What’s next?
I do remember when i did try to use The FreeBSD kernel with Debian userland softwares. I do remember when i have tryed/used the Solaris 9 environment with the NetBSD ports system, and Gentoo portage system too. Yesterday, i think that whole problem was fixed, with the release of the OpenSolaris distribution. I think a lot of users and admins that work with POSIX (unix like) Operating Systems, were waiting for a Solaris environment with a real package manager. Now, it’s true!
I remember the desire to see Apple releasing OSX to x86 hardware, and using a unix like kernel… maybe the time was the problem here, because with some luck we could have now a OSX based on Solaris/OpenSolaris. But what i really think is the next step (or just my will), is see Apple selling (i don’t imagine they releasing it for free :), the Aqua interface/applications to any unix like OS: GNU/Linux, *BSD, and… OpenSolaris! C’mon, i have a great OS already…
Can you imagine that? Solaris + a solid package manager + Aqua?
Ok, we have great environment and applications (gnome, kde, enlightenment), i don’t need to list them all… but don’t you agree that would be great?
The funny thing is that openstep, the predecessor to OSX did run on Solaris…
Perhaps the most likely is that Apple could move across to the Solaris Kernel, as opposed to allowing other people to use Aqua.
Technically it was fixed a long time ago with nexenta, which was is a “Solaris environment with a real package manager” unfortunately no one at sun seemed to care :)