Linux versus Solaris

Here are some reasons why I like Linux better than Solaris:

  • Easier to use. Linux is pre-configured with user-friendly defaults compared to Solaris 10.
  • Better desktop support. In Fedora Core, or in SUSE, I can insert a USB flash drive, and it automatically appears on my desktop. Not so with Solaris 10.
  • Default shell is bash. Much better than vanilla ‘sh’.
  • Good aliases including ‘ll’
  • Good default command-line prompt.
  • Fantastic GNU command line and console programs
    • tar -zxvf whatever.tar.gz
    • find … -print 0 | xargs -0 …
    • vim
  • Root’s shell is bash, and the home directory is /root instead of /
  • Linux configuration utilities are more plentiful and easier to use.
  • Gnome is far better on Linux. The Sun “Java Desktop” (Gnome renamed), is an improvement over CDE, but is not even close to mainstream Linux distributions in terms of ease of use and features.
  • More knowledge “in the wild” for Linux than for Solaris. Easier to find support for Linux using Google.

Solaris is my favorite commercial UNIX. I prefer it over AIX, HP-UX, etc.