Best BeOS Operating Systems
Neal Stephenson, in In the Beginning... Was the Command Line , describes the Be operating system as "an extremely well-thought-out GUI built on a technological framework that is solid." An excellent realization of key operating system ideals--reliability, speed, and functionality--Be is worth the attention of any power users who haven't yet discovered it.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Installation is better than any other operating system I've ever had experience with, it asks only a few questions of you and everything just works right out of the box. That said, those which ARE available on BeOS are well polished (mostly due to the consistency of the interface that BeOS presents the user) and do their job well. (except for the lacking web browser) If you're tied to Photoshop or Word or other software not available, you're obviously tied, but I still recommend picking up a copy (5.0 is available for download free) and giving it a try, I guarantee you won't be disapointed."
"I caught the good ole form virus, i lost hours of graphic work and months of "intelectual property" so i thought....be swooped in, took a gander at my fat partition and allowed me to copy all files to a nearby networked drive."
"After using Windows for quite some years, after Windows 98 the ideas of Microsoft and me of what to look for in an operating system didn't match anymore."
"The BeOS Bible that is included is a great reference for finding out the little things."
"If you would like to use your OS right out the box without descending into configuration H#LL (but have the option to :-)) - Be is for YOU."
"BeOS is a terrific operating system for anyone who is in the multimedia development buissness, or someone who wants a new experience with a very stable and friendly operating system."
"Having left the Linux craze for good (felt that the purity of Linux is taking the path of the 'Darkside' much like MS), I decided to embark on a 'OSpiritual' journey to find an alternative OS."
"THe only thing that Be is lacking in is a port of Diablo and Hotline....other than that I say FULL STEAM AHEAD!"
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"I installed the free version on my friends computer just as a test, and it improved his response by at least 150%! And for all you computer guys, BeOS reads NTFS, and you can get a free driver to write to it also, and it requires not admin rights."
"It has 64-bit file logging system, which is far superior to anything offered by the microsoft corporation. You can run multiple sound tracks and their respective movies all at the same time."
"Fastest thing on the planet but to replce win98 it needs a MS Office like."
BeOS is the first and only operating system to deliver the speed, processing power, and stability of a high-end multimedia workstation on ordinary, low-cost desktop PCs.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Drivers for more modern hardware (video, audio, etc) are occasionally "fan-created" and out there, but the base OS will likely not support your hardware today. (You can also run it in a 32-bit virtual machine, by the way, which I'm doing on my i7-based system in my office). The main draw to having this now would likely be to either revive old hardware which can't support modern OS's, or to explore REALLY GOOD OS DESIGN. The OS does only what an OS SHOULD do... it plays "traffic cop" for the running applications. (Now, imagine a version of this which was recompiled to run on today's multi-core, multichip i7 type processor cores... which would be relatively trivial for a company with the right resources... OS source code, a programming team, and Intel's core command set and timing references.). If someone were to use this same approach, today, but were to write native 64-bit code and provide support for native 64-bit hardware, and modern drivers for modern hardware... AND provide for OpenGL and OpenAL video and audio... ... that OS would beat anything else on the market today, in terms of power, efficiency, ease of use, and programming compatibility. The main drawback would remain "most software is compile to run in Windows, using elements of Windows," and those would need to be re-compiled, or a "Windows virtual machine" would need to be provided to allow for basic compatibility for the majority of contemporary software. Those programs would run essentially the same in the "virtual machine" as they would on native hardware and Windows OS, so there's be no loss, but also no advantage. And, I suppose, you could have every "windows" application running in its own "Virtual space" and thus no "windows" application would be able to lock up and interfere with other applications... so that might be an advantage as well."
"Part of the reason why is that BeOS doesn't run on top of DOS, as Windows did until recent years, and it doesn't run on top of Unix, like Linux and Mac OS X. BeOS instead started with a clean paper and wrote code to do the various jobs required of a modern OS in the most efficient way possible. BeOS running on a Celeron 900 Mhz machine is MUCH faster than Win XP or Mac OS X on a 2 gigahertz machine, simply because the code is written so much more cleanly. The BeOS Bible is over 900 pages of hints, documentation, and instructions on how to set up the OS and use it.If there is a downside, it is that (1) BeOS doesn't have drivers for every piece of hardware in existence, although it natively supports a pretty wide range."
"Give it a try, you can have the same fun I am having - it really is fun to use BeOS."
"ADDED BONUS The BeOS comes with the software to duel boot windows and BeOS."
"One year ago I try for first time the BeOS 4.0 and in that moment I knew that this it is the operating system for PCs of the future, it is stable and faster that other popular OS ;-), in that moment the BeOS had the inconvenience that it didn't have a wide variety of drivers for the different peripherals of the computer."
Best DOS Operating Systems
WINDOWS FOR WORKGROUPS WFWG 3.11 & MS-DOS 6.22.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"In this particular case I purchased this for my Grandson who has, as always, avoided expending the effort to learn this first solid operating system."
"Caused the desired result to occurr."
"I can:t say I really wanted this product, but what I was trying to run only worked under DOS And so.... And here it was, just like new."
"It was like the joy we felt when the 80286 came out with the unspeakably large 20Mb hard drive."
"Who needs Windows 8."
"(Note:I did no receive a COA which means it might just be a random pirated copy somebody put on a 3 floppies and sold. This made me upset because I wanted to know I had a complete legal copy which is why I bought it on Amazon."
"I have the MS-DOS set I have not gotten to use it yet, been to busy doing everything that needs to be done."
Best Mac Operating Systems
And Snow Leopard includes built-in support for the latest version of Microsoft Exchange Server, so you can use your Mac at home and at work. Built on a rock-solid UNIX foundation and designed to be simple and intuitive, it’s what makes the Mac innovative, highly secure, compatible, and easy to use. It also includes an enhanced icon view with live file previews, so you can thumb through a multipage document or even watch a QuickTime movie. New core technologies in Snow Leopard unleash the power of today’s advanced hardware and prepare Mac OS X for future innovation. It debuts a completely new QuickTime Player application with a clean, uncluttered interface as well as an easy way to record, trim, and share your media. Snow Leopard includes out-of-the-box support for Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 in Mail, iCal, and Address Book, so it’s easier than ever to take your Mac to work. Mac OS X Snow Leopard includes built-in support for the latest version of Microsoft Exchange Server.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"This particular DVD is a must have for all IT professionals due to the fact that all machines prior to 2009 can only run up to this software."
"I love my MacBook Pro and like to keep the OS up to date. I loved the price of $29.00 and thought that Mac was being really, really generous. By "refinements" to Leopard I mean that Snow Leopard brings: - more speed. - better overall organization. - the ability to talk to "Exchange" servers (common in a Corporate environment and a must nowadays). - New QuickTime Player. - Better for laptops (will adjust time zones when traveling, will pick up hotspots easier, trackpad can be adjusted to multi-tap). - Better accessibility for those who are visually impaired. There are other features as well ... but all of these things are tweaks."
"Need to remember that it requires you to have at least 2 gigs of RAM - one thing that I forgot so I have to redo it until my additional memory came in from the mail. It is also significantly faster than the previous version that came with the OS. The new Quicktime will now allow you to record as well as edit videos which previously available only on the paid version."
"Then I downloaded the itunes version that required Snow Leopard so my ipod will now work with it. Firewire, then advanced firewire, then a new dock on iphones and ipods every couple of years, and finally, their itunes and other software requiring you to upgrade their operating system so often that I almost long for the days when Microsoft was the leader and Apple was just a small consumer oriented company who made their high quality products in the USA."
"As far as I'm concerned, Snow Leopard is an upgrade disk for Leopard systems."
"This item is faulty."
"I bought a refurbished 2008 macbook and this to update."
"Now I upgraded to Snow Leopard and my time machine no longer works and I can't get it to work either."
Best OS2 Operating System
Free software that comes with terms and conditions, they will be provided prior to sell. Platform, entertainment, school, work.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Please do not purchase this program - it is free for download."
"The program is FREE to download from the internet."
"Why does this have a price listed with it?"
Best Linux & Unix Operating Systems
Great Linux operating system which is very powerful, but also easy enough for a beginner to use! This is a single DVD containing both the 32 and 64 bit editions of Ubuntu Linux 16.04.3. You can run Ubuntu Linux 16.04.3 directly from the DVD without changing your computer, or install Ubuntu Linux 16.04.3 in place of or alongside your computer's current operating system (including Windows).
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Using this disc is a great way to start using Linux."
"It is very easy to install and the good thing about it is that you will run linux and Windows in the same device, though I was trying to get the desktop from Ubuntu.com but some how it didn't work, so I decide to buy this hard copy, and practice my commands, I am really happy with it."
"Installed this as a dual boot alongside Windows 7 on an old laptop."
"The operating system works as advertised."
"So far I like it but I'm still learning."
"Finally purchased a dvd 14.04 which loaded, only issue now is getting Libre Office to work (am painstakeningly slowly getting some Libre Office to work)."
"I was having a hard time making a bootable disk or memory stick that was readable by an older Macbook Pro core duo."
"Programs will not load onto the older Dell laptop with Windows XP that I was hoping to revive for a specific purpose use."
Best Microsoft Windows Operating Systems
You'll quickly produce professional documents with rich authoring features, design controls for pixel-perfect layouts and intuitive tools to help you make the most of your data. Save $20 on this product when you purchase it with a PC or Desktop that is sold and shipped by Amazon.com.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Microsoft now DEMANDS that whoever installs this program must have an "account" with them, which includes an email address BEFORE the programs can be installed. Except for Outlook, it does work okay once installed and will open any documents created by previous versions of Microsoft Office programs. Aside from the contact import problem, anyone who has used earlier versions of Microsoft Office should be able to adapt to these programs quickly."
"They decided to proceed with the Office 2016 install so we took the laptop back to our office and proceeded with the long process of creating new a MS Account, downloading the large installation file, and installing Office 2016. We tried to login under the Microsoft account, but it prompted us with a security alert that our account has been suspended for excessive junk mail. They wanted a cell phone number in order to re-activate the account, but the business customer being rural did not have one. Their Tech Department showed the license was registered to the suspended account, but they were unable to assist with suspended accounts. We were able to reset the account password just fine, but even with the new password it still required a cell phone number. What would happen to the account if my cell phone number changed? I am sure Microsoft would eventually like to have a single account handle "pay as you go" and other high security features and tying accounts to cell phones would be desirable. When Microsoft forces you to link a strangers cell phone to your account for security are you really more secure? They do state it requires a MS account, but clearly we were able to create the account without a cell phone number. They should have verified this when the account was created, not after the account was created, we download the software, installed, activated, and migrated all the data over to the new laptop."
"This is after 15 minutes of creating a Microsoft account, their verification email, and them collecting my email address and personal information. After a crazy Microsoft logon and verification process, you get to the Download screen and an icon just keeps spinning, and you read the message: We’re sorry for the wait."
"Outlook 2016 crashes frequently, causing one to lose the email you are writing at the time."