Does Linux have an Amiga feel?

[polyp2000]

Just want to chip in and say.

As an amiga user , begrudgingly switching to windows back in the 90's.
Upon discovering discovering linux it was like a breath of fresh air. In particular I found bash / scripting to be reminiscent of the Amiga.

The abundance of open source software also reminded me very much of the PD scene i was used to on the Amiga.

While today Linux has continued to be developed and is very different in many ways I cannot deny that my first experiments with Linux circa ~2001
made me think , gosh this reminds me of the Amiga.

Today things are a different kettle of fish though - but Linux is still my OS preference for work and multimedia duties. (No dedicated windows machines in my house - although I do have an Intel Mac Mini 2013 I use as a testing machine and also as a PLEX server)

N.

[polyp2000]

Maybe earlier Linux deployments in the GUI/Shell sense. But not much more than that. The Amiga also had a sense of being revolutionary, leading edge. No such feeling on Linux.

Seriously ? I cannot think of a single operating system that epitomized a revolution than Linux. Without it and the open source ecosystem that blossoms from its very roots , the internet, the mobile space, even the desktop space would be a very different place indeed. Companies like google - if they even existed at all would be very different to what we see today.

you need to read this book  
http://books.google.co.uk/books/about/Rebel_Code.html?id=kIU1scm4w6QC

Im not trying to start an OS war here - but I cant stand by and read a comment like yours without responding.


As much as i love the Amiga - Im not so dumb as to make suggestions that Linux does not feel like a revolutionary OS. That really just shows that you've never taken the time to understand its roots or even use it for any great length of time. The amiga OS was great in its time , but its time is in the past.
I cannot comment on os 4.x - But by todays standards classic amiga OS does not cut the mustard against most modern operating systems. I chose to use Linux as my primary OS many many moons ago and my initial thoughts were that it reminded me of AmigaOS - things have changed since then - but Id rather not be hold to either Microsoft OR Apple - and that sentiment has not changed much since then. (I had leanings towards Mac when OSX hit the scene but when i realised they were taking a lot from the community and not giving back it didnt help matters)


N

[polyp2000]

I only understand that I used to hear about these expensive Sun and Silicon graphics workstations and I wondered why anyone used them and what they did with them, but it was too expensive to find out. Now it's not too expensive to find out, but I don't know how old any of the hardware on eBay is because these systems aren't familiar to me. As for being "oldschool" I've recently seen videos of Sun and Silicon Graphics workstations with their nice, custom GUIs and they don't look old school to me. I don't know what the difference is between this and totally up to date Sun or Silicon Graphics workstations. Here's a video I watched yesterday. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NJ3eKYXk9EI

if you have a spare PC floating around or one that you are willing to partition- you could always try OpenSolaris  http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/server-storage/solaris11/downloads/index.html
and avoid having to purchase the hardware in the first place.

N

[polyp2000]

No matter what the OS is the proper solution against viruses is the prompt installation of a patch for the security hole the virus exploits.

Once the OS vendor patches said hole, why would there be any need for an anti-virus program?  It can't protect you against a new virus and there is no need for it to protect against holes that have been patched.

Which kinds of operating systems are likely to get "prompt" security patches? Open Source ones or Closed Source ones coming from a single vendor?

[polyp2000]

It took me 6 months to find the right distribution because there are many options to choose from. I don't think that choice is a bad thing at all. In fact, I think that it speaks volumes to the the kernel's flexibility of implementation. What is truly a downside, is the large amount of stuff that comes along with the kernel, making it well over 100mg at this point.

I think that comment regarding the size of the kernel is a bit of an overgeneralisation. Im not sure where you get your figures - it might be useful to back that up!
(Im running raring ringtail and my kernel is 5.2mb [stock])

I also assume you are not referring to the size of the kernel source (which would contain support for a tonne of hardware , GPU , CPU / Architecture - this naturally wouldnt be included in a compiled kernel)

By and large most common distributions may well have kernels that could be considered larger than needs be - the reason behind this as distribution packagers often compile a kernel that includes a broad range of support for hardware. Some of this may be modules that are loaded at runtime and some maybe compiled into the kernel.

In the case of a fixed platform like the amiga a linux kernel compiled only to support known hardware configuration im sure would be pretty f**n tiny.

I just thought i would provide the bigger picture.

N.

[polyp2000]

So "actually do stuff" == "productive stuff like video editing and music production"? That's a ridiculously limited view. I've made my living for the last 17 years "actually doing stuff" almost exclusively on Linux machines.

Wow - thats pretty impressive stuff , and i thought i had been using it for a long time. What kind of stuff were you doing with linux back then? Linux had only just reached a v1 release. Im guessing you must be a kernel hacker or something .

[polyp2000]

One day someone will make a modern OS that is neat at both ends, that nobody can find anything to complain about, and the Universe will end.

Even if someone did - there would still be zealots and those not open to change that would still claim their OS du jour is superior for a bunch of reasons that will change depending on the context. We all have reasons for our choices and mine are based on what i feel comfortable with and what my needs are.

Somewhere in this thread someone noted that Android was "well regarded" yet later on claimed that Linux was no good due to various desktop / user interface issues. On one hand accepting that Linux is just a kernel and on the other citing Linux is both kernel and userland stuff - depending on which argument it serves most best at the time. Its hard to take those kind of arguments seriously. Someone else was complaining about the size of the source code but conveniently forgot that that source code supports a huge range of architectures and hardware configurations and bears no reflection on the size of a kernel.

This thread has turned into a real flame bait situation and i think its about time it was put to bed as the discussion is going no-where.

Whatever your operating system preference is - be happy that you have found something that suits your needs. Its ok to see the negative side of things but never forget that your own preference probably has its negatives to someone else. And most of all be happy!

[polyp2000]

I am running out of the office now, so I can't reply to rest right now...

vidarh I commend you on taking the time and effort to debunk so many of the misconceptions and assumptions regarding linux. I think we are all here because we have a love for the Amiga i cant help but feel that some of us are seeing things through rose coloured spectacles. Im honestly surprised at the animosity towards Linux here. When i first discovered it it seemed to be a natural fit with my amiga background. I wonder how things might have panned out should Amiga had continued with plans to adopt the linux kernel as the basis for a future amiga http://www.amigahistory.co.uk/linuxchoice.html.

All operating systems have their flaws - for me I think the Linux audio subsystem could do with an overhaul , or at least some of the userspace tools could do with improvement. JACK for example is a bit of an artform to get set up right. Still - that doesnt stop me using it for music production with Renoise. https://soundcloud.com/polyp (Renoise is totally what Octamed / Soundstudio should have become ...).