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SkyOS - A New Experience

Wednesday, October 04, 2006

Finally, it's an OS which is neither Windows or Unix based. It's SkyOS. The new SkyOS 5.0 supports transparent picture, 32 bit PNG file format, and the system is simply amazing, both aesthetically and usability.

SkyOS features SMP support, an integrated media subsystem and a 64-bit filesystem. Its filesystem was originally based on a modified version of OpenBFS but now has evolved into its own distinctive filesystem, SkyFS. Popular file systems such as FAT 16/32, BFS, Ext 2/3 and ISO 9660 are supported.

SkyOS is mostly POSIX compliant, and comes with the majority of the GNU tools, including GCC. Due to its POSIX compliance and port of the GTK+ widget toolkit, many Linux or other UNIX applications have been ported, including AbiWord and Gaim, as well as a number of games, such as Quake.

SkyOS has limited hardware support due to a lack of device drivers. Many devices are unsupported, although the latest beta release features a USB stack and a port of CUPS. Although SkyOS has support for graphics cards in VESA modes, it lacks the ability to take advantage of the 3D hardware found on modern graphics cards like nVidia's GeForce and ATI's Radeon range.

SkyOS has applications for many common desktop computing tasks; the GTK, Mozilla, and Mono platforms have been ported, to name a few of the more prominent applications available. Additionally, a handful of 3rd-party developers have created a number of native applications and games for SkyOS.

Let's explore the system farther:

The start up picture. It supports themes and skins. In addition, transparent windows, round window edges, shadows are supported as well.

Able to create and edit 3D models.

SkyOS can play DVD, CD and MP3.

Web surfing can be done through SkyKruzer (Firefox is included). Users can use Mozilla Thunderbird 1.0 to manage Emails, newsgroups, and RSS Feeds. Instant messaging is done through GAIM. Users can use the included Nvu to create their own website, while their computers can be remotely controlled through SkyOS VNC Server and Client.

Word processing through AbiWord.

Log on screen.

Different users of a computer are classified as ACCESS_GROUPS in SkyOS. There are 4 main groups:
GROUP: SYSTEM RIGHT: Reboot

GROUP: SYSTEM RIGHT: Execute processes

GROUP: SYSTEM RIGHT: Create threads

GROUP: FILESYSTEM RIGHT: Create files


User Control Panel.

Popular software included:
- AbiWord (word processing software)

- GIMP (nicknamed Photoshop for Linux)

- GTK (gimp tool kit)

- SkyKruzer (Web browser based on KHTML)

- GNU Compiler collection

- Bochs(Virtual emulation software, much like VMware)

- Perl

- SDL with OpenGL support

- Quake I/II/III

- VideoLan

- SkyDeveloperStudio

- Python

- Mars, Land of No Mercy

Get SkyOS 5.0 beta Build 6179 ($30)

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