"OpenSolaris is the much talked-about open source
version of Sun's industrial strength operating system. It's a Unix
derivative aimed at the same general demographic as Linux or the
free BSDs: system administrators, developers, and desktop users.
Under the guidance of Debian founder Ian Murdock, OpenSolaris has
taken its place alongside Linux and the free BSDs as another viable
alternative operating system, and has built up support for 12
languages. It offers commonly used software as found in Linux such
as Gnome, Evolution, Pidgin and Firefox. In addition, OpenSolaris
includes graphical config tools such as the Device Drivers utility
and Package Management suite - the latter having a look and feel
that's not alien to Synaptic users.
"OpenSolaris 2008.11 was released two months ago and initial
reports are positive. Gnome has been updated to 2.24 and Firefox is
currently 3.0.4. The interface sports attractive and useful visual
enhancements as well.
"Much like with Linux distros, OpenSolaris has been used as a
base for several derivatives. Each seems to target different
demographics and purposes, so one just might be right for you.
We're looking at the biggest three here."