So I just installed linux on my laptop and I was very pleased overall with the system so far. It got me wondering though, what other operating systems are out there that people actually use? Let’s leave Windows and Macs away and focus on real backwoods Systems 
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Solaris.
That people actually use, mate. A list of mostly outdated systems doesn’t help.
Anyway. Besides some proprietary stuff used by certain companies, you’ll really only find Windows, OSX, Unix, Solaris, BSD (those last two being rare), and there is also ChromeOS by Google.
I think that Linux (in it’s various distributions) is the only other desktop OS out there that people use.
Windows and Mac thrive simply because machines come with them pre-installed - People will switch to Linux, but very rarely will they actively switch back.
Linux covers pretty much all use cases anyway, so there isn’t much need for other operating systems.
Not to start a flame war, but I’ve tried switching to Linux a few times, and everytime I do, something goes wrong and the whole OS crashes and I’m forced to use Windows again. Honestly, I’ve never had to reinstall windows except a few times when I was screwing around with my netbook (its now dead). Never had a computer crashing virus, BSOD or anything else; the only thing I don’t like about windows is its not free and it comes with a lot of software I dont use. Sure, Linux is cool, but why do I need it? I actually have Ubuntu installed right now I think, maybe I’ll give it another try and see how it holds up!
#1…linux supports less games = >productivity
#2 linux is always going to be waaay faster than windows or mac. Mainly because it’s open-sourced, and, well, isn’t made by Microsoft or Apple 
#3 very few viruses specifically engineered for linux
#4 http://www.whylinuxisbetter.net/
It’s the freedom that Linux has. In rights and features.
Not to sound like an ass or start a flame war either, but the only other reason to use Linux than that is if you’re a hipster or if you honestly do not know how to find a free copy of windows.
- Jev.
Alright, it is faster, I cant argue with that! I actually don’t play games anymore, so thats never been a problem 
If you know how to use Linux, it is a god send for development purposes. Well, maybe not for Java, but for C/C++ HTML/PHP/MySQL etc. Seriously, it takes some time, but once you know your way around the terminal and the file system, it really is very efficient.
True, I forgot to add that.
Made by developers, for developers.
Gaming really isn’t an issue. Valve is targeting Linux as their main platform from now on, and TF2 + Minecraft are the only games I play on a daily basis.
- Jev.
Linux will never be their main platform as long as linux is used by the minority.
Valve isn’t so much targeting Linux as targeting OpenGL and SDL. Their goal is to make their platform less reliant on Microsoft, and the only shot they have at that is by enticing developers to target something that’s cross platform. In the event that Microsoft shuts out distributors like Valve, and makes the Windows Marketplace the sole distribution channel for Microsoft software, they could switch to Linux or Mac as their main target platform with relatively little pain. How likely this scenario is remains to be seen, but I’m not going to fault Valve for promoting cross platform development even if their motivation is to remain profitable. On the other hand, what Valve chooses to target as a game producer is honestly of little relevance. Their games output is a small percentage of the released titles for any given platform.
As a home Linux user, I am honestly excited about Valve’s approach. The excuse usually given as to why more games aren’t ported to Linux is due to cost vs potential profit. If you have the ability to make your software cross platform ready with relatively little effort, it begins to make less sense not to target a second (or third) OS. The only real long term downside is that you have to provide support for those additional platforms. I would wager that Macs are far easier to support that Linux installs due to the “guaranteed configuration” aspects.
Back to the original topic, AmigaOS is still in existence, though I have no idea how many or few people actually use it.
I’d actually say that Linux would be the easiest for customer support due to most of its users having a decent knowledge of how their OS works and being able to fix most problems themselves.
Yes and no. The trouble is that there is no “standard configuration” for a Linux box, and no central vendor to lean on in the case where you may have incompatibility between game requirements and installed libraries. It’s one of the prices that come with a “bazaar” development process. Valve partially alleviated this problem with SDL2 by stepping up and committing money and resources to making sure that it was finished and stable. Despite accusations and insinuations from marketing departments, there are a lot of smart users of Windows and Macs, and conversely a lot of clueless users on Linux. Any half way sensible developer is going to know that an attitude of “you’re smart, figure it out yourself” isn’t going to cut it no matter what community you’re discussing. These are your customers; there’s nothing that makes them so reliant on your product that they won’t be willing to seek a similar experience from someone who is more sympathetic to their issues.
Here’s comment by princec about supporting Linux with puppy games:
However, later in the thread, he says that HumbeBundle made it commercially worth it.
SteamOS will be a game changer (arf arf). That’s all I can really say about it. Don’t make the mistake of thinking that it’s “not Linux” and that Valve are just trying to avoid dependency on Windows - it is Linux, and you have to code your games to work on Linux, doing things the Linuxy way and deploying Linux binaries. When I say “you” I mean Valve’s entire publisher portfolio. I hope that sounds significant enough, hmm?
Now, the only problem left is Ubuntu’s mission to destroy the desktop UI experience, and the general shitness of every other Linux distribution once you get beyond the shell.
Cas
In your opinion. Yes, there’s people that dislike it (as big a percentage as Win 8?), but also a lot of us who were initially sceptical and then realised it’s a highly effective and efficient OS, particularly when keyboard driven (which belies those who say it’s all about tablets). This quote from Jack Wallen that’s on the WikiPedia page pretty much sums up my own impression.
Which is not trying to tell you your opinion is wrong - just that some people’s problems are other people’s solutions. Then again, I’ve always thought Windows was a shit desktop experience, having grown up using RISC OS. … And to bring this back on topic, RISC OS (the OS which the ARM chip was developed for) is still alive and kicking on the Raspberry Pi. ;D
Not to nitpick, but iOS is the OS on iPhones and iPads, and you can’t run javac on those. (At least not without jailbreaking)
Also, most people on here that talks about various OS’s being shit, have more often than not, not used the OS they’re referring to as shit(No, I’m not baiting for a flamewar, but I really honestly doubt that more than half of this forum has run all 3 systems as their main system for a longer period of time, let alone owned a newer Mac). 
There’s zero reason to use Linux, unless you need all the stuff that’s offered there. (Which is, mostly offered for both OSX and Windows too)
I know plenty of people who, being hipsters, bought either a Mac or installed Linux, and didn’t know how to use those systems. Best/worst example is the people that buy Macs, because they look pretty, and then install Windows on them for their main OS. xD
For the main question, most people I know, that use Linux as their main system use a Debian variant with KDE, they also use Debian for servers.
Cheers!
I’ve tried to hard to use Unity/Ubuntu and every time I do it’s beset by hideous bugs, colossal usability snafus, inexplicable behaviour, just sheer plain ugliness that makes my inner designer cringe (and yet they get some things so right, like that font), or as often as not… a total failure to work at all.
That and the insistence of distros to attempt to maintain everything + kitchen sink in their repositories really turns me off of Linux. I don’t want centrally managed everything - just the core OS. Bleh.
Cas
I have to agree. Ubuntu is trying too hard to be just like Windows. I don’t go to Linux for a fancy interface, when what I use the most is the terminal. Then again, they are trying to appeal to a wider audience.