Five points to consider when selecting a FOSS operating system:
Free and open source (FOSS)
- Intended use
- Commercial support
- Hardware compatibility
- Software compatibility
- Community
Intended Use
How you plan to use a FOSS operating system is a key point to take into account when making your selection. Many of the systems are quite flexible and can be used for different purposes, but it still pays to consider their relative strengths and weaknesses.We've come up with three broad categories with which to categorize most FOSS operating systems: desktop, server, and special purpose.Desktop Operating Systems
If you expect desktop functionality from your FOSS operating system, you'll want to find one that's been designed for that purpose. Desktop operating systems tend toward friendlier installation and greater use of graphical user interfaces. In addition, they usually sport newer versions of popular desktop software like browsers and mail clients.
Sample desktop FOSS operating systems include:
Server Operating Systems
Server operating systems may favor stability over the latest versions of software applications. With some server operating systems, the installation of the operating system and programs is done with less graphical (and often less friendly) tools than you'll find in desktop operating systems. The software in server operating systems tends to be somewhat behind "right out of the box", but can be fairly easy to update using the software management tools provided. However, care should be taken to make sure that your updates will work, especially if the software you're installing includes dependencies on other packages – in which case you'll need to update those, too.Sample server FOSS operating systems include:
- CentOS
- FreeBSD
- Red Hat
OPEN SOURCE WINDOWS
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