Comparison of operating systems
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These tables provide a comparison of operating systems, of computer devices, as listing general and technical information for a number of widely used and currently available PC or handheld (including smartphone and tablet computer) operating systems. The article "Usage share of operating systems" provides a broader, and more general, comparison of operating systems that includes servers, mainframes and supercomputers.
Because of the large number and variety of available Linux distributions, they are all grouped under a single entry; see comparison of Linux distributions for a detailed comparison. There is also a variety of BSD and DOS operating systems, covered in comparison of BSD operating systems and comparison of DOS operating systems.
Contents
• Security
• Commands
• See also
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Nomenclature
The nomenclature for operating systems varies among providers and sometimes within providers. For purposes of this article the terms used are;
kernel
In some operating systems, the OS is split into a low level region called the kernel and higher level code that relies on the kernel. Typically the kernel implements processes but its code does not run as part of a process. hybrid kernel monolithic kernel
Nucleus
In some operating systems there is OS code permanently present in a contiguous region of memory addressable by unprivileged code; in IBM systems this is typically referred to as the nucleus. The nucleus typically contains both code that requires special privileges and code that can run in an unprivileged state. Typically some code in the nucleus runs in the context of a dispatching unit, e.g., address space, process, task, thread, while other code runs independent of any dispatching unit. In contemporary operating systems unprivileged applications cannot alter the nucleus.
License and pricing policies also vary among different systems. The tables below use the following terms:
BSD licenses are a family of permissive free software licenses, imposing minimal restrictions on the use and distribution of covered software.
bundled
The fee is included in the price of the hardware
bundled initially
The fee is included in the price of the hardware but upgrades require an additional fee.
Per user
The fee depends on the maximum number of users concurrently logged on.
The fee depends on the resources consumed by the user
MULC
Measured Usage License Charges
PSLC
Parallel Sysplex Software Pricing
General information
| Name | Creator |
|---|---|
| AIX | IBM |
| AIX/370 | IBM |
| AIX/ESA | IBM |
| AmigaOS classic | Commodore International , Haage & Partn… |
| AmigaOS 4 | Hyperion Entertainment |
| Android | Android, Inc. , Google |
| ArcaOS | Arca Noae, LLC |
| Classic Mac OS ( retronym ; had no name… | Apple Computer, Inc. (now Apple Inc. ) |
| ChromeOS | Google |
| ChromiumOS | Google |
| DragonFly BSD | Matthew Dillon |
| eComStation | Serenity Systems, Mensys BV |
| EPOC32 | Psion PLC |
| EulerOS | Huawei |
| FreeBSD | The FreeBSD Project |
| Genode | Genode Labs |
| GhostBSD | Eric Turgeon |
| Linux | Notable contributors include: Richard S… |
| Haiku | Haiku Inc. |
| HP NonStop | HP (now Hewlett Packard Enterprise ) |
| HP-UX | HP (now Hewlett Packard Enterprise ) |
| HarmonyOS | Huawei |
| IBM i | IBM |
| Inferno | Bell Labs |
| iOS (originally iPhone OS) | Apple Inc. |
| IRIX | SGI |
| IX/370 | IBM |
| macOS (originally Mac OS X ) | Apple Inc. |
| macOS Server (originally Mac OS X Serve… | Apple Inc. |
| MCP | Unisys |
| MenuetOS | Ville Turjanmaa and others |
| MINIX 3 | Andrew S. Tanenbaum |
| MPE | HP |
| MPE/XL | HP |
| MVS ( OS/VS2 R2 through R3.8) | IBM |
| MVS (MVS/SE through MVS/ESA) | IBM |
| NetBSD | The NetBSD Project |
| NetWare | Novell |
| NeXTSTEP | NeXT |
| OpenBSD | OpenBSD Project |
| OpenIndiana | Many, based on software developed by Su… |
| OpenVMS | DEC (now VSI) |
| OpenHarmony | Various ( OpenAtom Foundation , Huawei… |
| Oniro | Various ( Eclipse Foundation , Huawei a… |
| OS/2 | IBM and Microsoft |
| OS/360 | IBM |
| OS/390 | IBM |
| OS 2200 | Unisys |
| OS/VS1 | IBM |
| OS/VS2 SVS | IBM |
| Plan 9 | Bell Labs |
| QNX | QNX Software Systems |
| ReactOS | ReactOS development team |
| Redox | Jeremy Soller |
| RISC iX | Acorn Computers |
| RISC OS | Acorn Computers |
| RISC OS 4 | RISCOS Ltd , Pace plc |
| RISC OS 5 | Castle Technology , RISC OS Open |
| RISC OS 6 | RISCOS Ltd |
| Sailfish OS | Jolla Ltd. |
| SerenityOS | Andreas Kling |
| Solaris | Sun (now Oracle Corporation ) |
| STOP 6, XTS-400 | BAE Systems |
| Symbian | Symbian Ltd. |
| Symbian platform | Symbian Foundation |
| TempleOS | Terry Davis |
| Tru64 | Digital Equipment Corporation |
| VME | ICL |
| VSE n | 21st Century Software |
| VxWorks | Wind River Systems |
| Windows (classic 9x family) | Microsoft |
| Windows ( NT family ) | Microsoft |
| Windows Server (NT family) | Microsoft |
| z/OS | IBM |
| z/VM | IBM |
| ZETA | yellowTAB |
| Name | Creator |
| Name | Initial public release |
|---|---|
| AIX | 1986 |
| AIX/370 | 1989 |
| AIX/ESA | 1992 |
| AmigaOS classic | 1985 |
| AmigaOS 4 | 2004 |
| Android | 2008 |
| ArcaOS | 2017 |
| Classic Mac OS ( retronym ; had no name… | 1984 |
| ChromeOS | 2011 |
| ChromiumOS | 2009 |
| DragonFly BSD | 2003 |
| eComStation | 2001 |
| EPOC32 | 1996 |
| EulerOS | 2021 |
| FreeBSD | 1993 |
| Genode | 2008 |
| GhostBSD | 2009 |
| Linux | 1991 (kernel), See: Comparison of Linux… |
| Haiku | 2002 |
| HP NonStop | 1976 |
| HP-UX | 1983 |
| HarmonyOS | 2019 |
| IBM i | 1988 |
| Inferno | 1996 |
| iOS (originally iPhone OS) | 2007 |
| IRIX | 1988 |
| IX/370 | 1985 |
| macOS (originally Mac OS X ) | 2001 |
| macOS Server (originally Mac OS X Serve… | 2001 |
| MCP | 1961 |
| MenuetOS | 2000 |
| MINIX 3 | 2005 |
| MPE | 1974 |
| MPE/XL | 1987 |
| MVS ( OS/VS2 R2 through R3.8) | 1972 |
| MVS (MVS/SE through MVS/ESA) | March 1978 |
| NetBSD | 1993 |
| NetWare | 1985 |
| NeXTSTEP | 1989 |
| OpenBSD | 1996 |
| OpenIndiana | 2010 |
| OpenVMS | 1977 |
| OpenHarmony | 2020 |
| Oniro | 2021 |
| OS/2 | 1987 |
| OS/360 | 1966 |
| OS/390 | 1995 |
| OS 2200 | 1967 as Exec 8e |
| OS/VS1 | 1972 |
| OS/VS2 SVS | 1972 |
| Plan 9 | 1992 |
| QNX | 1982 |
| ReactOS | 1998 |
| Redox | 2015 |
| RISC iX | 1988 |
| RISC OS | 1987 |
| RISC OS 4 | 1999 |
| RISC OS 5 | 2002 |
| RISC OS 6 | 2006 |
| Sailfish OS | 2013 |
| SerenityOS | 2018 |
| Solaris | 1992 |
| STOP 6, XTS-400 | 2003 |
| Symbian | 1998 |
| Symbian platform | 2010 (initially 1998 as Symbian) |
| TempleOS | 2005 (as J Operating System) |
| Tru64 | January 1992 |
| VME | 1974 |
| VSE n | 1979 (as DOS/VSE) |
| VxWorks | 1987 |
| Windows (classic 9x family) | 1995 |
| Windows ( NT family ) | 1993 |
| Windows Server (NT family) | 1993 |
| z/OS | 2000 |
| z/VM | 2000 |
| ZETA | 2005 |
| Name | Initial public release |
| Name | Predecessor |
|---|---|
| AIX | UNIX System V Release 3 |
| AIX/370 | IX/370 |
| AIX/ESA | AIX/370 , OSF/1 |
| AmigaOS classic | TRIPOS (as the disk operating component… |
| AmigaOS 4 | AmigaOS classic |
| Android | None |
| ArcaOS | OS/2 |
| Classic Mac OS ( retronym ; had no name… | None |
| ChromeOS | none |
| ChromiumOS | none |
| DragonFly BSD | FreeBSD |
| eComStation | OS/2 |
| EulerOS | None |
| FreeBSD | 386BSD |
| Genode | None |
| GhostBSD | FreeBSD |
| Linux | None |
| Haiku | BeOS R5 |
| HP NonStop | None |
| HP-UX | UNIX System V |
| HarmonyOS | OpenHarmony , LiteOS |
| IBM i | CPF , SSP |
| Inferno | Plan 9 |
| iOS (originally iPhone OS) | macOS |
| IRIX | UNIX System V |
| IX/370 | UNIX System V |
| macOS (originally Mac OS X ) | NeXTSTEP , BSD |
| macOS Server (originally Mac OS X Serve… | NeXTSTEP, BSD |
| MCP | None |
| MenuetOS | None |
| MINIX 3 | Minix2 |
| MPE | None |
| MPE/XL | MPE |
| MVS ( OS/VS2 R2 through R3.8) | OS/360 MVT, SVS |
| MVS (MVS/SE through MVS/ESA) | OS/VS2 R3.7 for MVS/SE R1 OS/VS2 R3.8 f… |
| NetBSD | 386BSD |
| NetWare | S-Net |
| NeXTSTEP | Unix |
| OpenBSD | NetBSD 1.0 |
| OpenIndiana | OpenSolaris |
| OpenVMS | RSX-11 M |
| OpenHarmony | HarmonyOS , LiteOS |
| Oniro | None |
| OS/2 | MS-DOS |
| OS/360 | None |
| OS/390 | MVS/ESA |
| OS 2200 | Exec 8 , OS 1100 |
| OS/VS1 | OS/360 MFT II |
| OS/VS2 SVS | OS/360 MVT |
| Plan 9 | Unix |
| QNX | Unix , POSIX |
| ReactOS | Windows NT ( clone of) |
| Redox | - |
| RISC iX | BSD 4.3 |
| RISC OS | Arthur |
| RISC OS 4 | RISC OS |
| RISC OS 5 | RISC OS 4 |
| RISC OS 6 | RISC OS 4 |
| Sailfish OS | Symbian |
| SerenityOS | None |
| Solaris | SunOS |
| STOP 6, XTS-400 | STOP 5, XTS-300 |
| Symbian | EPOC32 |
| Symbian platform | Symbian |
| TempleOS | None |
| Tru64 | OSF/1 |
| VME | None |
| VSE n | DOS/360 DOS/VS |
| VxWorks | VRTX |
| Windows (classic 9x family) | MS-DOS |
| Windows ( NT family ) | OS/2 and Windows 3.1x |
| Windows Server (NT family) | OS/2 |
| z/OS | OS/390 |
| z/VM | VM/ESA |
| ZETA | BeOS R5 |
| Name | Predecessor |
| Name | Current stable version |
|---|---|
| AIX | 7.3 |
| AIX/370 | Release 2.1? |
| AIX/ESA | Version 2 Release 2 |
| AmigaOS classic | 3.2.2.1 |
| AmigaOS 4 | 4.1 Final Edition Update 2.1 |
| Android | 16 |
| ArcaOS | 5.1.0 |
| Classic Mac OS ( retronym ; had no name… | 9.2.2 |
| ChromeOS | 129.0.6668.99 |
| ChromiumOS | Rolling release |
| DragonFly BSD | 6.4.0 |
| eComStation | 2.1 |
| EPOC32 | ER5 |
| EulerOS | V2.0SP8 |
| FreeBSD | 14.1 |
| Genode | 25.05 |
| GhostBSD | 21.05 |
| Linux | 6.16 (kernel) |
| Haiku | R1/Beta 5 |
| HP NonStop | H06.24/J06.13 |
| HP-UX | HP-UX 11i v3 2023 / May 2023 |
| HarmonyOS | 5.0.0.102(SP3C00E73R4P17) |
| IBM i | 7.5 |
| Inferno | Fourth Edition |
| iOS (originally iPhone OS) | 17.1.1 |
| IRIX | 6.5.30 |
| IX/370 | Release 1.4? |
| macOS (originally Mac OS X ) | 15.1 |
| macOS Server (originally Mac OS X Serve… | 5.12 |
| MCP | CP OS 20.0 |
| MenuetOS | 1.49.00 |
| MINIX 3 | 3.3.0 |
| MPE | MPE-V |
| MPE/XL | 7.5 |
| MVS ( OS/VS2 R2 through R3.8) | Release 3.8 |
| MVS (MVS/SE through MVS/ESA) | z/OS Version 2.5 (V2R5) |
| NetBSD | 9.3 |
| NetWare | 6.5 SP8 |
| NeXTSTEP | 3.3 |
| OpenBSD | 7.7 |
| OpenIndiana | 2023.04 |
| OpenVMS | V9.2-3 |
| OpenHarmony | 5.0.0 Release |
| Oniro | 4.1 |
| OS/2 | 4.52 |
| OS/360 | Operating System/360 R21.8 |
| OS/390 | OS/390 version 2 R10 |
| OS 2200 | CP OS 18 (Exec 49.2) |
| OS/VS1 | Release 7.0? |
| OS/VS2 SVS | Release 1.7 |
| Plan 9 | Fourth Edition |
| QNX | 7.1.0 |
| ReactOS | 0.4.14 |
| Redox | 0.7.0 |
| RISC iX | 1.21c |
| RISC OS | 3.71 |
| RISC OS 4 | 4.39 |
| RISC OS 5 | 5.28 |
| RISC OS 6 | 6.20 |
| Sailfish OS | 5.0 |
| SerenityOS | Continuous integration |
| Solaris | 11.4 |
| STOP 6, XTS-400 | 8.2 |
| Symbian | 9.5 |
| Symbian platform | 3.0.4 |
| TempleOS | 5.03 |
| Tru64 | 5.1B-6 |
| VME | SV294 |
| VSE n | 6.3 |
| VxWorks | 7 |
| Windows (classic 9x family) | Windows Me (Win 4.90.3000) |
| Windows ( NT family ) | Windows 11 (version 24H2) |
| Windows Server (NT family) | Windows Server 2025 (version 10.0.26100… |
| z/OS | Version 2.5 (V2R5) |
| z/VM | 7.4 |
| ZETA | 1.5 |
| Name | Current stable version |
| Name | Release date |
|---|---|
| AIX | June 20, 2022 |
| AIX/370 | Feb 22, 1991 |
| AIX/ESA | Feb 26, 1993 |
| AmigaOS classic | April 23, 2023 |
| AmigaOS 4 | January 12, 2021 |
| Android | June 10, 2025 |
| ArcaOS | August 27, 2023 |
| Classic Mac OS ( retronym ; had no name… | 2000 |
| ChromeOS | October 1, 2024 |
| ChromiumOS | October 7, 2021 |
| DragonFly BSD | June 9, 2022 |
| eComStation | May 20, 2011 |
| EPOC32 | 1999 |
| EulerOS | 2022 |
| FreeBSD | June 4, 2024 |
| Genode | 28 May 2025 ( 28 May 2025 ) |
| GhostBSD | May 13, 2021 |
| Linux | 27 July 2025 ( 27 July 2025 ) (kernel) |
| Haiku | September 13, 2024 |
| HP NonStop | 2012 |
| HP-UX | May 2022 |
| HarmonyOS | October 23, 2024 |
| IBM i | May 10, 2022 |
| Inferno | June 30, 2009 |
| iOS (originally iPhone OS) | November 7, 2023 |
| IRIX | 2006 |
| IX/370 | Sep 25, 1987 |
| macOS (originally Mac OS X ) | October 28, 2024 |
| macOS Server (originally Mac OS X Serve… | May 2, 2021 |
| MCP | May 2021 |
| MenuetOS | 2023 |
| MINIX 3 | 2014 |
| MPE | 1988 |
| MPE/XL | 2002 |
| MVS ( OS/VS2 R2 through R3.8) | 1974 |
| MVS (MVS/SE through MVS/ESA) | September 30, 2021 |
| NetBSD | August 4, 2022 |
| NetWare | May 6, 2009 |
| NeXTSTEP | 1995 |
| OpenBSD | 28 April, 2025 |
| OpenIndiana | April 30, 2021 |
| OpenVMS | November 20, 2024 |
| OpenHarmony | September 29, 2024 |
| Oniro | June 21, 2024 |
| OS/2 | 2001 |
| OS/360 | August 1972 |
| OS/390 | September 29, 2000 |
| OS 2200 | July 18, 2018 |
| Plan 9 | 2003 (except for minor later updates) |
| QNX | July 2020 |
| ReactOS | April 9, 2020 |
| Redox | April 28, 2022 |
| RISC iX | 1993 |
| RISC OS | 1997 |
| RISC OS 4 | 2004 |
| RISC OS 5 | 2020 |
| RISC OS 6 | 2009 |
| Sailfish OS | February 24, 2025 |
| SerenityOS | N/A |
| Solaris | August 28, 2018 |
| STOP 6, XTS-400 | August 2008 |
| Symbian | 2009 |
| Symbian platform | 2010 |
| TempleOS | 2017 |
| Tru64 | October 1, 2010 |
| VME | 1994 |
| VSE n | May 17, 2022 |
| VxWorks | March 2014 |
| Windows (classic 9x family) | 2000 |
| Windows ( NT family ) | June 15, 2024 |
| Windows Server (NT family) | November 1, 2024 |
| z/OS | September 30, 2021 |
| z/VM | September 20, 2024 |
| ZETA | 2007 |
| Name | Release date |
| Name | Cost, availability |
|---|---|
| AIX | Commercial |
| AIX/370 | Non-free |
| AIX/ESA | Non-free |
| AmigaOS classic | Bundled with hardware up to version 3.0… |
| AmigaOS 4 | 4.0 bundled with hardware; 4.0 for clas… |
| Android | No cost |
| ArcaOS | Personal edition US$139.00 Commercial e… |
| Classic Mac OS ( retronym ; had no name… | Discontinued; Was bundled with 68k and… |
| ChromeOS | Bundled with hardware, 32-bit edition d… |
| ChromiumOS | No cost |
| DragonFly BSD | No cost |
| eComStation | Discontinued; Commercial |
| EPOC32 | Discontinued; Commercial |
| EulerOS | No cost |
| FreeBSD | No cost |
| Genode | No cost |
| GhostBSD | No cost |
| Linux | No cost |
| Haiku | No cost |
| HP NonStop | Bundled with hardware? |
| HP-UX | US$400 |
| HarmonyOS | Bundled with hardware and updates at no… |
| IBM i | Bundled with hardware |
| Inferno | No cost |
| iOS (originally iPhone OS) | Bundled with hardware and updates at no… |
| IRIX | Discontinued; Bundled with hardware |
| IX/370 | Non-free |
| macOS (originally Mac OS X ) | Bundled with hardware; No cost for upda… |
| macOS Server (originally Mac OS X Serve… | Discontinued; Previously bundled with h… |
| MCP | Bundled with hardware |
| MenuetOS | OS written in assembly language |
| MINIX 3 | No cost |
| MPE | Discontinued; Was bundled with HP-3000… |
| MPE/XL | Discontinued; Was bundled with HP-3000… |
| MVS ( OS/VS2 R2 through R3.8) | Free (discontinued) |
| MVS (MVS/SE through MVS/ESA) | Price tied to processor capacity |
| NetBSD | No cost |
| NetWare | Superseded by Novell Open Enterprise Se… |
| NeXTSTEP | Discontinued; Was bundled with hardware… |
| OpenBSD | No cost |
| OpenIndiana | No cost |
| OpenVMS | Commercial, no cost for non-commercial… |
| OpenHarmony | No cost |
| Oniro | No cost |
| OS/2 | Discontinued (see ArcaOS successor); Wa… |
| OS/360 | Free (discontinued) |
| OS/390 | Price tied to processor capacity |
| OS 2200 | Bundled with hardware |
| OS/VS1 | Free (discontinued) |
| OS/VS2 SVS | Free (discontinued) |
| Plan 9 | No cost |
| QNX | Bundled with BlackBerry 10 and PlayBook… |
| ReactOS | No cost |
| Redox | No cost |
| RISC iX | Discontinued; Was bundled with hardware |
| RISC OS | Discontinued; Was bundled with hardware |
| RISC OS 4 | Bundled with hardware, then sold separa… |
| RISC OS 5 | No cost |
| RISC OS 6 | Bundled with hardware, then sold separa… |
| Sailfish OS | With Android App Support one time licen… |
| SerenityOS | No cost |
| Solaris | Commercial; (a perpetual license at no… |
| STOP 6, XTS-400 | US$60,000 (equivalent to $87,626 in 202… |
| Symbian | Discontinued; Commercial |
| Symbian platform | No cost |
| TempleOS | No cost |
| Tru64 | Bundled with hardware |
| VME | Bundled with hardware |
| VSE n | Monthly license fee |
| VxWorks | Paid |
| Windows (classic 9x family) | Discontinued |
| Windows ( NT family ) | One time license fee |
| Windows Server (NT family) | US$1050 5 CALs server; other editions d… |
| z/OS | Price tied to processor capacity |
| z/VM | Monthly license fee |
| ZETA | Discontinued |
| Name | Cost, availability |
| Name | Preferred license |
|---|---|
| AIX | Proprietary |
| AIX/370 | Proprietary |
| AIX/ESA | Proprietary |
| AmigaOS classic | Proprietary , open source clone availab… |
| AmigaOS 4 | Proprietary |
| Android | AOSP: Apache-2.0 Linux: GPL-2.0-only |
| ArcaOS | Proprietary |
| Classic Mac OS ( retronym ; had no name… | Proprietary |
| ChromeOS | Proprietary : Google OS Terms of Servic… |
| ChromiumOS | BSD Linux Kernel GPL-2.0-only |
| DragonFly BSD | BSD |
| eComStation | Proprietary |
| EPOC32 | Proprietary |
| EulerOS | Open source |
| FreeBSD | BSD |
| Genode | AGPL-3.0-only |
| GhostBSD | BSD |
| Linux | GPL-2.0-only (kernel) |
| Haiku | MIT |
| HP NonStop | Proprietary |
| HP-UX | Proprietary |
| HarmonyOS | Proprietary software except for open-so… |
| IBM i | Proprietary |
| Inferno | MIT |
| iOS (originally iPhone OS) | Proprietary higher level API layers; op… |
| IRIX | Proprietary |
| IX/370 | Proprietary |
| macOS (originally Mac OS X ) | Proprietary higher level API layers; op… |
| macOS Server (originally Mac OS X Serve… | Proprietary higher level API layers; op… |
| MCP | Proprietary |
| MenuetOS | GPL or No cost |
| MINIX 3 | BSD-3-Clause |
| MPE | Proprietary |
| MPE/XL | Proprietary |
| MVS ( OS/VS2 R2 through R3.8) | Open source |
| MVS (MVS/SE through MVS/ESA) | One Time Charge or monthly |
| NetBSD | BSD |
| NetWare | Proprietary |
| NeXTSTEP | Proprietary |
| OpenBSD | ISC |
| OpenIndiana | CDDL |
| OpenVMS | Proprietary |
| OpenHarmony | Apache-2.0 |
| Oniro | Eclipse License , Apache-2.0 |
| OS/2 | Proprietary |
| OS/360 | Open source |
| OS/390 | One Time Charge or monthly |
| OS 2200 | Proprietary |
| OS/VS1 | — |
| OS/VS2 SVS | — |
| Plan 9 | MIT |
| QNX | Proprietary |
| ReactOS | GPL-2.0-or-later |
| Redox | MIT |
| RISC iX | Proprietary |
| RISC OS | Proprietary |
| RISC OS 4 | Proprietary |
| RISC OS 5 | Apache-2.0 |
| RISC OS 6 | Proprietary |
| Sailfish OS | Source-available |
| SerenityOS | BSD-2-Clause |
| Solaris | CDDL |
| STOP 6, XTS-400 | Proprietary |
| Symbian | Proprietary |
| Symbian platform | EPL |
| TempleOS | Public domain |
| Tru64 | Proprietary |
| VME | Proprietary |
| VSE n | Proprietary |
| VxWorks | Proprietary |
| Windows (classic 9x family) | Proprietary |
| Windows ( NT family ) | Proprietary ; Source-available |
| Windows Server (NT family) | Proprietary ; Source-available |
| z/OS | One Time Charge or monthly |
| z/VM | Proprietary |
| ZETA | Proprietary |
| Name | Preferred license |
| Name | Target system type |
|---|---|
| AIX | Server , NAS , workstation |
| AIX/370 | IBM System/370 AIX/ESA V1 & V2 |
| AIX/ESA | ESA/370 IBM System/390 |
| AmigaOS classic | Workstation , personal computer |
| AmigaOS 4 | Workstation , personal computer |
| Android | Smartphone , tablet computer |
| ArcaOS | Server , workstation , personal computer |
| Classic Mac OS ( retronym ; had no name… | Workstation , personal computer |
| ChromeOS | Chromebook , Chromebox , Chromebase and… |
| ChromiumOS | Personal computer |
| DragonFly BSD | Server , workstation , NAS, embedded sy… |
| eComStation | Server , workstation , personal computer |
| EPOC32 | PDA |
| EulerOS | Server , workstation |
| FreeBSD | Server , workstation , Desktop, NAS, em… |
| Genode | Desktop, embedded system, server |
| GhostBSD | Desktop, workstation |
| Linux | See: Comparison of Linux distributions |
| Haiku | Personal computer |
| HP NonStop | HP Nonstop Servers |
| HP-UX | Server |
| HarmonyOS | Internet of things , Smartphone , table… |
| IBM i | Server |
| Inferno | NAS, server , embedded |
| iOS (originally iPhone OS) | Smartphone , music player , tablet |
| IRIX | Server , workstation |
| IX/370 | IBM System/370 |
| macOS (originally Mac OS X ) | Workstation , personal computer , embed… |
| macOS Server (originally Mac OS X Serve… | Server |
| MCP | Server |
| MenuetOS | Workstation |
| MINIX 3 | Workstation |
| MPE | Server |
| MPE/XL | Server |
| MVS ( OS/VS2 R2 through R3.8) | IBM System/370 |
| MVS (MVS/SE through MVS/ESA) | S/370 S/370-XA S/370-ESA ESA/390 |
| NetBSD | NAS, server , workstation , embedded |
| NetWare | Server |
| NeXTSTEP | Workstation |
| OpenBSD | Server , NAS, workstation , embedded |
| OpenIndiana | Server , workstation |
| OpenVMS | Server , workstation |
| OpenHarmony | Internet of things , embedded system ,… |
| Oniro | Internet of things , embedded system ,… |
| OS/2 | Personal computer , server |
| OS/360 | S/360 S/370 |
| OS/390 | S/390 |
| OS 2200 | Server |
| OS/VS1 | IBM System/370 |
| OS/VS2 SVS | IBM System/370 |
| Plan 9 | Workstation , server , embedded system,… |
| QNX | Automotive, medical, smartphone, consum… |
| ReactOS | Workstation , personal computer |
| Redox | Desktop , workstation , server |
| RISC iX | Workstation |
| RISC OS | Education, personal computer |
| RISC OS 4 | Education, personal computer |
| RISC OS 5 | Education, personal computer |
| RISC OS 6 | Education, personal computer |
| Sailfish OS | Smartphone |
| SerenityOS | Workstation , personal computer |
| Solaris | Server , workstation |
| STOP 6, XTS-400 | Server , workstation |
| Symbian | Phone |
| Symbian platform | Embedded system |
| TempleOS | Personal computer |
| Tru64 | Server , workstation , HPC |
| VME | ICL mainframe |
| VSE n | IBM Z |
| VxWorks | Embedded real-time system |
| Windows (classic 9x family) | Personal computer , media center |
| Windows ( NT family ) | Workstation , personal computer , media… |
| Windows Server (NT family) | Server , NAS, embedded system |
| z/OS | IBM Z |
| z/VM | IBM Z |
| ZETA | Personal computer , media center, works… |
| Name | Target system type |
cite-note-license-11. Most OS distributions include bundled software with various other licenses.
cite-note-lisa-22. "Hungarian". The Original Macintosh Anecdotes.. Although Lisa OS ran on the same, but a slower variant, microprocessor and was developed by Apple Computer Inc. at the same time as Classic Mac OS, they were developed as different projects, only sharing a similar GUI between them.
cite-note-mac-33. Mac OS 7.6 was the first Macintosh system software to be labeled Mac OS. Operating systems before this were named Macintosh System Software through System Software 7.5, and known as System #.# for short.
Technical information
| Name | Computer architectures supported |
|---|---|
| AIX | POWER , PowerPC-AS , PowerPC , Power ISA |
| AmigaOS classic | 68k , PowerPC |
| AmigaOS 4 | PowerPC |
| ArcaOS | IA-32 |
| ChromeOS | ARM , IA-32 , x86-64 |
| DragonFly BSD | x86-64 |
| eComStation | IA-32 |
| FreeBSD | IA-32 , x86-64 , ARM , MIPS , PowerPC ,… |
| Genode | ARM , RISC-V , IA-32 , x86-64 |
| GhostBSD | IA-32 , x86-64 |
| Linux | IA-32, x86-64, ARM, PowerPC, SPARC, oth… |
| Haiku | IA-32, PowerPC, x86-64 |
| HP-UX | PA-RISC , IA-64 |
| HarmonyOS | 64-bit ARM , RISC-V , x86 , x64 and Loo… |
| Inferno | IA-32, PowerPC, SPARC, Alpha , MIPS , o… |
| iOS | ARMv8-A (iOS 7–present), ARMv7-A (iPhon… |
| Classic Mac OS | 68k, PowerPC |
| macOS | Apple silicon (11-present), x86-64 (10.… |
| MINIX 3 | IA-32 |
| NetBSD | IA-32, x86-64, ARM, MIPS, PowerPC, spar… |
| NetWare | 16-bit x86, IA-32 |
| OpenBSD | IA-32, x86-64, SPARC, 68k, Alpha, others |
| OpenVMS | VAX , Alpha, IA-64, x86-64 |
| OS/2 | 16-bit x86 (1.x only), IA-32 |
| OpenHarmony | 64-bit ARM , RISC-V , x86 , x64 and Loo… |
| Oniro | 64-bit ARM , RISC-V , x86 , x64 |
| Plan 9 | IA-32, Alpha, MIPS, PowerPC, SPARC, oth… |
| QNX | x86, SH-4 , PowerPC, ARM, MIPS |
| ReactOS | IA-32, PowerPC, ARM |
| Redox | x86-64 |
| RISC OS | ARM (both 26 and 32-bit addressing mode… |
| SerenityOS | x86, x86-64 |
| Solaris | IA-32, x86-64, SPARC |
| OpenSolaris | IA-32, x86-64, SPARC(AI) |
| STOP 6, XTS-400 | x86 |
| Symbian | ARM |
| TrueOS | IA-32, x86-64 |
| Windows Server (NT family) | IA-32, x86-64, IA-64 |
| Windows ( NT family ) | IA-32, x86-64, ARM, IA-64, Alpha, MIPS,… |
| ZETA | IA-32 |
| z/OS | z/Architecture |
| Name | Computer architectures supported |
| Name | File systems supported |
|---|---|
| AIX | JFS , JFS2 , ISO 9660 , UDF , NFS , SMB… |
| AmigaOS classic | Proprietary ( OFS , FFS , SFS , PFS ),… |
| AmigaOS 4 | Proprietary (OFS, FFS, SFS, PFS), JXFS,… |
| ArcaOS | JFS (default), HPFS , ISO 9660 , UDF ,… |
| ChromeOS | eCryptfs , NTFS , FAT , FAT16 , FAT32 ,… |
| DragonFly BSD | UFS1 , MFS, ext2 , FAT (16/32) , HAMMER… |
| eComStation | HPFS (default), FAT, JFS , UDF, FAT32 ,… |
| FreeBSD | UFS2 , ZFS , ext2 , ext3 , ext4 , FAT ,… |
| Genode | ext2 , ext3 , FAT32 , ISO9660 |
| GhostBSD | UFS2 , ext2 , ext3 , FAT, ISO 9660, UDF… |
| Linux | ext2, ext3, ext4 , btrfs , F2FS , FAT,… |
| Haiku | BFS (default), FAT, ISO 9660, ext3, NTFS |
| HP-UX | VxFS , HFS , CDFS , EVFS , NFS , CIFS |
| HarmonyOS | HMDFS, EROFS , NFS , RAMFS, FAT, JFFS2,… |
| Inferno | Styx / 9P2000 , kfs, FAT, ISO 9660 |
| iOS | HFS+ (prior to version 10.3), APFS (sin… |
| Classic Mac OS | HFS+ , HFS , MFS (Mac OS 8.0 and before… |
| macOS | HFS+ (default on hard drives, and on fl… |
| NetBSD | UFS, UFS2, ext2, FAT, ISO 9660, NFS, LF… |
| NetWare | NSS , NWFS , FAT, NFS, AFP, UDF, CIFS ,… |
| OpenBSD | ffs , ext2, FAT, ISO 9660, NFS, some ot… |
| OpenVMS | Files-11 (ODS), ISO 9660, NFS, CIFS |
| OS/2 | HPFS, JFS, FAT, ISO 9660, UDF, NFS |
| OpenHarmony | HMDFS, EROFS , NFS, RAMFS, FAT, JFFS2,… |
| Oniro | HMDFS, EROFS , NFS, RAMFS, FAT, JFFS2,… |
| Plan 9 | fossil / venti , 9P2000 , kfs, ext2, FA… |
| QNX | QNX4FS , QNX6, ext2, FAT, ISO 9660, Jol… |
| ReactOS | FAT, BTRFS, and NTFS (read only) |
| Redox | RedoxFS, TFS |
| RISC OS | Acorn ADFS , Econet ANFS, FAT, ISO 9660… |
| SerenityOS | ext2 |
| Solaris | UFS, ZFS, ext2, FAT, ISO 9660, UDF, NFS… |
| OpenSolaris | UFS, ZFS, ext2, FAT, ISO 9660, UDF, NFS… |
| STOP 6, XTS-400 | Proprietary |
| Symbian | FAT |
| TrueOS | UFS2, ext2, ext3, FAT, ISO 9660, UDF, N… |
| Windows Server (NT family) | NTFS, FAT, ISO 9660, UDF; 3rd-party dri… |
| Windows ( NT family ) | NTFS, FAT exFAT ISO 9660, UDF; 3rd-part… |
| ZETA | BFS (default), FAT, ISO 9660, UDF, HFS,… |
| z/OS | VSAM , BDAM, QSAM, BPAM, HFS, zFS, etc. |
| Name | File systems supported |
| Name | Kernel type |
|---|---|
| AIX | Monolithic with modules |
| AmigaOS classic | Microkernel |
| AmigaOS 4 | Microkernel |
| ArcaOS | Hybrid |
| ChromeOS | Monolithic with modules |
| DragonFly BSD | Hybrid |
| eComStation | Hybrid |
| FreeBSD | Monolithic with modules |
| Genode | Microkernel or Monolithic kernel |
| GhostBSD | Monolithic with modules |
| Linux | Monolithic with modules |
| Haiku | Hybrid |
| HP-UX | Monolithic with modules |
| HarmonyOS | Microkernel |
| Inferno | Monolithic with modules, user space fil… |
| iOS | Hybrid |
| Classic Mac OS | Monolithic with modules |
| macOS | Hybrid with modules |
| MINIX 3 | Microkernel |
| NetBSD | Monolithic with modules |
| NetWare | Hybrid |
| OpenBSD | Monolithic |
| OpenVMS | Monolithic with modules |
| OS/2 | Monolithic with modules |
| OpenHarmony | Multi-kernel |
| Oniro | Multi-kernel |
| Plan 9 | Hybrid, user space file systems |
| QNX | Microkernel |
| ReactOS | Hybrid |
| Redox | Microkernel |
| RISC OS | Monolithic with modules. Cooperative mu… |
| SerenityOS | Microkernel |
| Solaris | Monolithic with modules |
| OpenSolaris | Monolithic with modules |
| STOP 6, XTS-400 | Monolithic |
| Symbian | Microkernel |
| TrueOS | Monolithic with modules |
| Windows Server (NT family) | Hybrid with modules |
| Windows ( NT family ) | Hybrid with modules |
| ZETA | Hybrid |
| z/OS | Protected, multithreading, multitasking… |
| Name | Kernel type |
| Name | Source lines of code | GUI default is on |
|---|---|---|
| AIX | | No |
| AmigaOS classic | | Yes |
| AmigaOS 4 | | Yes |
| ArcaOS | | Yes |
| ChromeOS | ≈17 million | Yes |
| DragonFly BSD | | No |
| eComStation | | Yes |
| FreeBSD | 6.25 million | No |
| Genode | ≈300,000 | No |
| GhostBSD | | Yes |
| Linux | ≈15 million (kernel) lines of code for… | Yes |
| Haiku | ≈5.2 million | Yes |
| HP-UX | | No |
| HarmonyOS | ≈239.6 million (100 Deterministic Laten… | Yes |
| Inferno | | Yes |
| iOS | ≈80 million | Yes |
| Classic Mac OS | | Yes |
| macOS | ≈86 million | Yes |
| MINIX 3 | ≈12,000 (C) + ≈1,400 (Assembly) | No |
| NetBSD | | No |
| NetWare | | Yes |
| OpenBSD | | No |
| OpenVMS | | No |
| OS/2 | | Yes |
| OpenHarmony | ≈110 million+ | Yes |
| Oniro | | Yes |
| Plan 9 | ≈2.5 Million /sys/src (complete source… | Yes |
| ReactOS | nearly 8 million | Yes |
| Redox | | Yes |
| RISC OS | | Yes |
| SerenityOS | ≈750,000 | Yes |
| Solaris | | Yes |
| OpenSolaris | ≈18.8 million | Yes |
| STOP 6, XTS-400 | | No |
| Symbian | | Yes |
| TrueOS | | Yes |
| Windows Server (NT family) | ≈45 million | Yes |
| Windows ( NT family ) | ≈40 (XP)/64 (Vista and later) million | Yes |
| ZETA | | Yes |
| z/OS | | No |
| Name | Source lines of code | GUI default is on |
| Name | Package management |
|---|---|
| AIX | installp, RPM |
| AmigaOS classic | Installer (almost not needed) |
| AmigaOS 4 | Installer (almost not needed) |
| ArcaOS | ANPM (based on YUM and RPM) |
| ChromeOS | Portage |
| DragonFly BSD | dports , pkg |
| eComStation | WarpIN, Feature Install, others |
| FreeBSD | Ports collection , packages |
| Genode | Custom |
| GhostBSD | Ports collection , packages |
| Linux | Depends on the distribution |
| Haiku | Ports collection (haikuport) |
| HP-UX | SD , swinstall |
| HarmonyOS | .app with HAP files |
| Inferno | ? |
| iOS | ? |
| Classic Mac OS | None |
| macOS | macOS Installer |
| NetBSD | pkgsrc |
| NetWare | NWCONFIG.NLM, RPM , X11 -based GUI inst… |
| OpenBSD | Ports collection, packages |
| OpenVMS | PCSI, VMSINSTAL |
| OS/2 | Feature Install and others |
| OpenHarmony | .app with HAP files |
| Oniro | .app with HAP files |
| Plan 9 | None |
| ReactOS | ReactOS Applications Manager , MSI , cu… |
| Redox | pkgutils |
| RISC OS | Applications self-contained; hardware d… |
| SerenityOS | None |
| Solaris | SysV packages (pkgadd) Image Packaging… |
| OpenSolaris | Image Packaging System (pkg), SysV pack… |
| STOP 6, XTS-400 | RPM for some untrusted applications |
| Symbian | SIS files |
| TrueOS | Ports collection, packages, PBI Graphic… |
| Windows Server (NT family) | MSI , custom installers |
| Windows ( NT family ) | MSI, custom installers |
| ZETA | SoftwareValet , script-based installers |
| z/OS | None, SMP/E |
| Name | Package management |
| Name | Update management |
|---|---|
| AIX | Service Update Management Assistant (SU… |
| AmigaOS 4 | AmiUpdate (almost not needed) |
| ArcaOS | Update Facility |
| DragonFly BSD | git, cvsup, rsync, pkg |
| eComStation | Maintenance Tool |
| FreeBSD | by source, network binary update (freeb… |
| Genode | None |
| GhostBSD | by source, network binary update (freeb… |
| Haiku | pkgman, HaikuDepot |
| HP-UX | swa (HP-UX Software Assistant) |
| HarmonyOS | Software Update |
| Inferno | ? |
| iOS | Software Update |
| Classic Mac OS | Software Update (only in Mac OS 9) |
| macOS | Software Update |
| NetBSD | by source or binary (using sysinst) |
| NetWare | binary updates, ZENWorks for Servers, R… |
| OpenBSD | by source or binary (packages via pkg_a… |
| OpenVMS | ? |
| OS/2 | ? |
| OpenHarmony | Software Update |
| Oniro | Software Update |
| Plan 9 | replica |
| ReactOS | None |
| RISC OS | !IyoUpWtch |
| SerenityOS | None |
| Solaris | Image Packaging System (Solaris 11 and… |
| OpenSolaris | Image Packaging System |
| STOP 6, XTS-400 | Binary updates via postal mail and prop… |
| Symbian | FOTA |
| TrueOS | by PBI updates, source, network binary… |
| Windows Server (NT family) | Windows Update |
| Windows ( NT family ) | Windows Update |
| ZETA | None |
| z/OS | SMP/E |
| Name | Update management |
| Name | Native APIs |
|---|---|
| AIX | SysV / POSIX |
| AmigaOS classic | Proprietary |
| AmigaOS 4 | Proprietary |
| ArcaOS | OS/2 |
| ChromeOS | Linux/POSIX |
| DragonFly BSD | BSD /POSIX |
| eComStation | Proprietary, DOS API , Win16 |
| FreeBSD | BSD /POSIX |
| Genode | Genode |
| GhostBSD | BSD /POSIX |
| Linux | Linux/POSIX |
| Haiku | POSIX, BeOS API |
| HP-UX | SysV/POSIX |
| HarmonyOS | Proprietary |
| Inferno | Proprietary |
| iOS | Cocoa , BSD-POSIX |
| Classic Mac OS | Toolbox , Carbon (from version 8.1) |
| macOS | Carbon, Cocoa , Java, BSD-POSIX |
| MINIX 3 | POSIX |
| NetBSD | BSD-POSIX |
| NetWare | Proprietary |
| OpenBSD | BSD-POSIX |
| OpenVMS | Proprietary |
| OS/2 | Proprietary, DOS API , Win16 |
| OpenHarmony | Open-source, ArkUI , OpenHarmony API Ki… |
| Oniro | Open-source, ArkUI , OpenHarmony and On… |
| Plan 9 | Proprietary ( Unix-like ) |
| QNX | POSIX, Java |
| ReactOS | Win32, NT API |
| Redox | POSIX |
| RISC OS | Huge number of SWI calls; extensive C l… |
| SerenityOS | POSIX, propertiary |
| Solaris | SysV/POSIX, GTK , Java |
| OpenSolaris | SysV/POSIX, GTK, Java |
| STOP 6, XTS-400 | Some: SysV, POSIX, Linux, proprietary |
| Symbian | Proprietary |
| TrueOS | BSD-POSIX |
| Windows Server (NT family) | Win32, NT API |
| Windows ( NT family ) | Win32, NT API |
| ZETA | POSIX, BeOS API |
| z/OS | Filesystem access methods, Systems Serv… |
| Name | Native APIs |
| Name | Non-native APIs supported through subsy… |
|---|---|
| AmigaOS classic | BSD subset (available through 3rd party… |
| AmigaOS 4 | BSD subset (available through 3rd party… |
| ArcaOS | POSIX, Win16, DOS, Win32, Java |
| DragonFly BSD | Mono, Java, Win16, Win32 , Linux |
| eComStation | POSIX, Java , others |
| FreeBSD | Mono, Java, Win16, Win32 , Linux |
| Genode | POSIX, Qt, SDL, MirageOS |
| GhostBSD | Mono, Java, Win16, Win32 , Linux |
| Linux | Mono, Java, Win16, Win32 |
| Haiku | Java, Qt |
| HarmonyOS | Java until 3.0.0 |
| iOS | ? |
| macOS | Toolbox (only in versions up to Mac OS… |
| NetBSD | Linux, others |
| OpenVMS | POSIX, RSX-11M |
| OS/2 | Win32 |
| OpenHarmony | Java until 3.0.0, React Native , Qt , F… |
| Oniro | React Native , Qt , Flutter , Electron… |
| Plan 9 | POSIX compatibility layer |
| ReactOS | DOS API |
| Solaris | Win16, Win32, Mono, Linux |
| OpenSolaris | Win16, Win32, Mono, Linux |
| Symbian | POSIX compatibility layer |
| TrueOS | Win16, Win32 |
| Windows Server (NT family) | DOS API , Win16 (only in 32-bit version… |
| Windows ( NT family ) | DOS API , Win16 (only in 32-bit version… |
| z/OS | POSIX, many others. |
| Name | Non-native APIs supported through subsy… |
cite-note-gui-154. Operating systems where the GUI is not installed and turned on by default are often bundled with an implementation of the X Window System, installation of which is usually optional.
cite-note-api-165. Most operating systems use proprietary APIs in addition to any supported standards.
cite-note-amigaosinstaller-176. Amiga OS features since OS 2.0 version a standard centralized Install utility called Installer, which could be used by any software house to install programs. It works as a Lisp language interpreter, and install procedures could be listed as simple text. AmigaOS can also benefit from a 3rd party copyrighted library called XAD that is available for all POSIX (Unix, Linux, BSD, and for AmigaOS, MorphOS, etc.). This library is freely distributable and publicly available on Aminet Amiga centralized repository of all Open Source or Free programs and utilities. XAD.Library, complete with GUI Voodoo-X, is based on modules and capable to manage over 300 compression methods and package systems (Voodoo-X GUI supports 80 package systems), including those widely accepted as standards such as .ZIP, .CAB, .LHA, .LZX, .RPM, etc.
cite-note-amigaosinstallation-187. A standard AmigaOS installation requires usually only few files (typically 3 to 10 files) to be copied in their appropriate directory, and libraries and language files for national localization to be put in their standard OS directories. Any Amiga user with some minimal experience knows where these files should be copied and could perform programs installations by hand.
cite-note-amiupdate-198. AmiUpdate can update AmigaOS files and all Amiga programs which are registered to use the same update program that is standard for Amiga. Updating AmigaOS requires only few libraries to be put in standard OS location (for example all libraries are stored in Libs: standard virtual device and absolute path finder for Libs directory, Fonts are all in Fonts: absolute locator, the files for language localization are all stored in Locale: and so on). This leaves Amiga users with a minimal knowledge of the system almost free to perform by hand the update of the system files.
cite-note-wine-219. using Wine
cite-note-bsdx-2910. NetBSD and OpenBSD include the X Window System as base install sets, managed in their respective main source repository, including local modifications. Packages are also provided for more up-to-date versions which may be less tested.
cite-note-brandz-3311. "BrandZ (Community Group brandz.WebHome) - XWiki". Opensolaris.org. October 26, 2009. Archived from the original on September 29, 2009. Retrieved December 18, 2011.
cite-note-i686-3512. only i686 CPU
cite-note-windowsfs-3613. Windows can read and write with Ext2 and Ext3 file systems only when a driver from FS-driver or Ext2Fsd is installed. However, using Explore2fs, Windows can read from, but not write to, Ext2 and Ext3 file systems. Windows can also access ReiserFS through rfstool and related programs.
Security
| Name | Resource access control |
|---|---|
| Name | Resource access control |
| Name | Resource access control |
| AIX 7.1 | POSIX , ACLs , MAC , Trusted AIX - MLS,… |
| FreeBSD 10.1 | POSIX , ACLs , MAC |
| GhostBSD 3.1 | POSIX, ACLs, MAC |
| Genode | Hierarchal, least privilege |
| HP-UX 11.31 | POSIX, ACLs |
| Inferno | POSIX |
| Linux-based 2.6.39 | POSIX, ACLs, MAC |
| Mac OS 9.2.2 | No |
| OS X 10.10.5 | POSIX, ACLs |
| NetBSD 6.1.2 | POSIX, Veriexec , PaX, kauth |
| NetWare 6.5 SP8 | Directory-enabled ACLs |
| OES-Linux | Directory-enabled ACLs |
| OpenBSD 4.8 | POSIX |
| OpenVMS 9.2 | ACLs, privileges |
| OS/2 , eComStation , ArcaOS | ACLs |
| TrueOS 8.1 | POSIX, ACLs, MAC |
| Plan 9 | POSIX ? |
| QNX 6.5.0 | POSIX |
| RISC OS | No |
| Solaris 10 | POSIX, RBAC, ACLs, least privilege , Tr… |
| OpenSolaris 2009.06 | POSIX, RBAC, ACLs, least privilege, Tru… |
| Windows Server 2012 | ACLs, privileges, RBAC |
| Windows 8.1 | ACLs, privileges, RBAC |
| ZETA | POSIX |
| STOP 6, XTS-400 | POSIX, multilevel security , Biba Model… |
| z/OS 1.11 | RACF |
| Name | Resource access control |
| Name | Resource access control |
| Name | Resource access control |
| Name | Subsystem isolation mechanisms |
|---|---|
| Name | Subsystem isolation mechanisms |
| Name | Subsystem isolation mechanisms |
| AIX 7.1 | chroot |
| FreeBSD 10.1 | chroot , Jails , MAC partitions, multil… |
| GhostBSD 3.1 | chroot, jail , MAC partitions, BSD file… |
| Genode | capability-based security |
| HP-UX 11.31 | chroot |
| Inferno | Namespaces , capability-based security… |
| Linux-based 2.6.39 | chroot, seccomp , Namespaces , SELinux… |
| Mac OS 9.2.2 | No |
| OS X 10.10.5 | chroot, BSD file flags set using chflags |
| NetBSD 6.1.2 | chroot, kauth, BSD file flags set using… |
| NetWare 6.5 SP8 | Protected address spaces |
| OES-Linux | chroot |
| OpenBSD 4.8 | chroot, systrace, BSD file flags set us… |
| OpenVMS 9.2 | logical name tables |
| OS/2 , eComStation , ArcaOS | No |
| TrueOS 8.1 | chroot, jail, MAC partitions |
| Plan 9 | Namespaces, capability-based security,… |
| QNX 6.5.0 | ? |
| RISC OS | No |
| Solaris 10 | chroot, Containers , Logical Domains |
| OpenSolaris 2009.06 | chroot, Containers, Logical Domains |
| Windows Server 2012 | Win32 WindowStation, desktop, job objec… |
| Windows 8.1 | Win32 WindowStation, desktop, job objec… |
| ZETA | No |
| STOP 6, XTS-400 | Multilevel security, Biba Model, subtyp… |
| z/OS 1.11 | RACF, low storage protection, page prot… |
| Name | Subsystem isolation mechanisms |
| Name | Subsystem isolation mechanisms |
| Name | Subsystem isolation mechanisms |
| Name | Integrated firewall | Encrypted file systems |
|---|---|---|
| Name | Integrated firewall | Encrypted file systems |
| Name | Integrated firewall | Encrypted file systems |
| AIX 7.1 | IPFilter , IPsec VPNs, basic IDS | Yes |
| FreeBSD 10.1 | IPFW2 , IPFilter , PF , IPsec | Yes |
| GhostBSD 3.1 | IPFW2 , IPFilter, PF | Yes |
| Genode | Virtual switch and NAPT controls in use… | No |
| HP-UX 11.31 | IPFilter | Yes |
| Inferno | ? | ? |
| Linux-based 2.6.39 | Netfilter , varied by distribution | Yes |
| Mac OS 9.2.2 | No | No |
| OS X 10.10.5 | ipfw | Yes |
| NetBSD 6.1.2 | IPFilter, NPF , PF | Yes |
| NetWare 6.5 SP8 | IPFLT.NLM | Yes |
| OES-Linux | IPFilter | Yes |
| OpenBSD 4.8 | PF | Yes |
| OpenVMS 9.2 | ? | ? |
| OS/2 , eComStation , ArcaOS | IPFilter | No |
| TrueOS 8.1 | IPFW2, IPFilter, PF | Yes |
| Plan 9 | ipmux | Yes |
| QNX 6.5.0 | PF, from NetBSD | ? |
| RISC OS | IPFilter | No |
| Solaris 10 | IPFilter | Yes |
| OpenSolaris 2009.06 | IPFilter | Yes |
| Windows Server 2012 | Windows Firewall | Yes |
| Windows 8.1 | Windows Firewall | Yes |
| ZETA | No | No |
| STOP 6, XTS-400 | No | No |
| z/OS 1.11 | z/OS IPSecurity | Optional |
| Name | Integrated firewall | Encrypted file systems |
| Name | Integrated firewall | Encrypted file systems |
| Name | Integrated firewall | Encrypted file systems |
| Name | No execute (NX) page flag | |
|---|---|---|
| Name | No execute (NX) page flag | |
| Name | Hardware | Emulation |
| AIX 7.1 | Yes | — |
| FreeBSD 10.1 | Yes | Yes |
| GhostBSD 3.1 | Yes | Yes |
| Genode | kernel dependent | No |
| HP-UX 11.31 | ? | ? |
| Inferno | No | No |
| Linux-based 2.6.39 | Yes | Yes |
| Mac OS 9.2.2 | No | No |
| OS X 10.10.5 | Yes (as of 10.5, X64 only) | Yes (Intel only) |
| NetBSD 6.1.2 | Yes | No |
| NetWare 6.5 SP8 | Yes | No |
| OES-Linux | Yes | No |
| OpenBSD 4.8 | Yes | Yes |
| OpenVMS 9.2 | Yes | ? |
| OS/2 , eComStation , ArcaOS | ? | ? |
| TrueOS 8.1 | ? | ? |
| Plan 9 | No | No |
| QNX 6.5.0 | ? | ? |
| RISC OS | No | No |
| Solaris 10 | Yes | No |
| OpenSolaris 2009.06 | Yes | No |
| Windows Server 2012 | Yes | Yes |
| Windows 8.1 | Yes | Yes |
| ZETA | No | No |
| STOP 6, XTS-400 | No | No |
| z/OS 1.11 | Yes (storage protect key, execution key… | Yes |
| Name | Hardware | Emulation |
| Name | No execute (NX) page flag | |
| Name | No execute (NX) page flag | |
| Name | Manufacturer acknowledged unpatched vul… |
|---|---|
| Name | Secunia |
| Name | Extremely critical (number / oldest) |
| AIX 7.1 | Unknown |
| FreeBSD 10.1 | 0 |
| GhostBSD 3.1 | 0 |
| Genode | Unknown |
| HP-UX 11.31 | 0 |
| Inferno | Unknown |
| Linux-based 2.6.39 | 0 |
| Mac OS 9.2.2 | 0 |
| OS X 10.10.5 | 0 |
| NetBSD 6.1.2 | Unknown |
| NetWare 6.5 SP8 | 0 |
| OES-Linux | Unknown |
| OpenBSD 4.8 | Unknown |
| OpenVMS 9.2 | 0 |
| OS/2 , eComStation , ArcaOS | 0 |
| TrueOS 8.1 | 0 |
| Plan 9 | Unknown |
| QNX 6.5.0 | 0 |
| RISC OS | Unknown |
| Solaris 10 | 0 |
| OpenSolaris 2009.06 | 0 |
| Windows Server 2012 | 0 |
| Windows 8.1 | 0 |
| ZETA | Unknown |
| STOP 6, XTS-400 | Unknown |
| z/OS 1.11 | 0 |
| Name | Extremely critical (number / oldest) |
| Name | Secunia |
| Name | Known unpatched vulnerabilities (severi… |
| Name | |
|---|---|
| Name | Highly critical (number / oldest) |
| FreeBSD 10.1 | 0 |
| GhostBSD 3.1 | 0 |
| HP-UX 11.31 | 0 |
| Linux-based 2.6.39 | 0 |
| Mac OS 9.2.2 | 0 |
| OS X 10.10.5 | 0 |
| NetWare 6.5 SP8 | 0 |
| OpenVMS 9.2 | 0 |
| OS/2 , eComStation , ArcaOS | 0 |
| TrueOS 8.1 | 0 |
| QNX 6.5.0 | 0 |
| Solaris 10 | 2 October 31, 2007 ( 2007-10-31 ) |
| OpenSolaris 2009.06 | 0 |
| Windows Server 2012 | 0 |
| Windows 8.1 | 0 |
| z/OS 1.11 | 0 |
| Name | Highly critical (number / oldest) |
| Name | |
|---|---|
| Name | Moderately critical (number / oldest) |
| FreeBSD 10.1 | 0 |
| GhostBSD 3.1 | 0 |
| HP-UX 11.31 | 3 June 30, 2004 ( 2004-06-30 ) |
| Linux-based 2.6.39 | 0 |
| Mac OS 9.2.2 | 0 |
| OS X 10.10.5 | 1 April 14, 2009 ( 2009-04-14 ) |
| NetWare 6.5 SP8 | 1 August 31, 2010 ( 2010-08-31 ) |
| OpenVMS 9.2 | 0 |
| OS/2 , eComStation , ArcaOS | 0 |
| TrueOS 8.1 | 0 |
| QNX 6.5.0 | 0 |
| Solaris 10 | 5 October 23, 2007 ( 2007-10-23 ) |
| OpenSolaris 2009.06 | 0 |
| Windows Server 2012 | 0 |
| Windows 8.1 | 0 |
| z/OS 1.11 | 0 |
| Name | Moderately critical (number / oldest) |
| Name | |
|---|---|
| Name | Less critical (number / oldest) |
| FreeBSD 10.1 | 0 |
| GhostBSD 3.1 | 0 |
| HP-UX 11.31 | 2 December 12, 2002 ( 2002-12-12 ) |
| Linux-based 2.6.39 | 6 June 24, 2004 ( 2004-06-24 ) |
| Mac OS 9.2.2 | 0 |
| OS X 10.10.5 | 2 January 8, 2007 ( 2007-01-08 ) |
| NetWare 6.5 SP8 | 2 October 30, 2003 ( 2003-10-30 ) |
| OpenVMS 9.2 | 0 |
| OS/2 , eComStation , ArcaOS | 0 |
| TrueOS 8.1 | 0 |
| QNX 6.5.0 | 5 November 20, 2002 ( 2002-11-20 ) |
| Solaris 10 | 3 September 10, 2009 ( 2009-09-10 ) |
| OpenSolaris 2009.06 | 0 |
| Windows Server 2012 | 0 |
| Windows 8.1 | 0 |
| z/OS 1.11 | 0 |
| Name | Less critical (number / oldest) |
| Name | | |
|---|---|---|
| Name | | Security- Focus |
| Name | Not critical (number / oldest) | Total (number / oldest) |
| AIX 7.1 | | 0 |
| FreeBSD 10.1 | 0 | >0 |
| GhostBSD 3.1 | 0 | >0 |
| HP-UX 11.31 | 0 | >0 |
| Inferno | | >0 |
| Linux-based 2.6.39 | 11 April 4, 2005 ( 2005-04-04 ) | >0 |
| Mac OS 9.2.2 | 0 | >0 |
| OS X 10.10.5 | 5 November 22, 2006 ( 2006-11-22 ) | >0 |
| NetBSD 6.1.2 | | >0 |
| NetWare 6.5 SP8 | 0 | 0 |
| OES-Linux | | >0 |
| OpenBSD 4.8 | | >0 |
| OpenVMS 9.2 | 0 | Unknown |
| OS/2 , eComStation , ArcaOS | 0 | 0 |
| TrueOS 8.1 | 0 | >0 |
| Plan 9 | | >0 |
| QNX 6.5.0 | 1 November 7, 2002 ( 2002-11-07 ) | Unknown |
| Solaris 10 | 2 November 6, 2006 ( 2006-11-06 ) | >0 |
| OpenSolaris 2009.06 | 0 | >0 |
| Windows Server 2012 | 0 | [Unknown] |
| Windows 8.1 | 1 May 30, 2014 ( 2014-05-30 ) | [Unknown] |
| z/OS 1.11 | 0 | Unknown |
| Name | Not critical (number / oldest) | Total (number / oldest) |
| Name | | Security- Focus |
cite-note-unpatched-4814. Comparison of known unpatched vulnerabilities based on Secunia & SecurityFocus reports with severity of Not critical & above. Update lists manually with oldest published date(s).
cite-note-aixhardwarenx-4915. AIX use the PowerPC architecture which offer page-level protection mechanism. Since AIX version 5300-03 (5.3), this feature can be activated using the sedmgr command.
cite-note-freebsdstackprotection-5016. The GCC stack protection (a.k.a. ProPolice stack-smashing protector) has been enabled in base system since FreeBSD 8.0-release.
cite-note-linuxjail-5418. A jail mechanism is available separately in the Linux-VServer project, but is not integrated into any mainline Linux kernel.
cite-note-macacl-5519. ACLs were added to Mac OS X starting with version 10.4.
cite-note-pcbsdencrypted-5721. Additionally swap space may be encrypted during installation, uses memory based tmp file storage by default.
cite-note-solarisjail-5822. "Solaris Containers" (including "Zones") are a jail-type mechanism introduced with Solaris 10.
cite-note-solarisencrypted-5923. Through ZFS
cite-note-zetasuperuser-6024. Zeta has full Unix file permissions, but the OS is single user, and users always run as superuser.
cite-note-stop6certified-6125. STOP 6 is certified under Common Criteria at EAL5+.
Commands
| Feature | AROS |
|---|---|
| List directory | list, dir |
| Clear console | clear |
| Copy file(s) | copy |
| Move file(s) | move |
| Rename file(s) | rename |
| Delete file(s) | delete |
| Delete directory | delete |
| Create directory | makedir |
| Change current directory | cd |
| Run shell script with new shell | shell file.shell |
| Kill processes | ? |
| Change process priority | changetaskpri |
| Change I/O priority | ? |
| Create file system | format |
| File system check and recovery | ? |
| Create software raid | ? |
| Mount device | mount |
| Unmount device | assign drivename: dismount |
| Mount file as block device | ? |
| Show network configuration | ? |
| Show network route | ? |
| Trace network route | ? |
| Trace network route with pings | ? |
| Feature | AROS |
| Feature | FreeBSD |
|---|---|
| List directory | ls |
| Clear console | clear |
| Copy file(s) | cp |
| Move file(s) | mv |
| Rename file(s) | mv |
| Delete file(s) | rm |
| Delete directory | rmdir |
| Create directory | mkdir |
| Change current directory | cd |
| Run shell script with new shell | sh file.sh |
| Kill processes | kill, killall |
| Change process priority | nice |
| Create file system | newfs |
| File system check and recovery | fsck |
| Create software raid | atacontrol, gmirror, zfs create |
| Mount device | mount |
| Unmount device | umount |
| Mount file as block device | mdconfig + mount |
| Show network configuration | ifconfig |
| Show network route | netstat -r, route get, route monitor |
| Trace network route | traceroute |
| Trace network route with pings | traceroute -I |
| Feature | FreeBSD |
| Feature | Linux-based | HP-UX |
|---|---|---|
| List directory | ls | ls |
| Clear console | clear | clear |
| Copy file(s) | cp | cp |
| Move file(s) | mv | mv |
| Rename file(s) | mv, rename | mv |
| Delete file(s) | rm | rm |
| Delete directory | rmdir | rmdir |
| Create directory | mkdir | mkdir |
| Change current directory | cd | cd |
| Run shell script with new shell | sh file.sh | sh file.sh |
| Kill processes | killall, pkill, kill, skill | kill |
| Change process priority | nice, chrt | nice |
| Change I/O priority | ionice | ? |
| Create file system | mkfs | newfs |
| File system check and recovery | fsck | fsck |
| Create software raid | mdadm -C | ? |
| Mount device | mount | mount |
| Unmount device | umount | umount |
| Mount file as block device | mount -o loop | ? |
| Show network configuration | ip addr, ifconfig | ifconfig, lanadmin |
| Show network route | ip route, route | netstat -r |
| Trace network route | traceroute | traceroute |
| Trace network route with pings | traceroute -I, mtr | ? |
| Feature | Linux-based | HP-UX |
| Feature | OpenVMS | macOS |
|---|---|---|
| List directory | dir | ls |
| Clear console | ty/pa nl : | clear |
| Copy file(s) | copy | cp |
| Move file(s) | ren | mv |
| Rename file(s) | ren | mv |
| Delete file(s) | del | rm |
| Delete directory | del | rmdir |
| Create directory | create/dir | mkdir |
| Change current directory | set def | cd |
| Run shell script with new shell | @ file.com | sh file.sh |
| Kill processes | stop | kill, killall |
| Change process priority | set proc/prio | nice |
| Change I/O priority | set proc/prio | nice |
| Create file system | init | mkfs |
| File system check and recovery | analyze/disk | fsck |
| Create software raid | ? | diskutil appleRAID |
| Mount device | mount | mount, diskutil mount |
| Unmount device | dismount | umount, diskutil unmount(disk ) |
| Mount file as block device | ? | hdid |
| Show network configuration | tcpip sh net (sh net ) | ifconfig |
| Show network route | tcpip sh route | netstat -r, route get, route monitor |
| Trace network route | tcptrace | traceroute |
| Trace network route with pings | tcptrace | traceroute -I |
| Feature | OpenVMS | macOS |
| Feature | Solaris |
|---|---|
| List directory | ls |
| Clear console | clear |
| Copy file(s) | cp |
| Move file(s) | mv |
| Rename file(s) | mv |
| Delete file(s) | rm |
| Delete directory | rmdir |
| Create directory | mkdir |
| Change current directory | cd |
| Run shell script with new shell | sh file.sh |
| Kill processes | kill, pkill |
| Change process priority | nice |
| Change I/O priority | ? |
| Create file system | newfs, zpool / zfs create |
| File system check and recovery | fsck |
| Create software raid | metainit, zpool create |
| Mount device | mount |
| Unmount device | umount |
| Mount file as block device | lofiadm + mount |
| Show network configuration | ifconfig |
| Show network route | netstat -r |
| Trace network route | traceroute |
| Trace network route with pings | traceroute -I |
| Feature | Solaris |
| Feature | Windows (cmd) |
|---|---|
| List directory | dir |
| Clear console | cls |
| Copy file(s) | copy |
| Move file(s) | move |
| Rename file(s) | ren (rename ) |
| Delete file(s) | del (erase ) |
| Delete directory | rd (rmdir ) |
| Create directory | md (mkdir ) |
| Change current directory | cd (chdir ) |
| Run shell script with new shell | cmd /c file.cmd |
| Kill processes | taskkill |
| Change process priority | start /low, start /normal, start /high,… |
| Change I/O priority | ? |
| Create file system | format |
| File system check and recovery | chkdsk |
| Create software raid | diskpart (mirror only ) |
| Mount device | mountvol |
| Unmount device | mountvol /d |
| Mount file as block device | ? |
| Show network configuration | ipconfig |
| Show network route | route |
| Trace network route | tracert |
| Trace network route with pings | pathping |
| Feature | Windows (cmd) |
| Feature | Windows ( PowerShell ) |
|---|---|
| List directory | Get-ChildItem |
| Clear console | Clear-Host |
| Copy file(s) | Copy-Item |
| Move file(s) | Move-Item |
| Rename file(s) | Rename-Item |
| Delete file(s) | Remove-Item |
| Delete directory | Remove-Item |
| Create directory | New-Item |
| Change current directory | Set-Location |
| Run shell script with new shell | powershell file.ps1 |
| Kill processes | Stop-Process |
| Change process priority | Start-Process, wmic |
| Change I/O priority | ? |
| Create file system | Format-Volume |
| File system check and recovery | Repair-Volume |
| Create software raid | diskpart (mirror only ) |
| Mount device | New-PSDrive |
| Unmount device | Remove-PSDrive |
| Mount file as block device | ? |
| Show network configuration | Get-NetIPInterface, ipconfig |
| Show network route | Get-NetRoute |
| Trace network route | Test-NetConnection |
| Trace network route with pings | pathping |
| Feature | Windows (PowerShell) |
NOTE: Linux systems may vary by distribution which specific program, or even 'command' is called, via the POSIX alias function. For example, if you wanted to use the DOS dir to give you a directory listing with one detailed file listing per line you could use alias dir='ls -lahF' (e.g. in a session configuration file).
cite-note-cd-7426. May be omitted. Simply entering the directory name will change to it.
cite-note-nice1-7527. This feature is still in development, see [1].
cite-note-nice2-7628. The nice command utilizes the setpriority() system call, which affects I/O priority, see OS X man page .
See also
Operating system comparisons
References
cite-note-429. citerefpogue1997Pogue, David (January 1997). MacWorld Macintosh Secrets 4th edition - Chapter 6: The System Software Museum (PDF). p. 225. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 17, 2017. Retrieved October 18, 2017.
cite-note-wikidata-0bfa63d74609d3ce4634478c112eba0d3f396ea8-v20-530. "Release 25.05". May 28, 2025. Retrieved June 15, 2025.
cite-note-631. "GhostBSD 21.05.11 ISO now available". Retrieved June 25, 2021.
cite-note-wikidata-7d555e4ea5df0181c53c81cb063fa7437f5db0fd-v20-732. citereflinus-torvalds2025Linus Torvalds (July 27, 2025). "Linux 6.16". Retrieved July 27, 2025.
cite-note-833. "'[9fans] Transfer of Plan 9 to the Plan 9 Foundation' - MARC".
cite-note-rool-news-2020-10-24-934. citerefrevill2020Revill, Steve (October 24, 2020). "RISC OS 5.28 now available". RISC OS Open. Retrieved October 24, 2020.
cite-note-oracle-solaris-otn-license-1035. "Oracle Solaris OTN License". Oracle.com. Retrieved October 4, 2013.
cite-note-1136. "Introducing IBM z/VM 7.4". August 6, 2024.
cite-note-2037. "The Chromium (Google Chrome) Open Source Project on Open Hub". openhub.net.
cite-note-2238. citerefarno-wagner2009Arno Wagner (December 11, 2009). "(S)LOC Count Evolution for Selected OSS Projects" (PDF). data for 2009, fig 1.
cite-note-2339. "Release notes for the Genode OS Framework 18.11".
cite-note-2440. citerefryan-paul2012Ryan Paul (April 4, 2012). "Linux kernel in 2011: 15 million total lines of code and Microsoft is a top contributor". arstechnica.com. Retrieved August 21, 2012.
cite-note-2541. citerefamit2022Amit (November 5, 2022). "HarmonyOS 3.1: Huawei written 239.6 million lines of code and 16000 own APIs". Huawei Update. Retrieved November 5, 2022.
cite-note-2642. citerefhellardHellard, Bobby. "What is HarmonyOS? A guide to Huawei's operating system". IT PRO. IT PRO. Retrieved August 27, 2022.
cite-note-wwdc2006-2743. citerefjobs2006Jobs, Steve (August 7, 2006). "Live from WWDC 2006: Steve Jobs Keynote". Retrieved February 16, 2007. 86 million lines of source code that was ported to run on an entirely new architecture with zero hiccups.
cite-note-2844. citereftanenbaum2015Tanenbaum, Andrew S. (2015). Modern Operating Systems: Global Edition. Pearson Education Limited. ISBN 9781292061955.
cite-note-3045. citerefbenjaminBenjamin. "OPENHARMONY HOLDS A TECHNICAL CONFERENCE IN CALIFORNIA, USA". HarmonyOSHub. HarmonyOSHub. Retrieved July 1, 2024.
cite-note-3146. "ReactOS Change Log". Archived from the original on May 18, 2015. Retrieved May 8, 2015.
cite-note-3247. "RISC OS Memory Protection - Drobe.co.uk archives". drobe.co.uk. Archived from the original on March 31, 2014. Retrieved March 4, 2013.
cite-note-3448. find usr/src -type f -exec wc -l {} + | grep total | awk '{ sum += $1 } END {print sum }' on [2] results in 18793105
cite-note-3749. citerefben-liblitandrew-begeleve-sweetserBen Liblit; Andrew Begel; Eve Sweetser. "Cognitive Perspectives on the Role of Naming in Computer Programs" (PDF). Retrieved December 26, 2007.
cite-note-5150. "Genode organizational structure".
cite-note-namespace-5251. citerefrob-pikedave-presottoken-thompsonhoward-trickeyRob Pike; Dave Presotto; Ken Thompson; Howard Trickey; Phil Winterbottom. "The Use of Name Spaces in Plan 9".
External links
Wikibooks has a book on the topic of:
A Neutral Look at Operating Systems
• "Operating System Technological Comparison". Retrieved May 9, 2005.