Mac OS X Like Linux Distributions

Mac OS X Like Linux Distributions



 

 

Mac OS X has impressed people with the look and features. Hence every one who has a computer or laptop wants to use Mac OS. However as Mac OS is Apple Hardware Oriented, it is not available those who can't invest on the Apple Hardware.

 

The alternative is to have your machine's firmware hacked through hackintosh and then install Mac OS in it. However, this reduces the life of the machine and may not perform well.

 

The better alternative is to have forges or imitation of Mac OS. The Linux Distributions which I have come across and which some what resembles Mac OS X are:

 

 1) Linux Deepin

 2) Elementary OS

 3) Pin-Guy-OS

 4) Mac Puppy

 5) Macbuntu

 6) Lininux

 7) Dream Linux

 8) Pear OS

 9) gOS 

10) Mac-OS-Linux

 

Of these 10 Linux, Mac-OS-Linux, gOS and PearOS has become unsupported. Therefore now we have 7 Linux Distributions which resembles Mac.

 

Let me share my experience with them.

 

Basis

Incidentally all these Linux Distributions are based on Ubuntu. Do not know why Ubuntu/Debian is being kept as the basis for all Imitations & Forges.

 

Linux Deepin

The Linux Deepin uses Deepin Desktop Environment which resembles Mac in every aspect. The OS is stable with respect to the applications pre-installed. However if we try to use Remmina or some remote desktop application, the system crashes and hence not advisable for those who has to use Remote Desktop Connections

 

Luna/Elementary OS

The OS is currently available for free and soon it may become chargeable for US$10. The OS Uses Pantheon Desktop Environment. It is much more stabler compared to other Linux Distributions in the line. Current Stable Version is based on Ubuntu 14.04 LTS. As it may soon become proprietary, it is not a free solution. This is comparably better, however I have not tested its distribution upgrading capacity and other productive usage

 

Pin-Guy-OS

This is based on Linux Mint. However the OS is too buggy and slow.

 

Dream Linux

Originally found by HP for its Dream PC - Touchscreen PC.

However now it is available for all machines and free download

It suffers the same flaws of Linux Deepin

 

Macbuntu 

The Video Card Driver Support is very bad and hence it is not for all machines

 

Lininux

This is based on Nux Desktop customised to look like Mac

This OS is not well polished and hence not recommended

 

Mac-Puppy

Despite the promise, it does not look like Mac. It uses E17 Desktop and is no way better looking

 

Of this lot, if one is ready to compromise on the functionality for looks, then it is better to go for Linux Deepin. If one is ready to compromise on his freedom to use FOSS in later days, Luna is great.

 

Hope you found my message interesting

VN

Free Operating System

After a lot of OS testing and reading, I conclude as below:

a) BSD and Arch Based Distributions are still not made for all machines and all users. The concept and appeal is really great, but they are not deployable on a productive mode by an average end users like us.

b) Sabayon is the only usable Gentoo Linux. The OS has some consistency issues and is not giving the same response.

c) Novel Inc 's Open-Suse or Self Made Suse Builds offer lot of features, yet the performance is not up-to the mark and hence not advisable to be deployed unless we know what we are doing. Mandriva Based Distributions, CENT-OS and its derivatives are also following the suit of Suse, in the sense, they also do not have consistent performance.

d) Fedora is the most reliable multi-use free Operating System, however the end user would be pissed off with the updates, shortest life cycle and increasingly poor kernels.

e) Ubuntu offers the most features and windows like experience. However the consistency is missing and that's why it paved way for more popular derivatives. More-over soon Ubuntu would become a paid OS.

f) Best of Ubuntu Derivatives - Linux Mint MATE Edition, Zorin OS, Pear-OS and Linux Deepin. I consider Linux Mint MATE as the best deployable solution - it can cater to all the users. Because of speed, security and better applications, I am staying with Fedora, but if I have to look for all aspects, then Linux Mint is the best OS.

g) Live Boot or Rescue Linux - Bodhi Linux, Puppy Linux, Slitaz Linux and Porteus are the best live boot or rescue linux. I prefer Puppy Linux as it is best in terms of live/persistent mode performance.

Over-all Conclusion:

Any application comes with lot of compromises and as well as promises. Open Source is no exception. I after analysing more than 72 Free Open Source Based Operating System conclude that there is no one best Free OS at any point of time.

Main Requirement	Best OS	Compromise to Make
Computational Power with more Security & Futuristic Applications	Fedora	Too Many Updates and un-avoidable Bad Kernel Upgrades disturbing hardware performance
Ease of Use	Linux Mint MATE Edition	Little Slow, Inconsistent Performance and Older Applications
Windows Compatibility Or Windows Environment	Zorin OS	Really not a complete OS. The OS has more problems if updated. It is better not to use the Terminal
Mac Look	1. Linux Deepin 2. Pear OS 3. Pin-Guy-OS	Linux Deepin and Pear OS performs better than Pin-Guy-OS. Pin-Guy-OS has more applications and all applications works on the OS. Linux Deepin has some problems with Remmina & other applications
Once for all installation with no frequent meddling of the OS & Apps	1. PC-Linux-OS 2. Sabayon 3. Manjaro	Not for all machines, printing support missing at times and inconsistent performance.
Computational Power Networking, Printing, Browsing and Best Media oriented Applications Hardware Compatibility Windows & Mac Compatibility Peripheral Devices Compatibility Mobile & Other devices connectivity	NIL	There is no single Free OS which gives all these in a satisfactory way. There is always one or the other issue.

Therefore now after some maturity, I would tell if you are lazy go for Mint and have time and energy go for Fedora.

Ubuntu, CENT-OS, Open-Suse, Suse Builds, Sabayon, Manjaro, PC-BSD, PC-Linux-OS, Mageia, ROSA and others are not reliable as on date. Let's wait and watch how the developers make it more refined. But I feel I have wasted enough time on Linux and BSD and hence would like not to work on these lines any more.

Since the topic came today, I just want to put things in writing in a clear way.

My Advise for Linux Switchers

Package Managers

As I was telling you though there are many package managers, the organised ones are

a) Debian,

b) RPM,

c) URPMI,

d) Gentoo and

e) Packman.

Elimination & Selection of Package Managers

I am eliminating Pacman Series for three reasons:

a) Not for all machines

b) Difficult to deploy and use.

c) Even the seemingly easier ones like Kahel-OS, Manjaro Linux, Chakra Linux and Bridge Linux are not stable on all systems

I am also eliminating Debian Series for three reasons:

a) Broken and Non Updated Package List

b) Weak Security & Comparably Less Stabler

c) File Manager is not capable of handling volumes & hence can crash without proper log.

Thus the three package managers - RPM, URPMI & Gentoo are better Linux Base.

About RPM
Now of RPM we have three great original OS - Fedora, CENT-OS & Open-Suse of which I am eliminating Open-Suse as it is not comparably great. I do not want to go for any derived distributions like Stella, Kororaa, etc., as Original Ones are better and easier to be deployed and used.

About Gentoo

Of Gentoo there is only one great distribution - Sabayon, which can't be eliminated.

About URPMI
URPMI List has four great linux - Mandriva, Mageia, ROSA & PC-Linux-OS (PCL uses apt-get instead of urpmi commands). Of these I have never tried Mageia which is always praised by the Distro Watch as a Better Linux. However I do not vote for it for from the documentation I found that it is mixing Linux Mint and CENT-OS in a unique way and is also forging Mandriva - This means, it's features are more of a concept than reality.

I have attempted Mandriva and felt some instability & non compatibility with it. I found ROSA & PC-Linux-OS to be better OS. Thus my List is Fedora, CENT-OS, ROSA, PC-Linux and Sabayon as the best Linux OS List

Basic Conclusion:

My Choice for Myself

I keep Fedora & Sabayon at same level - these two are my No. 1 Choice and I recommend them for Personal Use & not Enterprise Use. I am planning to migrate to Sabayon 13.08 if Fedora 20 is also sucking like Fedora 18 & 19.

Similarly I place CENTOS and ROSA at the same level and these are my No.1 prescription for Office or Business Use. Though ROSA Can be deployed for Personal Use also, I do not recommend it as it has a bit complicated installation procedure

PC-Linux-OS is my No. 2 Choice for Both Personal & Enterprise Use.

Suggestive Choices

1) Linux Switcher - I do not recommend these for any learned end users; it is just for beginners.

No. 1 : Ubuntu LTS (A Stable & Simple OS)

No. 2 : Zorin (More Windows Like OS)

No. 3 : BOSS (For Patriots as it is the Indian OS) otherwise Linux Mint Based on Ubuntu LTS

2) Learned End Users – These are those having my taste and ability to tweak things for their best

No. 1 : Sabayon 13.08

No. 2 : PC-Linux-OS

No. 3 : Fedora 19

3) Best Enterprise Usage – These segments shall have a learned system administrator to trouble shoot the problems

No. 1 : ROSA Enterprise Linux

No. 2 : CENT-OS

No. 3 : Open-Suse

Simple Summarised Review of My Selected OS are as below

Simple Review of the OS

Fedora

Pros

Security & Compatibility

Best Application Set

Easier to tweak and customise

Cons

Slower

Becoming a Bloatware

More benchmarked on Windows 8 which itself is a failure

CENT-OS

Pros

Security & Stability

Updated Application Set

Best for Server & Client Machines

Cons

Compatibility

Difficult to tweak

ROSA Linux:

Pros:

Stability, Security and Compatibility

Best Application Set

Ready to be deployed

Cons:

Complicated Installation process

PC-Linux-OS

Pros

Easier to Use

Great Driver Support

Rolling Release

Has the plus points of RPM and Debian

Cons

Not having same performance on all machines

Poor Repos resulting in sluggish updates (Can be managed)

No DE Freedom

Sabayon

Pros

Ready to be Deployed

Great Security Features but Performance is not disturbed due to it.

Rolling Release

Very Minimal Crashes

Cons

Slow & Buggy

Compatibility Issues

Hope this gives some good insights and guidance.

Linux & BSD - Where I stand today?

To the Open Source Operating System : Linux & BSD - Where I stand today?

Why I came to Open Source
In the beginning of the year 2010, I felt that using a pirated OS or Software is bad. I want to respect the creators' value and not steal it. Hence, I was discussing with a dozen of my friends dealing with system software and firm-ware development. They suggested me to try Linux or BSD.

I was under the impression that Linux or BSD means it can't be used by an accountant like me and have to be used by the IT-Geeks. Hence for almost 2 Months (Feb & Mar 2010) I was reading about Linux and BSD.

BSD Attempts - Q2 2010
In 2006-07, some one gave me customised dragon-fly-bsd and I loved to work on it. Hence my first attempt was BSD. During April 2010 I tried Open-BSD, Dragon-Fly-BSD, Free-BSD and finally PC-BSD. I could install and use PC-BSD alone the rest was beyond my head. The problem of PC-BSD was WiFi Configuration and Printer Support. Hence by June 2010, I felt BSD is not for me and I went back to my "pirated windows 7" I was very sad indeed.

Linux Phase 1 - Q3 2010 to Q2 2011:
My sister gave me Ubuntu 10.04 LTS and I was quite happy with it. In 2 Months I mastered some of the  Terminal Commands and was able to customise the OS to my needs.  By September 2010, I discussed with my Tec Friends. Those who are at Red-Hat was unhappy with me and they suggested me to attempt on Fedora or Cent-OS. Similarly my friends at Novell Inc said Suse is the best. Some of the Friends told me to attempt on MEPIS, Mandriva, Mageia, Linux Mint, BOSS, Zorin and Sabayon.

I decided to try all these by using Live-Boot and Virtual Box. I downloaded the following:
a) MEPIS
b) Mandriva
c) Fedora
d) CENT-OS
e) Open-Suse
f) Sabayon
g) BOSS

I felt bad that CENT-OS was not windows compatible. MEPIS, Mandriva,  Open-Suse & BOSS looked like Windows and hence I did not go for it. The only two other OS I took for my attempt are Sabayon and Fedora

Fedora I was sad that it did not had the office & could not play media files by default and it was difficult to operate for me.

Sabayon was very difficult to operate but I was happy with the default application set.

Therefore I stayed with Ubuntu.

Linux Phase 2 - Q2 2011 to Q2 2012:
I crashed my Ubuntu during May 2011. I was shocked. I felt it is not the great one though easier to operate. Then I attempted on Linux Mint due to my friend Harish and I was annoyed with it also

L Palani Kumar - Tech Consultant of my company asked me to go for Fedora 15 DVD. I downloaded Fedora DVD and was happy with it. I really felt except for Windows Compatibility - it had all the features I wanted. I was quite happy.

Then I felt Fedora is best and However as an end user attempted on a testing basis various Linux OS like Back-Track Linux, Puppy, Warry, Sabayon, Chakra, Kahel, Kororaa, Fuduntu, Fusion Linux, Stella and Scientific Linux.


I concluded that Fedora is the best. Who did not have the time, can attempt on Kororaa.

Linux Phase 3 - since Q2 2012:
Fedora 18 shatterred me. It was bloatware and has sucked me. Once-again I was in search of a good Linux. My search concluded that the below 4 Linux can be a better alternative:
a) PC-Linux-OS (RPM-Debian Mix with Rolling Release Concept)
b) Sabayon (Gentoo)
c) Manjaro Linux (Arc Linux)
d) Chakra Linux (Independent)

I could not work on Chakra Linux as Terminal Commands are very difficult.

Manjaro Linux is so far good and I like it. However, do not want to deploy it on all of my systems. Currently it works well on Toshiba Satellite C850.

Hence my mind is on using either of PC-Linux-OS or Sabayon


First attempt was Sabayon as it is unique - Except for its Slow nature, I like it. However I feel migrating to Sabayon is not good

Therefore I am left with no other choice other than to try for PC-Linux-OS
Hope PC-Linux-OS satisfies all my needs

What is Best Linux

What is the Broad Conclusion
I have tested as an average end users various distributions and concluded that RPM is better for Enterprise Usage. I personally does not feel good about Debian and Arc Distributions. Therefore after RPM my Choice is Sabayon.

A Mixed Gene which was born out of RPM is URPMI headed by Mandriva. Mageia, ROSA, PC-Linux-OS are the three distributions which are born out of Mandriva but performs better than Mandriva. I have tested all except Mageia in this gene. I eliminate Mandriva for its outdated features. ROSA is superb, but it is not installable on all machines. Therefore the only left linux in this gene is PC-Linux-OS.

My Suggestion:
Fedora is the  best linux. However of late it is becoming like a free windows and hence I hate it

Manjaro is great - but still the features are not well tested by me & the commands are little difficult Unless we know unix, compilation and some coding, it is very difficult to use these linux

Going to Debian is suicidal and I do not like it. Hence the alternatives are PC-Linux-OS, Mageia & Sabayon.


Therefore after Fedora my choice based on my talent base and information is PC-Linux-OS if one wants some thing in RPM and Sabayon if one wants to go for Tar-Balls or Equo Commands/RIGO Package Manager

Sabayon 13.08:
I first attempted on Sabayon 6 and then on 7, after a break attempted on 11 & 13.04. I admired Sabayon for its ease of use and being in a position to be deployed readily. However the only problem was the initial updates are too large in size and the system slows down after one or two months.

Sabayon 13.08 removed this draw back.
It is now more speeder and is very less "updated" post release.

Sabayon is great in terms of stability, security & simplicity.
The commands of Sabayon are quite simple -
equo update -y
equo upgrade -y
equo install "Package or Application Names with space in between" -y
equo remove "Package or Application Names with space in between" -y
equo dist-upgrade -y

or you can use a tar-ball file, untar it and then with terminal use "make  install" command and get the things done.

I admire Sabayon 13.08..

Pros
a) Stability, Security & Simplicity is guaranteed
b) Speed has improved a lot in 13.08 and hence we opine it would be retained as such
c) More Close to BSD
d) Rolling Release
e) Great Community Support

Cons
a) Compatibility Issues
b) Printer Supports are little bad
c) Wine Tweaking is not great

PC-Linux-OS

a) This is a rolling release available in RPM World. Fuduntu and Suse are other rolling releases.

b) This is the only RPM which supports all media file formats by default - Fedora, Suse, CENTOS, Mandriva & Mageia we have to use third party repos and apps to get the media played

c) More focused on PC & Laptops than Servers. Fedora, CENT-OS,etc are all having server focus and client focus. But PC-Linux-OS is more desktop focused and can be linked with any server - Windows, Mac, BSD, Solaris or Linux

d) The Default Environment is KDE, however XFCE & MATE Spins are available.

e) It is not benchmarked on any other OS. Therefore, it may not get spoiled due to some innovation on Windows Side.

Pros
a) Stability, Security & Simplicity is visible


b) Rolling Release
c) Good Printer Support

Cons
a) boring apt-get commands
b) Neither RPM nor Debian
c) No Gnome Desktop Environment
d) Libre-Office can have some issues at times
e) Outdated Kernel
f) Too Much Security Enhancement may create problems on mounting USB Disks (You may have to use Gparted and Mount the device on /local/fire, then only it would be mounted normally)

I did Blunder ...

Previously when I was using Fedora 17 XFCE Spin, I have uninstalled the basic desktop environment xfce after I installed Gnome. Hence unless I give startx in the terminal to get into gnome mode. I could not install DE and do anything.I tried with Fedora Forums and I could not resolve it.Finally I got an idea, I first used startx and connected to Internet Network and then went to Base Terminal (Alt+Ctrl+F2 or F3) and removed Gnome Desktop and reinstalled it. Then things became normal

So I attempted to remove MATE on the Fedora 19 MATE Spin; I removed MATE after having installed Gnome and KDE. Except for Startx I could not get Gnome. Instead of following the previous solution I had found, I did a blunder; I uninstalled KDE and reinstalled KDE. Therefore the network manager was removed and startx gave KDE without Network. This I could not rectify. Therefore this time, instead of doing some thing in the Terminal and get back to normal working mode, I was forced to reinstall the entire OS

Conclusion:

Linux is too powerful, unless we know what we are doing, it is better not to do it 

Fedora 19

I was hesitant to upgrade to Fedora 19 on my Fujitsu as I was busy in meddling with Zorin on my ASUS. I found that Zorin despite a good OS, is not fit for me as I am a power end user and hence, finally I ended up in installing Fedora 19 MATE Compiz Spin.

Fedora 19 has improved a lot compared to Fedora 18. However the stability is compromised on MATE. What happened in this spin is XFCE & MATE Environment are combined and hence the File Manager & Panel's are crashing.

After receiving some updates and reading reviews, I found that Fedora 19 KDE is the best. The detail of the review can be found from the link http://mylinuxexplore.blogspot.in/2013/07/fedora-19-review-not-flashy-but-very.html

I installed both Gnome and KDE and find that KDE is really more stable and better compared to Gnome and MATE

The only one thing I hate is the slow booting up and it takes longer to enter the DE. Almost 75 Seconds to 90 Seconds. However stability is great.

After seeing the performance, I have upgraded my Fujitsu laptop also. It is performing well. It takes about 45 Seconds to 56 Seconds to boot up and become workable. The response time is much better in KDE than Gnome.

F-19 can be tried... as it is certainly better than F-18.

My review

Installation:
The installation Process is exactly same as Windows 8; same as Fedora 18.
The anaconda installer is tweaked to resemble windows and hence it is a crap.
The previous options like:
a) Replace Linux
b) Shrink Space
c) Use Free Space
are gone and hence I do not like it.

DE Choices
Gnome, KDE, LXDE, XFCE, MATE, Cinnamon & Razor-qt are the DE Choices. The F-19 seem to work better with KDE than any other desktop

a) Gnome crashes if you use Cover Flow Add-on
b) XFCE/MATE Spins are really useless with no proper app set
c)  LXDE is never my choice
d) Razor-QT a Suse invention is really good on an old machine and there is no Fedora Spin for it yet.
 
The only choice is KDE

Application Set
Default Set is good & reasonable on Gnome & KDE but not so on other spins
Hence Internet, Office, Media and Games one has to select and install
Yum Extender is good and then KDE Software Manager is much easier

Virtual Box is no more install-able through terminal
The download cracks once 16MB size is reached
It is better to download RPM and install.

Boot Time
The Boot Time is really bad.
Initially it took 36 Seconds, but after a kernel update and Virtual Box Install, the same has increased drastically. The details of time taken for booting is as below:
a) Now 10 seconds to get the Kernel Selection Menu
b) 40 Seconds to Log-in Menu
c) 10 Seconds for DE
Thus almost 1 Minute is being spent

I believe it is because of my hardware. The fresh install was 36 Seconds only. Fujitsu is about 45 Seconds

F-18 to F-19
a) Auto-Log-in Facility is taken out. Only Gnome Case - it works however with other DEs it is gone.
b) Security Menus enhanced i.e the power & usability is enhanced
c) More Eye-candy animations have been included
d) More windows compatibility - wine is really good
e) Scanner Compatibility has weakened. We have to use certain patches to make scans better
f) Printer Support has weakened. However with the help of Foozjs you can have better printing.
g) Tab & Phone Integration is better

Conclusion
Originally when I moved to Fedora (F-15) I felt Fedora aims at testing RHEL's New Ideas and also provide us a great OS. I became Fedora Fanatic as I found None of the Debian Distributions are capable of bringing such a computation environment and there is no other RPM Linux which is equal to Fedora. Sabayon & Arc Linux Distros are not really user friendly like Fedora at that time.

Windows 8 has spoiled the Linux Environment completely. Except Sabayon & Arc Linux Distros all Linux are focused on bench-marking on Windows. Hence in Long Run, I do not feel Debian and RPM could satisfy me. However on this worsening scenario Fedora satisfies me a lot compared to Debian Distros, CENT-OS, Mandriva & OpenSuse. The only devil which I am yet to try is Mageia. PC-Linux-OS is better however as there are no DE Choices like Mandriva, I am not feeling good at it. But it is comparably better and can be attempted upon in case one is not satisfied with Fedora.

My eye is set on BSD but since I do not have the needed knowledge and skills; my mind things of using more of Sabayon & Manjaro; however for my combined usage I stick with Fedora for the time being.