Have just installed Solaris Express .Dev. Ed.
and wish to know if I can run Linux Binaries, as I can (generally) run other systems binaries under OpenBSD.

In particular I'd like to run TurboPrint, which I've run under SUSE & Sabayon which supplies a driver for my Canon Pixma MP610 printer.

Thanks

There are several ways although I'm not sure any will allow accessing your printer.
One is using the aging lxrun http://www.ugcs.caltech.edu/~steven/lxrun/ , the other is to install a Linux distribution in a lx branded zone http://www.opensolaris.org/os/community/brandz/install/ , the third is to install a Linux distribution in Virtual Box http://www.virtualbox.org/ (USB not yet supported).

Thanks for the information.

Is it possible to use Linux drivers in BrandZ? I think VirtualBox should be the most compatible alternative?

Kernel drivers, a.k.a. kernel modules cannot be used in BrandZ as the kernel is really still Solaris.

VirtualBox is certainly the best way to run Linux drivers, and will be even better when USB is supported.

Mmm ! Interesting comments. Appears Solaris is 'not quite there yet' :-)

Many Linux's also have this problem - however I just ( yesterday) installed Madriva 2008 Spring, which not only found every USB device but configured them correctly, including my Canon Pixma MP610 !!

So I'll have to put aside Solaris for the moment, pity really as it looks & feels so good.
( And has 'better parents' than Linux ! :-)

One thing that you have to keep in mind about solaris is that it makes no attempt to be a linux


Most people who use solaris us it on sun hardware.

I'm not sure you really need to use Linux emulation/virtualization for this printer to be supported.

Platform independent drivers than should work under Solaris are available here: http://sourceforge.net/project/showf...roup_id=210977

Gnu/Linux is a Unix clone, not the other way around
Of course, each OS is free to implement interesting features from the other one.
This is probably no more the case. There have been 11 millions of free Solaris licences registered, likely more than h/w unit sales.

And 12 million downloads of Solaris 10. I wonder, is the figures for OpenSolaris included?
http://www.computerworld.com.au/index.php/id;982045317

Thats why I wish to run Solaris :-) because it not Linux , I normally run OpenBSD because its not Linux and does not suffer Linux security problems.

However, if Sun supply a version of their OS for a Intel x86 platform, I should expect that they've sorted out "simple" stuff like accessing usb ports , printers, keyboards, etc. OpenBSD is not perfect either, especially in the area of Audio/Video access/display which is why I have to have a Linux system for some internet access - I'd hoped Solaris could be 'the' system - but its not quite ready yet.

From what I've seen Solaris Express is nicely put together, certainly
a vast improvement on Solaris 10.

You make a good point here -- just what types of printers can you attach to
a SUN 'box' ?? -- Parallel and Serial only perhaps ??

Simple stuff usually works fine out of the box.
Which is expected. The next version of an OS should always be an improvement compared to the previous one.

Okay, Vista demonstrates this assertion can be false

Printers connected to Sun hardware are 99% network printers and support postscript. This has worked for decades and still do.
The issue with low end home user printers isn't that much kernel support but the case where the printer requires closed source proprietary drivers. Solaris supports cups and so the numerous printers cups supports, whether they are parallel, USB or network connected.