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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.
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.
>Android
First, Android is half closed. You have to bring your own bits to the table to make it work. Amazon did it with the Kindle Fire, and Google has Google Play. But basically no individuals are equipped to leverage Android on their own.
Second, every OS has to start somewhere. I can read your words in 1996 and imagine it about the Linux Kernel.
You have to bring your own bits to the table to make it work. Amazon did it with the Kindle Fire, and Google has Google Play.
Because an Operating System isn't an Operating System, unless you can get a bundled app store with it...
Just because you're paranoid doesn't mean there isn't an invisible demon about to eat your face
Though in 1996 we didn't actually have tons of free operating systems. Linux added something that was missing.
Then again, this release is hopefully nothing serious, other than a way to say that he's abandoned the project and doesn't really care if people use it or not.
c++;
Minix publish their source code under BSD 13 years ago (your link, second sentence). Its purpose was to provide a framework for OS programming. SkyOS is a one guy who wanted to code an OS and get paid for it. Hardly comparable.
Tomorrow is another day...
Last SkyOS 5.0 beta released for free via http://www.osnews.com/comments/27260
has some torrent and magnetlink in the comments. Not sure if its a new version or the links work.
Domestic spying is now "Benign Information Gathering"
But basically no individuals are equipped to leverage Android on their own.
Applications are the easy bit. See F-Droid. The hard part is getting device drivers for your hardware...
I am TheRaven on Soylent News
I guess you don't know why AOSP is called AOSP and Android is called Android. That would be because not all of Android is in AOSP, because Android is not completely open.
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.
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.
It's not our fault if the english language doesn't have two different words to describe two different things.
Even if we used "gratis" or "free of charge", people would still ask which meaning is to be understood when we use the word "free" and using the word "libre" would have other people complain that it's not in english.
Get free satoshi (Bitcoin) and Dogecoins
Sayeth the Wiki...
So it looks interesting, especially considering it was developed by one person. But given the lack of source I agree with most people here; it's a dead project.
I suppose Szeleney's hope is that by making it free but not open source he will bring it to the attention of some manufacturer who has need of an embedded OS (for their phone, tablet, whatever) and feels SkyOS may fit their needs. He then will either sell the code to them or offer to modify it to their needs. But, seeing as a) it's x86-only and b) he couldn't attract commercial attention to his OS four years ago when the project was still active, this seems a last-ditch attempt to cash in on his work. So while I wish him success, I also think he would have been better off just offering the project to the community.
Kind of. 1996 was the days of OS2 Warp and Windows 95 which notably wasn't free but easily pirated. Linux helped more in the server space and with the emergence of the BSDs. Open/FreeBSD was kind of the bad boys on the block. Linux was already pretty mainstream by 96, we used to use it to drive our 20 node dial up ISP at the time feeding data from a ISDN line.
It was the earlier parts of the 90's where Linux made its ground. Minux was the best that was out there until Linux came along.