Shoutbox

You're totally trolling, but I'll bite.

From a getting-things-done point of view, I'd say GNU/Linux. It's a complete hack, that's true, but if you need more stability, go with FreeBSD or any of the other BSDs. The GNU/Linux distributions with decent packaging systems are great, got to say. There's nothing like thinking "I need software to do X" and having it installed and ready to use in mere seconds.

There's something of a caveat, though. It's true that wine sucks at the moment. If you think your Windows applications are going to be completely stable under wine, you've got another thing coming. So if you need Windows applications to work, you may have to keep using Windows.

I don't. So the programs I use that make me money crash when I try to dock tool-bars due to a bug in user.dll... I could fix it, I could live with it, or I could give up my freedom. I know which one I'm choosing. And you know, it's a bad thing that wine is not truly ready for end users like that. Which is why I'm not saying what you must use a Free OS. But I know it's better in the long run, because unlike Windows, problems with GNU/Linux or FreeBSD or NetBSD are fixable. Legally.

From a purely theoretical point of view, I prefer GNU/Hurd, MINIX or better yet, something Coyotos-based. But the thing is, if you pick Hurd, you've got the stability of Linux with the technical ability of a BSD- ie, the worst of both worlds. And Coyotos isn't even finished yet [though it's something I'd like to work on myself, and maybe port to DEC/Alpha].

As far as proprietary operating systems go, I like UNICOS/mk, the operating system written for the machines based on the X1 processor, but I'm not likely to be getting such a machine of my own any time soon. Erm, and OS-X is very nice, but until it's free, I'm not going near it. I know the kernel is free, but the wm isn't, and that's the coolest part of it.

I guess you expected every word of that from me.