Open Source Platforms

Open Source Software can run on a wide variety of platforms. Open Source does not just run on Linux® while it varies from project to project, most Open Source software will run on any UNIX based platform such as Linux®, FreeBSD, OpenSolaris, AIX and MacOS X.

by  John Buswell     

Open Source Software can run on a wide variety of platforms. Open Source does not just run on Linux® while it varies from project to project, most Open Source software will run on any UNIX based platform such as Linux®, FreeBSD, OpenSolaris, AIX and MacOS X. There are many web based projects that are Open Source, many of which are in scripting languages such as Python, PHP, Ruby and Perl, most of these should run on any platform. Some projects such as Apache will even compile under Windows. This article primarily looks at platforms which are entirely Open Source, meaning you can even view the source code for the operating system.

What are the main Open Source Platforms?

The main Open Source Platforms are Linux® based, BSD based and UNIX® based. These base platforms provide different types of kernel and hardware support. Linux® based platforms are called Linux® distributions and they are based off the Linux Kernel which is a massive open source project started by Linus Torvalds.

The Linux kernel supports a wide variety of hardware architectures from Intel / AMD based PCs to embedded platforms such as ARM and up to massive IBM mainframes. The Linux kernel is licensed under the GNU Public License (GPL). Linux® is a UNIX®-like operating system.

BSD known as Berkeley Software Distribution was developed by the Computer Systems Research Group at the University of California, Berkeley from 1977 to 1995. BSD is also a UNIX®-like operating system. BSD platforms are licensed under the BSD License which has much fewer restrictions compared to the GPL and general copyright. The BSD License is much closer to public domain. As such BSD is often used by embedded systems vendors who do not wish to be forced by the license agreement to have to contribute back their enhancements to the community. BSD can offer a competitive advantage to such vendors.

OpenSolaris™ is a UNIX® based platform from Sun Microsystems. OpenSolaris™ is the result of Sun Open Sourcing their Solaris OS. Solaris is based off UNIX® System V Release 4 (SVR4), which was a joint effort between Sun and AT&T to merge popular UNIX® flavors on the market in the late 1980s. You may see references to SunOS, SunOS was based off BSD and was rebranded as Solaris when Sun made the switch to SVR4 in 1991. OpenSolaris™ has some innovative features such as the ZFS file system and DTrace.

Anyone can take these platforms and build their own operating system from them. There are many different flavors of each, the rest of this article looks at the main players.

What are the main Linux® Platforms?

The main Linux® platforms are Ubuntu, openSUSE, Fedora, Debian, Mandriva, LinuxMint, PCLinuxOS, Slackware, Gentoo Linux, and CentOS. These platforms are called Linux® distributions. A distribution is made up of many different Open Source projects that have been packaged together. The software used to manage the packaging is one of the key differences between the different distributions. Fedora, openSUSE, Mandriva and CentOS are based on the Red Hat Package Manager (RPM) which uses a tool called yum to update its packages. Ubuntu and many others are based off Debian which uses APT for package managements. Gentoo has its own system called emerge which builds the projects from source, and Slackware does not have a package management system. Outside of these differences, the distributions offer different versions of particular open source projects which trade-off features and newer hardware support for possible stability. Some distributions provide other value added solutions such as desktop themes, additional packages or simplified applications. There are commercial platforms such as Red Hat Enterprise Linux.

What are the main BSD Platforms?

Just like Linux® there are different flavors of BSD. The most popular one is FreeBSD, followed by OpenBSD, NetBSD and DragonFly BSD. Just like their Linux® counterparts the different BSDs are targeted towards different markets. OpenBSD is a fork of NetBSD which focuses on proactive security and integrated cryptography.

What are the main OpenSolaris™ Platforms?

OpenSolaris™ is the primary OpenSolaris™ platform, but there are a growing number of other options. Beneix, marTux, Nexenta, SchilliX, and several others are available. For those new to OpenSolaris™ the main platform maybe the best choice.

How can I try Open Source Platforms?

There are three ways to try out an Open Source Platform. You can install the platform onto a dedicated computer, which can be done via a bootable CD, USB thumbdrive or via PXE (Network Boot). You may need to change the boot settings in your PCs BIOS in order to boot from those mediums. If you do not have a dedicated computer, a LiveCD is another easy option. A LiveCD is a CD that you boot from but instead of installing the platform on your computer, it runs directly from the CD. This allows you to try out the platform without having to install it. The third option would be to run the platform within a virtual machine. On Apple platforms you can use Parallels or VMware Fusion. On PC platforms, there is the free VMware Desktop product. Within a virtual machine, you can run the platform on a simulated computer on your desktop. The only cost is some disk space to install the virtualization software and the virtual image.

There is too much choice, what would you recommend?

We would recommend trying Ubuntu and Fedora for Linux®. FreeBSD and OpenSolaris™.

I want to build my own Linux® where should I start?

You will want to check out the Linux From Scratch Project.