2007-11-02

Operating systems out the wazoo!

In a matter of two weeks, we've seen a plethora of new OS releases:

I know that I am currently playing with all three:

I'm currently working with a fresh, clean install of Gutsy Server, building an end-all, be-all shared host for a client of mine who wishes to give dozens of end-users their own web space and e-mail domains. I haven't messed with Gutsy on the desktop yet. In due time.

I did an in-place upgrade to Leopard on my MacBook, and it's everything I expected and then some. There are a few minor annoyances, but I'll chalk them up to Apple making an attempt to match and/or exceed Vista's user-interface flair. Unfortunately, I feel that the UI changes in Leopard traded friendliness and clarity for sex appeal. It looks slick, but the graphical changes are skin deep. Functionally, Leopard is still lean and mean. I don't feel like it took a performance hit, and there are boat-loads of new feaures - some of them long overdue (like Spaces, and QuickLook which I'm already a fan of). Things I'm looking forward to testing out: ZFS Support (which requires a developer download to fully implement on Desktop Leopard), Time Machine, and the new "Firewall."

I also did an in-place upgrade to OpenBSD on the virtual machine that I use most often. At first glance, it's the same deal as usual. More hardware support, more robust drivers for certain devices, and some new functionality. I haven't gotten to test it yet, but I'm eager to see the new features in pkg_add, which has never, ever worked the way I would like -- so much so that I actually wrote (and released) a set of scripts to make installing software a breeze in OpenBSD. Finally, I'm interested in seeing how sensorsd works in its new zero-configuration mode on my 1U servers, which have always given OpenBSD's sensorsd some trouble.

I'm sure that HiR will revisit some of these in more detail after really giving them a good shake down.

If you're in or around Kansas City, come join us at the 2600 meeting tonight, Friday October 2nd, 2007 in the Food Court at Oak Park Mall - half a mile east of I-35 on 95th street. The "Official" start time is 5:00PM, but people generally show up as their schedule allows. Look for laptops. That will be us.

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