initiatives in this direction, Sun India has come out with a competition Code For Freedom where one of the projects is Open Solaris. Thus, many college students can participate in this and get acquainted with Solaris. Also, sun get a bigger community for solaris.
See http://in.sun.com/communities/univ/codeforfreedom/

Thanks Mehul for link !!