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SkyOS Now Free (As In Beer)
Beardydog writes "SkyOS, the commercial, alternative OS created almost entirely by Robert Szeleney, became free (as in beer) sometime last month. Alternative OS enthusiasts can be forgiven for missing it, as the website has been largely derelict, and the forums overrun with spam, since the project was halted in 2009. It's not clear from the announcement whether the ISO available is the traditional build, or the version rebuilt around Linux. The post announcing the free version provides a license name ('public') and registration code that must be entered during setup. While it isn't quite the open-sourcing that most followers hoped for, it's heartening to know SkyOS won't be completely lost in the mists of time."
For a blast from the past, check out our old stories about SkyOS.
Linux,BSD, Android, heck even niche OSes like Kolibri and haiku, we have a TON of free OSes that are NOT years behind and with SkyOS being built by only a single guy? It'll maybe, MAYBE be at win95 level of polish...yawn.
ACs don't waste your time replying, your posts are never seen by me.
I wonder if the server is running SkyOS?
Just "gratis for copying" is not enough for not getting lost in the mist of time since it does not help against bit rot: hardware moves on. At some point of time, it will get hard to get devices for this to run on.
So lets help this guy out. The website is slashdotted. If anybody can downlod it and make a torrent. Then post the magnetlink. That would be great. I am just assuming that is a solution. Let the "discussion" begin.
Walter Sobchak: That rug really tied the room together, did it not?
The Dude: Fuckin' A.
What does it offer, outside of mundane curiosity, that I can already find at Distrowatch? I can find a lot of random stuff on archive.org to waste time with too.
Give me a reason and a purpose for using SkyOS.
Does the cloud reside in the SkyOS?
From Microsoft of all places. I liked the idea of it and developed into a full OS would have been advanced. It seemed like it would be slower for the stability gains and that why it died.
:(
Legacy Software is quite a problem now with bugs and exploits. I wonder when we will move away from them. It looks to me like all the money hungry corps are moving to closed environments based on the same on crap technology, just locked down.
Such a shitty world we live in. I hope linux gaming takes off. Thats the only thing that kept me Microsoft since 1995. But linux is a legacy product as well
Just cant win.
Were it made free software (as in freedom) it might've interested somebody...
This would have been great... several years ago. His arrogance of demanding that he would only release the source if only someone fully dedicated to leading the project that was the final nail in the coffin. He never deemed anyone worthy of the position so it fell into obscurity. I think we would be better off if the source had just been deleted and page taken down.
Oh yeah, the reason it died is that he drove away the other developers.
SkyOS underwent many changes after this surge in popularity. Because of significant differences at the source level, Szeleney stopped thinking of what was under development as the fifth version of his operating system, and the name "SkyOS 5.0" was rebranded to simply "SkyOS". A more professional demeanor was taken throughout the project
"professional demeanor" means he started acting like an arrogant asshole.
As the years progressed and the other founding members of SkyOS distanced from the project,
turns out that people dont like to be pushed around by arrogant assholes.
SkyOS isn't an operating system, it's a cautionary tale.
Anons need not reply. Questions end with a question mark.
>> the website has been largely derelict ... the forums overrun with spam ... the project was halted in 2009 ... not clear from the announcement whether the ISO available is the traditional build, or the version rebuilt around Linux.
Sounds great. I'll install it at once.
yes it will. with no development since something like 2009 and none expected in the future... what good is a bunch of compiled bits of an incomplete operating system without the source code and license to do something with it?
So where do I need to go to get this free beer?
For SkyOS, the interface looks way better then Windows 8.
~~ Behold the flying cow with a rail gun! ~~
The last thing I come here to read is that somebody else doesn't care about something. What in the hell can I learn from that? I don't give a damn whether you care or not. If you have something useful to say, then say it. If not, shut the hell up.
That's the most insightful post in this entire discussion. The only thing wrong with it is the stupid fixed font.
It's a nearly meaningless phrase to those who aren't intimately familiar with Richard Stallman's political philosophy. Beer isn't free. Free beer is free. "Free (as in beer)" is merely nonsensical.
... for SkyNet?
Cost free eBook I read (by iBook/Kobo/Amazon/ObookO/Gutenberg etc.): "The Green Odyssey" by Philip Jose Farmer.
It isn't FLOSS so fuck him! Why should he make any money on his work! He should be put against a wall and SHOT, the capitalist piece of shit!
I am so sick of this. Since when is beer free? I spend $10/day on beer. Point me at the free beer. Can't? Stop effing talking about free beer you brain dead moron!
Taking architectural cues from AmigaOS and BeOS, its actually pretty attractive. Gobo Linux was another interesting one that should have gotten more attention.
Technically, Qubes is a desktop OS also. However, the hypervisor part of it is also a main UI feature and once a user acclimates to that they still have most of the Linux-isms to deal with.
Its great for techies though!
next article "SkyOS renamed after legal battle" (ref)
the site appears to be offline just now. Anyone hosting a mirror or repository somewhere?
Does anyone know if SkyOS ever had a "release" on a professionally printed CD/DVD? I can't seem to find actual evidence of this -- only the ability to download/burn a SkyOS Live CD.
free as in "free beer".
Was it so hard?
CLI paste? paste.pr0.tips!
All the beer I personally know I had to pay for.
This term, "free as in beer", needs to die in a fire.
It means the opposite of what it is supposed to mean.
- Zav - Imagine a Beowulf cluster of insensitive clods...