this post was submitted on 01 Aug 2024
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Linux

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Linux is a family of open source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991 by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically packaged in a Linux distribution (or distro for short).

Distributions include the Linux kernel and supporting system software and libraries, many of which are provided by the GNU Project. Many Linux distributions use the word "Linux" in their name, but the Free Software Foundation uses the name GNU/Linux to emphasize the importance of GNU software, causing some controversy.

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[–] [email protected] 18 points 1 month ago (2 children)

Serious question: you'd use that for your daily driver?

[–] [email protected] 46 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (5 children)
[–] [email protected] 21 points 1 month ago

A rare sighting of a Plan 9 user! You need to be protected at all cost! Your species is extremely rare and important for future studies.

BTW for a moment I was upset, because I thought this is a screenshot of Reddit. I kinda like the old look of it.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 month ago (1 children)

What desktop environment is that? Or is it built in by default or doesn't work quite similar to linux?

[–] [email protected] 8 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (1 children)

It is called rio(1) and it comes with Plan 9.

There is a Unix/X11 port that contains most of the Plan 9 userspace—including a version of rio—called plan9port.

It is not nearly as good as using the real thing.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 1 month ago

They got a DE built in and say GNU is bloated. Foolishness

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Out of curiosity, do you use it for fun, or does it provide you with some specific features?

[–] [email protected] 8 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (2 children)

I use it because it's truly a "complete system" in a way that Linux and even the BSDs are not—every program is an example in itself and it comes with a ton of various scratch-built utilities that you don't usually find as part of a typical Linux distro. Stuff like a basic torrent or IRC client just sort of fall out of the way Plan 9 is organized and implemented.

It also provides me with a distraction-free environment and a set of tools that I enjoy using, even if some aspects of Plan 9 as, say, a laptop daily driver are inconvenient or awkward. It really is better suited for networked computing.

I was pretty much sold from first contact because Plan 9 is the way that I feel best matches what I've always wanted from my machines: a simple grid of networked appliances where I can route the various resources and hardware in whatever way I require.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 month ago (1 children)

You explained it so well, that you actually got me interested in trying it some day.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (2 children)

If you ever want to just poke around a Plan 9 system, SDF Public Access UNIX System offers an ongoing Plan 9 Boot Camp.

Stop by and join us in com sometime!

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (1 children)

Bottom of site: SDF Public Access UNIX System

(this page was generated using ksh, sed and awk)

I love this!

Edit: I just noticed this. Is this a miscalculation of the time or am I in the wrong timeline?

©1987-2065 SDF Public Access UNIX System, Inc. 501(c)(7)

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 month ago (1 children)

What happens with the Plan 9 system after the boot camp has ended? From what I can see on that site, their Plan 9 shenanigans will end by mid-September. (SDF is NetBSD-centric AFAIK.)

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (1 children)

It used to be that everyone in the Boot Camp got their own VM that was wiped each season, but recently everything was migrated to a single installation that doesn't reset and everyone uses.

In short: now you get a permanent account.

And yes, SDF itself is NetBSD-based—the largest single installation as well as a primary testing environment, if I'm not mistaken.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

That's not too hard, given that NetBSD is a niche in a niche. But a permanent Plan 9 server account which I do not have to keep running sounds intriguing... thank you!

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 month ago (1 children)

I wish someone would port Python and BorgBackup to it. Venti/Fossil are not quite as nice for multi-OS backups.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (1 children)

Python 2.5.1 was distributed as part of 9front back when it used hg, but it was ultimately removed from the base system once we switched over to git9. 9legacy still packages binaries, however; they're up to 2.7.6 for Python and 2.9.2 for Mercurial.

I never bother with venti/fossil, honestly. I'm more of a cwfs kind of person, but Ori's gefs has been attracting my attention lately.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

Venti/Fossil are awesome for a Plan 9 network. Sadly, the world isn’t Plan 9. TIL about gefs though.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 month ago

I mean, leave it to us weirdos on sdf for stuff like this.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 month ago (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (1 children)

In #cat-v? Not regularly. I mostly hang out in gridchat with a handful of the 9front people.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 month ago

ah. I've been doing linux things, but maybe i'll try out gridchat next time i'm on 9front

[–] [email protected] 12 points 1 month ago

Surprisingly many people don't need the "modern" "web" for daily driving.