Oracle Might Be Canning Solaris

[TheBlackCat]

Nobody knows.. but I don't think it even matters. I think Linux is on it's way out the door, things like this are killing it. Other FOSS OS's don't have this problem.

Uh, right, that explains why Linux is currently the fastest-growing operating system in the world and has been for years.

[cb88]

I'm showing my ignorance here, but what advantages does Solaris have over other Unix-like operating system families? I use both Linux and BSD and can see ups and downs to both of them, but I really have no idea what Solaris offers that the others don't. OpenZFS works well for me on FreeBSD, although it seems to take a performance hit on Linux (even ignoring license issues). Does ZFS work even better in its native operating system than it does on BSD-based OSes? Is there some other feature Solaris has that I'm not aware of that makes it worth using?

Hi, for one Solaris is not a "Unix-like" it is a Unix a direct descendant. It supports ZFS obviously, Oracles's database on Sparc with hardware accelerated SQL etc, meaning they probably will NEVER kill off the product line. Anybody that says Solaris is being killed is just spreading FUD to kill the stocks so they can get their bit. Oracle has always been about big money... that's what Sparc gets them. If they stopped hardware development on anything it is on Sonoma.... which is their low end Sparc hardware intended to compete with cheaper developer centric Power8 and 9 systems.

[Guest]

Nobody knows.. but I don't think it even matters. I think Linux is on it's way out the door, things like this are killing it. Other FOSS OS's don't have this problem.

Yeah, right. Then tell me why Linux owns 99% of FOSS OS market share? It seems other FOSS OS have problems.

[drSeehas]

... Linux owns 99% of FOSS OS market share ...

Source please.

[k1e0x]

I'm showing my ignorance here, but what advantages does Solaris have over other Unix-like operating system families? I use both Linux and BSD and can see ups and downs to both of them, but I really have no idea what Solaris offers that the others don't. OpenZFS works well for me on FreeBSD, although it seems to take a performance hit on Linux (even ignoring license issues). Does ZFS work even better in its native operating system than it does on BSD-based OSes? Is there some other feature Solaris has that I'm not aware of that makes it worth using?

There are a few advantages over Linux but not much compared to FreeBSD. Zones are probably the big one, they are like jails only better. It also has a VNET like FreeBSD feature. Unlike a jail it can do full networking. Apparently Joyent (now speaking about Illumos based SmartOS distro not Solaris) has a Linux API compatible Zone so it can run Linux docker images directly in a Zone. (So vm'less docker basically) The Illumos distro OpenIndiana is free you can take a look at it yourself.

I worked on Solairs back in about 2004~ and in that era it was known to be a lot more reliable and rugged than Linux was. Currently Illumos distros like Oi, need some help.. their packages are lagging behind some but it would be an attractive platform, they are also implementing PF and thats a good thing.

[DanLamb]

It is silly to fault Oracle. Apparently, no one else wants to buy Solaris and finance it's development, so I don't think Oracle has any obligation to keep throwing money into it. Oracle probably didn't necessarily want Solaris in the Sun acquisition beyond patent value.

I hope any great ideas of Solaris can be salvaged. ZFS was the most famous, and fortunately, BTRFS has supposedly copied most of the innovative ideas from ZFS.

I don't think the world needs another UNIX server OS.

Can anyone else say something Solaris does better than Linux that is worth salvaging?

[k1e0x]

Can anyone else say something Solaris does better than Linux that is worth salvaging?

I just basically just told you. It's all the advantages FreeBSD has over Linux + Zones and VNet.. there are a number of them and both are better server OS's than Linux is. The only feather Linux has in it's cap is it's more common so there is a wider knowledge base out there.

Who cares what Oracle does with Solaris anyhow. Illumos is the future of the OS.

[starshipeleven]

Nobody knows.. but I don't think it even matters.

Rethorical question, I meant that NVIDIA is using a shim for that reason.

I think Linux is on it's way out the door, things like this are killing it. Other FOSS OS's don't have this problem.

Meanwhile, Microsoft joined the 100+ big companies in Linux Foundation.

[aht0]

Meanwhile, Microsoft joined the 100+ big companies in Linux Foundation.

MS got "hand in" FreeBSD Foundation as well back in August (one of the new Directors of Board is MS senior employee). Don't think those memberships are something too particularly special..

[starshipeleven]

MS got "hand in" FreeBSD Foundation as well back in August (one of the new Directors of Board is MS senior employee). Don't think those memberships are something too particularly special..

These memberships mean that MS cares about Linux or FreeBSD, as they pay and get some representation, and as MS did it hundreds of other companies also did it, so statements like "Linux is on it's way out the door" are bullshit.