Day 2: My Favourite OS
Hello people, well I have decided it's time for me to look at which OS is my favourite one to use.
Over the years I have used many OS versions from Windows, Linux and many more. Including Haiku, NextStep, Mac OS 8,9 & X (many versions) ReactOS, Syllable, IRIX, SkyOS and others I can't remember off the top of my head.
Now certain OS have impressed me over the years for various reasons. Haiku (Open BeOS) has incredible speed and it's ability to utilize multicore CPUs is really amazing. It looks pretty but it is let down by its lack of software support.
Now this is also an issue for the likes of SkyOS and Syllable even QNX RTOS. They just lack the main software libraries to make them useful no matter what they are like on the surface.
IRIX is quite nice if a tad confusing when you first try it but after a little work it can be interesting. However as I don't have SGI hardware I can't say I have seen this at its best. Once again software is limited but I like the interface.
NextStep I really like and it does have some nice touches. Even to this day Mac OS still uses various elements. If you ever program Mac OS and your object starts with NS_ then it's directly using elements from the NextStep API.
NextStep truly is very simple to use and you can see why Apple used it as a stepping stone. Installation via DMG for example which is still used to this day.
Mac OS X Snow Leopard is a good contender for being my favourite OS as it has the ability to run PPC software using Rosetta while still being able to run the native Intel code. This is an amazing trick as you can bridge both worlds of Mac software.
I have used it to play old games like Rollercoaster Tycoon 3 (PPC) while at the same time I can run WriteRoom natively using the Intel code.
Now for the elephant in the room... Linux for all I use it regularly and it has become my default operating system for day to day use. As much as I like Linux it can equally at times seem quite clunky when it comes to certain aspects. It is definitely useable and there is a wide base of software available but there is something missing. I can't put my finger on it precisely be it's still dependance on command lines, the strange setup of SystemD, the quirky graphical setup of X, it just still lacks something.
Ok enough beating around the bush, I think the OS which I will come back to time and time again, is probably not one people will expect...
The OS that I think I enjoy the most is Mac OS 9. I have spent many hours playing games, writing text and generally playing about in. Is it the most amazing operating system alive. Nope.
Is it the OS I have had the most fun in...yes. Be it playing things like Prince of Persia, You Don't Know Jack and many more. To sitting typing using WordPerfect 3.5e with it's amazing Grammatik versions built in. It's the one OS I go back to time and time again.
Why do I enjoy it so much. It for me is just the ultimate fiddle about OS. It has a large software library and it's fun to use. It's pretty stable and overall I think if I had to choose one OS I could use quite happily for the rest of my days. It would be this one.
Is it what you were expecting...let me know what your favourite OS is?
