Does solaris have limitations to be used as a desktop OS?
 

Hi

I am aware that Solaris's strength is in the server/enterprise market. Has anyone used it exclusively as a desktop OS? If so, what are your pro's and con's when using it as a desktop OS.

Thanks

Solaris has a few limitations in which some hardware isn't going to have the same level of support as others are. Outside of this, Solaris, like the BSDs has about the same software packages, so in essence, it can be used as a desktop workstation OS.

Other than that, just about all universal UNIX packages found on BSD and Linux should be available, or build-able.

The pros are, the core system is built as a uniform standard like BSD. This can lead to more stability. Plus, Solaris is sponsored, so it'll have continued developments for a long time to come. It also has a branch of the ZFS file system so data protection will be very good.

The cons are few if negligible, but you should be advised to fully research the hardware requirements before committing to it. Like BSDs, Nvidia graphics will be the strongest supported graphics cards and sound cards are usually covered by 4Front's OSSv4.

Beyond that, just learn the system and enjoy yourself.

I looked at the Solaris website once. One important thing that caught my attention is that the system is free to download, but updates are only available if payment is made. That means, if one wants an up-to-date system without paying, it is necessary to download a new ISO and re-install every few months. That would make the system unsuitable for most people who want a free (as in money) system. I am sure it is a good system, but it is meant for people willing to pay. A factor to keep in mind.

Have a look at openindiana if you want something like the continuation of opensolaris.

This is only true for FreeBSD and only with respect to the proprietary vendor driver. Take away that and Nvidia support is in fact abysmal.

Thanks for the replies. I did install it in a VM. Firefox was very dated at version 17.x. there wasn't an update from the package manager. I guess you have to pay if you want to get the latest apps.

Other than that, it's OK. But I prefer to use linux over solaris as a desktop. Solaris is excellent for servers and enterprises. Anyway, I will just take baby steps in learning solaris and maybe I'll pay for it at a later time if it becomes useful to me.

Thanks again

Moved: This thread is more suitable in <Solaris> and has been moved accordingly to help your thread/question get the exposure it deserves.

You can download Firefox version 31 package & tarballs for Solaris here:
http://download.cdn.mozilla.net/pub/...s/31.0/contrib

Thanks

No, this is not correct. You will be able to upgrade via internet. For instance, I have installed Solaris 11.1. When Solaris 11.2 arrived, I upgraded to 11.2 via some commands. It creates a Boot Environment, so I can now freely boot into the old Solaris 11.1 or to the new 11.2, in GRUB.

I use Solaris on my workstation. But mostly I use it as a backend, handling all storage (my ZFS raid) and use Virtualbox to start up Windows or Linux, when I need to do work. The reason I use virtualization is that I can just move the VM to another Solaris install easily. If I setup the Solaris installation for work, and then I need to reinstall (I bought new disk or so) I loose all install and tweaks. Now, if I buy a new system disk, I just install Solaris and copy all the VMs to the new install and then I can continue work where I was. Solaris is safer than both Linux and Windows, so it feels good to have Solaris at the bottom handling all the work, disks, etc. And it is more stable too.

EDIT: There are free Solaris distros, for instance the ZFS creators, and DTrace creators have left Oracle and now contribute to the free Solaris kernel (Illumos). Open ZFS has more development, than Oracle's closed ZFS version in Solaris. Some open Solaris distros are OpenSolaris, OmniOS, SmartOS. SmartOS is more for the cloud. I believe OmniOS is the most popular OpenSolaris distro?

OmniOS and OpenIndiana which use the Illumos kernel are the most modernized of these.

I could have mis-interpreted the website or things may have changed in the last few years. Although I am almost certain what I posted was what was on the website three or four years ago.