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View Full Version : Greetings from the OpenSolaris 2009.06 live cd



Regenweald
June 2nd, 2009, 03:13 AM
I would liked to have posted some screenshots, but no diskspace available :) Definitely worth downloading. Live Cd running nvidia 180.44, curently using wobbly windows, and desktop cube among all other standard compiz effects. Gnome 2.24 UI is crisp and responsive with some custom tailoring here and there, Appearance Settings>>Visual Effects for example, has a 'custom' option with a preferences button that launches CCSM. System>>Administration>>Services actually lists what appears to be ALL system services. Preferences>>Sessions does the same :)

The live cd is FAST!

All in all, very impressive.

Sealbhach
June 2nd, 2009, 03:17 AM
Oh hai, I'll take a look at that myself. What's the package manager like? That's usually a biggie when I'm looking at new OS's.


.

Regenweald
June 2nd, 2009, 03:34 AM
I actually got a screenshot of the package manager, was the first thing i thought anyone would want to see :) but can't upload it for some reason. Very similar to a cross between Add remove and synaptic though, except for suns' naming protocols: slapping SUN in caps before everything...

On another note, the 'Device Driver Utility' just discovered ALL my hardware, and I mean ALL. Microdia webcam, Lexmark x5410 printer and Dell mini BT receiver and all! Offering to install all drivers...

HappyFeet
June 2nd, 2009, 04:05 AM
Burning it right now. Will report back from live cd if the wireless works.

Regenweald
June 2nd, 2009, 04:09 AM
See if you can put up some shots of the package manager :) I'm back in Ubuntu Now. I've read that it already supports the upcoming hex-core AMD processors

HappyFeet
June 2nd, 2009, 05:06 AM
Installing it as I type. Seems very nice and fast. I'm going to dual boot it for a while and give it a proper test run. Who knows, opensolaris could start to really take off with this release. Well, the install is almost finished and I gotta get on with setting it up.

mybunche
June 2nd, 2009, 08:43 AM
Tried the opensolaris liveCD and this is the first release in which I can set up my wireless connection.
-My hardware is standard Dell so no problems there.
-Firefox 3.1beta4 was fast.
-The package manager improved over last time, there is an upgrade button for packages but I couldn't try installing anything because I was running the liveCD.
-It looks easy on the eye with nice icons.
-Codecs? There is a Codeina application which you can install Fluendo codecs.
-Some applications failed to load off the liveCD

I don't know which direction Oracle/Sun is going take opensolaris. Nevertheless, a definite improvement over the last two releases.

If it weren't for Ubuntu, I would seriously take a look at opensolaris. I have been extremely happy with Ubuntu and I don't see that changing in the foreseeable future.

cmay
June 2nd, 2009, 09:39 AM
http://gemdet.nu/thumb-6347_4A15C4BC.jpg (http://gemdet.nu/share-6347_4A15C4BC.html)
screenshot from before it was released as stable.

i been using open-solaris before and had the installlation for about six month.
i resintalled open solaris when the 2008 cd was out and upgraded to the development release.

i have installed the 2009.06 last night and today i will see if it can find the wired network on my laptop. it was the only thing not compatible and if it does i am gong to use open solaris instead of ubuntu on that also.

thisllub
June 2nd, 2009, 12:12 PM
I must upgrade my laptop.
Hopefully a decent version of Vim is available with this release.
Being stuck with Gnome is a pain too.
I would love a packaged version of OpenBox.

hansdown
June 2nd, 2009, 12:36 PM
Here is the package catalog.

http://pkg.opensolaris.org/release/en/catalog.shtml?version=0.5.11%2C0.5.11-0.111&action=Browse

robert shearer
June 2nd, 2009, 12:37 PM
Nice, and so fast for a live cd.
Firefox from the live cd is faster than Firefox on my Jaunty install!! on the same machine.

That has prompted me to add the ppa for the daily build of Firefox 3.1 and install it to Jaunty. I am posting from it now.

Faster, handles flash better, lower memory use :D
Fonts are poor :( many add-ons don't work yet(-early days though.)

Will go look some more for fixes

Regenweald
June 2nd, 2009, 02:17 PM
Actually i changed a couple of the fonts, thought that the rendering was amazing. When turning on Subpixel Smoothing and 'Full' you get a message mentioning an apple patent i think.

I was a bit disappointed that they stuck with Gnome 2.24, but having experienced it and seen the extra work and tweaking that they put in to make it all mesh smoothly, I understand why now.

I still cannot believe how fast the live cd was.

have to do a bit more research into packages, Exaile, see if wine is compatible etc. I hope that OpenSolaris survives the Oracle takeover and it is not merged with linux, as some pundits suggest. It is a great OS on it's own and with this release is now a serious contender.(at least for me :))

mybunche
June 2nd, 2009, 03:01 PM
I did say that Firefox on the LiveCD was fast but I would like to point out, that for me, previous Ubuntu LiveCD's were also faster than my install as well.

Regenweald
June 2nd, 2009, 03:06 PM
Probably because it's loaded into RAM. Should be an easier way to do that in the standard install, rather than the roundabout way that exists currently.
should point out though, this is not an Ubuntu vs Opensolaris thread :)

Warpnow
June 2nd, 2009, 04:20 PM
I tried it a couple weeks back and didn't like the package management. Too few available.

Regenweald
June 2nd, 2009, 05:03 PM
I tried it a couple weeks back and didn't like the package management. Too few available.

Found a link with some repos:

http://opensolaris.org/jive/thread.jspa?threadID=91292

But i agree, needs more packages. I really need to organize my drives properly so i can install. Side note: compiz works AMAZINGLY well :)

gnomeuser
June 2nd, 2009, 06:26 PM
I miss Banshee but it figures that Sun wouldn't package Mono.. ah politics

Therion
June 2nd, 2009, 06:33 PM
Hmmm... This looks tasty. And with my Jaunty install running entirely too stable I need something to play around with.






/Downloading....... At 4.2MB/s?!
//Good gawd that was fast.

rookcifer
June 2nd, 2009, 07:12 PM
The better OpenSolaris is, the better it is for Linux and BSD. I think OpenSolaris is coming along nicely and might one day give Linux a run for its money on the desktop. But, as of right now, Linux wins hands down on the desktop when compared to any BSD or OpenSolaris.

Now, in data centers, that's where OpenSolaris shines. None of the Linux file systems can match ZFS, at least not until btrfs becomes stable. The data integrity, zpools, snapshots, etc. of ZFS is a big advantage.

And as for development environments, they are pretty close but Solaris might have an edge. Solaris has DTrace, and Linux doesn't have anything comparable right now.

OpenSolaris has, for me, always consumed a lot of RAM. I have gathered this might be because of the way ZFS caches memory (though I'm not sure of that). Does 2009.06 have this issue?

pookiebear
June 2nd, 2009, 07:38 PM
Firefox is faster cause once it is loaded the flash and java are running from a ramdrive in memory. Linux Love CD is similar. Install it and let us know if it is still that fast. I had it installed in a VM. Nice Distro.

cmay
June 2nd, 2009, 08:52 PM
OpenSolaris has, for me, always consumed a lot of RAM. I have gathered this might be because of the way ZFS caches memory (though I'm not sure of that). Does 2009.06 have this issue?
yes.
to me it seems it has gotten a bit faster i feel and it has also a bit more stable and mature being over it than the 2008 .05 had which i think was the first open solaris i had installed.

i upgraded from the 2008.08 to the 2009.06 trough the development repositories and it was great and then i installed it first thing fresh when i heard it was released.

i got 4 gigabyte of ram for it when i found that it was possible to fit that into my motherboard and it is still not as fast as ubuntu is on 2 gigabyte og ram but it sometimes feels more stable somehow.

i use it as a office pc so i only use it to download stuff and check my email and print and i use it to read online and that is all. but i have it permanent installed now and i like it very much. its a great system and when it has the same amount of packages for it as ubuntu has then i will maybe buy one laptop and switch to open solaris all the way. (just not on my older computers i will still want use debian on)

Luke has no name
June 3rd, 2009, 07:36 AM
I CANNOT for the LIFE of me get it to recognize the scrollbar on my touchpad on my laptop. This has been an issue for THREE (3) Opensolaris releases. Ridiculous. Makes my laptop unusable. I don't like laptops that much in the first place, so crippling it further is unjustified.

mybunche
June 3rd, 2009, 09:23 AM
Probably because it's loaded into RAM. Should be an easier way to do that in the standard install, rather than the roundabout way that exists currently.
should point out though, this is not an Ubuntu vs Opensolaris thread :)

RAM, of course. I didn't mean it to be a 'versus' thread, but it looks like it came out that way. :(

I hear that Oracle may be planning netbook. I wonder if they intend to market a Solaris PC's in the future. They probably have the resources to do it.

Sealbhach
June 3rd, 2009, 07:11 PM
Greetings from OpenSolaris Live CD (inside Virtualbox). One thing I like is the Device Driver Utility, it shows all your devices and what the driver is, if any.

The package manager looks a little threadbare though, there's hardly any applications, and only two games packages, Nethack and Gnome Games.


.

swoll1980
June 3rd, 2009, 07:24 PM
Nice, and so fast for a live cd.
Firefox from the live cd is faster than Firefox on my Jaunty install!! on the same machine.


Must we exaggerate?

robert shearer
June 3rd, 2009, 09:26 PM
Must we exaggerate?

perhaps your talent for sarcasm exceeds your reading skills?


That has prompted me to add the ppa for the daily build of Firefox 3.1 and install it to Jaunty. I am posting from it now.

Faster, handles flash better, lower memory use

I thought it clear that I was comparing FFox 3.1 from the cd to FFox 3 on my install and had been prompted to try FFox 3.1 as an install. Hope this clarifys it for you.

FFox 3.1(3.5) installed to Jaunty is faster than the Solaris cd and way faster than FFox 3 on the same install.

0per4t0r
June 3rd, 2009, 10:32 PM
http://gemdet.nu/thumb-6347_4A15C4BC.jpg (http://gemdet.nu/share-6347_4A15C4BC.html)
screenshot from before it was released as stable.
yay, it has GNOME! I just wonder if it runs the same as ubuntu O.o

afroman10496
June 5th, 2009, 08:42 PM
I have tried it and its pretty cool. But I have to stay loyal to Ubuntu, which is still faster and easier-to-use. Dual booting might work, though its a hassle to configure the GRUB file. Searching on Google helps. I also heard of Nexenta OS, which combines the OpenSolaris open source kernel with Ubuntu.

grubdude
December 13th, 2009, 08:30 PM
Does anyone have detailed (aka novice) instructions(read step by step) on how to modify grub2 to dual boot Opensolaris 2009.06 and Ubuntu 9.10?

I installed Opensolaris 2009.06 first on my notebook 80 gb hard drive, in the first partition of the drive. Runs great. After that installed Ubuntu along with swap file in remaining portion of harddrive in different partition/s. Now, of course the grub2 menu only shows and boots into Ubuntu.

Is there an easy way to modify the grub2 to recogniize and boot Opensolaris2. I know if I install UIbuntu first then Opensolaris it might be easier to edit grub in Opensolaris but really would prefer not to mess with the current installs, if possible.

I hope someone from this thread can help. Thanks.;)

graabein
December 13th, 2009, 11:58 PM
And while you're at it, can someone please update/repackage the Nimbus theme for Ubuntu on gnome-look. It looks great!

grubdude
December 16th, 2009, 12:47 AM
Guess not....;)