Unix: Opensolaris Lives On In This Openindiana Fork

As personification who grew up arsenic a Hoosier, seeing a Linux distribution named OpenIndiana warms my heart.

Of course, is it really a Linux distribution?

Nope.

OpenIndiana, based connected OpenSolaris, is simply a Unix operating system, truthful if you’re coming from Linux and you expect to acquisition a very Linux-like operating system, you mightiness beryllium successful for a surprise.

Sun Microsystems initially released OpenSolaris successful 2005 arsenic an unfastened root type of its Solaris Unix operating system. Oracle acquired Sun successful 2010 and shuttered nan task soon thereafter.

If you cognize Linux well, you should beryllium capable to prime up connected this OS beautiful easily. To do that, you’ll want to  understand nan differences betwixt nan two:

OpenIndiana was created truthful that OpenSolaris could proceed and beryllium usable connected x86-64 computers. This operating strategy is viable for anyone who longs to tally a much Unix-like OS connected commodity hardware.

Of course, you really person to person an liking successful either Unix aliases OpenSolaris to want to usage OpenIndiana. If you’re accustomed to utilizing Linux and person nary request to look down nan velvet curtain and spot what a much Unix-like OS is each about, don’t fuss pinch OpenIndiana.

If, connected nan different hand, nan thought of having a Unix-like strategy intrigues you, OpenIndiana mightiness beryllium your champion option.

OpenIndiana is disposable pinch nan MATE desktop situation that is configured to look for illustration beautiful overmuch immoderate server graphical personification interface (GUI) you’ve ever tried.

Before I continue, I wanted to connection 1 speedy warning: OpenIndiana is not for those caller to either Linux aliases Unix. You really request to person an knowing of 1 aliases nan different (preferably Unix) to moreover effort to usage this OS. That’s not to scare you distant from trying OpenIndiana, but rather, to springiness you a reality cheque earlier you do.

The thought down OpenIndiana is to go nan de facto successor to OpenSolaris, and it has succeeded pinch that mission.

But what is OpenIndiana like?

First Impressions of OpenIndiana

The installation of OpenIndiana is overmuch easier than nan past clip I installed a Unix-like OS. With a straightforward GUI installer (after having to make a mates of text-based selections), I had nan OS installed without immoderate problems. In fact, nan full process took possibly 15 minutes. It mightiness not beryllium arsenic accelerated arsenic a Linux installation, but it’s surely faster than nan OpenSolaris installation. Of course, 1 must return into information that I was installing OpenIndiana connected considerably much powerful hardware than erstwhile I was installing OpenSolaris.

Once nan OS was installed, I logged into a very basal MATE desktop. It had apical and bottommost panels, an Application menu, desktop icons, a strategy tray and each nan different trappings of a accepted server desktop.

The first point I did was commencement scoping retired nan desktop menu. What I recovered was somewhat surprising, successful that location were scant fewer applications. With that successful mind, I opted to instal immoderate packages.

I wasn’t moreover remotely amazed to find location was nary GUI action for managing software.

Go figure.

Off to nan bid line.

Installing Applications

The first hiccup I ran into was that nan default MATE terminal model refused to springiness maine a prompt. Good point Xterm is included pinch nan installation. With Xterm astatine nan ready, I first decided to instal a web server.

OpenIndiana uses nan pkg package manager, truthful nan installation process looks for illustration this:

Where PACKAGE is nan package you want to install.

Before I proceed, I decided to first tally an upgrade with:

When that was completed, I decided it was clip to instal a web server. I’ve installed nan Apache web server countless times, truthful I first attempted nan process with:

Nope.

Nada.

Okay, let’s effort thing a spot much basic: SSH.

Angry buzzer.

The bully news connected nan SSH beforehand was that astatine slightest I received an correction informing maine location were aggregate packages associated pinch SSH, 1 of which was:

I past attempted nan command:

Guess what? It was already installed. Turns out, each I had to do was alteration nan work with:

Let’s find our IP address. Given this isn’t Linux, it was safe to presume nan ip a bid wouldn’t work. Instead, I went aged schoolhouse and issued nan command:

Voilà! I had my IP address.

An effort to link to OpenIndiana from my Pop!_OS was successful. Huzzah!

Back to my attempted web server installation, I went with:

This clip around, I was successful. Next, I had to alteration nan NGINX work with:

I pointed a web browser to nan IP reside of nan OpenIndiana server to beryllium treated to nan NGINX invited page.

You spot really this works?

My Conclusion

There’s thing romanticist astir utilizing a Unix-like OS, and OpenIndiana fills that niche very well. I really enjoyed figuring retired really to navigate nan operating system, and OpenIndiana really made that benignant of easy.

If you want to dip your toes into Unix, OpenIndiana is nan measurement to go. But don’t conscionable deliberation of it arsenic a artifact operating system. OpenIndiana is powerful, unchangeable and secure. You (and your organization) would do good to look into utilizing this blast from nan past pinch a motion to nan future.

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