What Are The Popular Free Open Source Operating Systems

An operating system is still the lifeblood of any computer. We have seen many over time, but the one that has stood out strongly is Microsoft Windows. Windows occupies about 90% of the total market for operating systems. 

And why shouldn’t it? Windows is easy to use and comes equipped with all the services one would expect from any operating system, and is considered better than an open source operating system. But there are always some who may be looking for a free operating system for their computers.

Free Open Source Operating Systems

Today I will list some of the most popular, open source, and therefore free operating systems available to computer users. Speaking of the open source world, there are some pretty impressive operating systems, which can come in handy at times. I had previously talked about the open source database, and today I will briefly talk about some free and open source operating systems and their features.

Ubuntu

The most widely used open source database is Ubuntu. It is a Linux-based operating system and is distributed free along with the source code. Your desktop looks a bit like Windows, with window controls and icons. There is a reasonable large software support available in Ubuntu; Common applications include Mozilla Firefox web browser, LibreOffice suite of office applications, GIMP image editor, etc.

Ubuntu is distributed under the GNU and GPL licenses. It has a UNIX shell called Terminal that can be used to interact with the network and install third-party applications.

Ubuntu Features, Specifications, and Requirements

• Support for ARM and x861 boards
• Local storage support for DVR2 functionality
• Minimum disk space: 2 GB
• Minimum memory: 512 MB
• HDMI
• CEC support
• Fully featured secure web
• Social media services
• Gallery

One of the cool features of Ubuntu is the integration of streaming, online services, and applications. This gives you a real TV experience on a desktop as you can now get media on demand. Ubuntu needs very little effort for installation. 

FreeBSD

FreeBSD is an advanced operating system compatible with x86 (including Pentium and Athlon), compatible with AMD64. It is popular with network developers, as FreeBSD offers advanced connectivity, performance, security, and compatibility features. 

Most software that runs on Linux can run on FreeBSD without the need for any compatibility layer. However, FreeBSD still provides a compatibility layer for several other Unix-like operating systems, including Linux. As a result, most Linux binaries can run on FreeBSD.

Also Read : How To Backup On Android?

FreeBSD is available in open source and can be installed from a variety of media, including CD-ROM, DVD, or directly over the network using FTP or NFS.

FreeBSD Features

1) FreeBSD ships with advanced hardware specifications that now support advanced file systems called the ZFS (Highly Scalable Multiprocessing Performance) file system.

2) SMPng: The SMPng architecture allows concurrency in the kernel. This makes the operating system run faster as it can scale to 8+ CPU cores for many workloads.

3) Wireless – Improves wireless support, including high-powered Atheros-based cards, new drivers for Ralink, Intel and ZyDAS cards, WPA, background scanning and roaming, and 802.11n.

FreeBSD also includes support for encryption software, secure shells, Kerberos authentication, “virtual servers”.

Open Solaris

Open Solaris is a computer operating system developed by Sun Microsystems. Works well in desktops, laptops, servers, and data centers. 

Open Solaris is GUI-based like Ubuntu and has a rich graphical desktop and windows for easy navigation. It is now available in version 11 and can be downloaded free of charge from the Oracle website.

Open Solaris Features

• ZFS (the file system)
• boot clones
• Data checksums

Additionally, Sun’s ZFS file system now has native Solid State Drive (SSD) management technology, intended to allow system administrators to fine-tune the performance of SSDs.