SUN microsystems has always been a big player of open source software,contributing a large amount of code to the open source database.One of it’s recent developments is OPENSOLARIS,the open source operating system based on the solaris operating system which is built on the UNIX code base.SUN has gone to the extent of sending a live free live cd (The OS runs as long as the cd is booted and returns to normal mode after it is removed.)of open solaris to the open solaris enthusiasists.And so let me give you my experience with open solaris.

I was browsing SUN’s website and accidentally came across the tab named”OPEN SOLARIS”.I had heard about the Solaris operating system and so I checked out wikipedia and found that opensolaris was SUN’s open source operating system.I wanted to try it out(I am a linux geek and got a large collection namely Ubuntu,mandriva,vyatta,redhat,etc…).So I checked whether an image for the live cd was available.Of course it was.But wait a minute,I was curious to see an option which said”Free opensolaris live cd”.A click on it gave me the form to fill my address with my sun account and then they told me that I can expect the cd afer a couple of weeks.I was not very hopeful about it and so went for the download of an image of the opensolaris and burnt my own live cd.But it never worked properly (booting probs,blame my hardware configuration!).When I finally thought of giving up the idea ,the copy of opensolaris as promised by SUN,arrived.It was a great surprise and so was it’s booting time.That one worked perfectly and I was soon at the desktop which looked similar to Windows.

TheGraphical User Interface is well designed which makes a normal user’s open Solaris experience great.It had preinstalled copies of browser,audio and video editor and much more important apps which are found in Windows.And the speed?Well a normal Windows user will highly appreciate the processing speed of Open Solaris.Lots of apps are available for opensolaris which makes it a good match to Windows.

And like Linux there is a large community of programmers for open solaris,backing it up with their innovative applications .New features are added now and then and sun has announc ed that in the next version of the commercial solaris operating system,It is planning to include the technology that is used in opensolaris.That gives a clear picture that open solaris is an operating system with quality.Some of the computer manufacturing companies have also given an option to their customers to choose open solaris as the preinstalled operating system instead of windows.That makes Open Solaris a next interesting competitor to Windows after the most powerful open source operating system Linux.

I got an ebook to work on Open Solaris and learnt a few commands to work on(for kids,GUI comes to the rescue).Now working on opensolaris has become my favourite hobby.It is really worth testing.And hats off to SUN(Stanford University Network) for this super cool operaing system and for it’s contribution to the open source community.And for the all the other geeks,itz time you checked out sun’s website and download an image if you are an eager beaver or wait till your postman knocks the door.

Anyway,working on Open Solaris will ,no doubt,be a wonderful experience and Open Solaris even qualifies to the level of replacing windows in the Operating system market.

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