Comparison of operating systems

Template:Short description Template:Use mdy dates 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.

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.Template:Disputed inline

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

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.
GPL2
GPL3
Per user: The fee depends on the maximum number of users concurrently logged on.
MSU: The fee depends on the resources consumed by the user
MULC: Measured Usage License Charges
PSLC: Parallel Sysplex Software Pricing

General information

Name	Creator	Initial public release	Predecessor	Current stable version	Release date	Cost, availability	Preferred license^{[g 1]}	Target system type
AIX	IBM	1986	UNIX System V Release 3	7.3	Template:Dts	Commercial	Template:Proprietary	Server, NAS, workstation
AIX/370	IBM	1989	IX/370	Release 2.1?	Template:Date table sorting	Non-free	Template:Proprietary	IBM System/370 AIX/ESA V1 & V2
AIX/ESA	IBM	1992	AIX/370, OSF/1	Version 2 Release 2	Template:Date table sorting	Non-free	Template:Proprietary	ESA/370 IBM System/390
AmigaOS classic	Commodore International, Haage & Partner, Hyperion Entertainment	1985	TRIPOS (as the disk operating component of AmigaOS)	3.2.2.1	Template:Dts	Bundled with hardware up to version 3.0 (Amiga International hardware came with 3.1); versions 2.1, 3.0, 3.1, 3.5, 3.9 and the more recent 3.2 (2021) also available as separate packages	Template:Proprietary, open source clone available under AROS Public License	Workstation, personal computer
AmigaOS 4	Hyperion Entertainment	2004	AmigaOS classic	4.1 Final Edition Update 2.1	Template:Dts	4.0 bundled with hardware; 4.0 for classic and 4.1 available as standalone package at €29	Template:Proprietary	Workstation, personal computer
Android	Android, Inc., Google	2008	None	15	Template:Dts	No cost	Template:Open source	Smartphone, tablet computer
ArcaOS	Arca Noae, LLC	2017	OS/2	5.1.0	Template:Dts	Personal edition Template:US$ Commercial edition Template:US$	Template:Proprietary	Server, workstation, personal computer
Classic Mac OS (retronym; had no name originally, later Macintosh System Software)	Apple Computer, Inc. (now Apple Inc.)	1984	None^{[g 2]}^{[g 3]}	9.2.2	Template:Dts	Discontinued; Was bundled with 68k and PowerPC Macs; versions 7.1-9 sold as retail upgrades^[1]	Template:Proprietary	Workstation, personal computer
ChromeOS	Google	2011	none	129.0.6668.99	Template:Dts	Bundled with hardware, 32-bit edition dropped	Template:Proprietary: Google OS Terms of Service. Open-source core system	Chromebook, Chromebox, Chromebase and tablet
ChromiumOS	Google	2009	none	Rolling release	Template:Dts	No cost	Template:Open source	Personal computer
DragonFly BSD	Matthew Dillon	2003	FreeBSD	6.4.0	Template:Dts	No cost	Template:Open source	Server, workstation, NAS, embedded system
eComStation	Serenity Systems, Mensys BV	2001	OS/2	2.1	Template:Dts	Discontinued; Commercial	Template:Proprietary	Server, workstation, personal computer
EPOC32	Psion PLC	1996		ER5	Template:Dts	Discontinued; Commercial	Template:Proprietary	PDA
EulerOS	Huawei	2021	None	V2.0SP8	2022	No cost	Template:Open source	Server, workstation
FreeBSD	The FreeBSD Project	1993	386BSD	14.1	Template:Dts	No cost	Template:Open source	Server, workstation, Desktop, NAS, embedded system
Genode	Genode Labs	2008	None	Template:Wikidata	Template:Start date and age	No cost	Template:Open source	Desktop, embedded system, server
GhostBSD	Eric Turgeon	2009	FreeBSD	21.05^[2]	Template:Dts	No cost	Template:Open source	Desktop, workstation
Linux	Notable contributors include: Richard Stallman for GNU Project and Linus Torvalds for Linux and the Unixes they emulated; Red Hat, Debian Project See: Comparison of Linux distributions and Linux kernel#Development	1991 (kernel), See: Comparison of Linux distributions and History of Linux	None	Template:Wikidata (kernel)	Template:Start date and age (kernel)	No cost	Template:Open source (kernel)	See: Comparison of Linux distributions
Haiku	Haiku Inc.	2002	BeOS R5	R1/Beta 5	September 13, 2024	No cost	Template:Open source	Personal computer
HP NonStop	HP (now Hewlett Packard Enterprise)	1976	None	H06.24/J06.13	Template:Dts	Bundled with hardware?	Template:Proprietary	HP Nonstop Servers
HP-UX	HP (now Hewlett Packard Enterprise)	1983	UNIX System V	HP-UX 11i v3 2023 / May 2023	Template:Dts	US$400	Template:Proprietary	Server
HarmonyOS	Huawei	2019	OpenHarmony, LiteOS	5.0.0.102(SP3C00E73R4P17)	October 23, 2024	Bundled with hardware and updates at no cost given to most existing users, subject to hardware requirements	Template:Proprietary software except for open-source components	Internet of things, Smartphone, tablet computer, education, embedded system, smart watches
IBM i	IBM	1988	CPF, SSP	7.5	Template:Dts	Bundled with hardware	Template:Proprietary	Server
Inferno	Bell Labs	1996	Plan 9	Fourth Edition	Template:Dts	No cost	Template:Open source	NAS, server, embedded
iOS (originally iPhone OS)	Apple Inc.	2007	macOS	17.1.1	Template:Dts	Bundled with hardware and updates at no cost given to most existing users, subject to hardware requirements	Template:Proprietary higher level API layers; open source core system (ARM versions): APSL, GNU GPL, others	Smartphone, music player, tablet
IRIX	SGI	1988	UNIX System V	6.5.30	Template:Dts	Discontinued; Bundled with hardware	Template:Proprietary	Server, workstation
IX/370	IBM	1985	UNIX System V	Release 1.4?	Template:Date table sorting	Non-free	Template:Proprietary	IBM System/370
macOS (originally Mac OS X)	Apple Inc.	2001	NeXTSTEP, BSD	15.1	October 28, 2024	Bundled with hardware; No cost for updates and upgrades via Mac App Store for users of Mac OS X 10.6 or later	Template:Proprietary higher level API layers; open source core system (Apple Silicon-Intel-PowerPC versions): APSL, GNU GPL, others	Workstation, personal computer, embedded
macOS Server (originally Mac OS X Server)	Apple Inc.	2001	NeXTSTEP, BSD	5.12	Template:Dts	Discontinued; Previously bundled with hardware; No longer a separate operating system, but a group of services installed atop any version of macOS Monterey; US$19.99 on the Mac App Store	Template:Proprietary higher level API layers; open source core system (Intel-PowerPC versions): APSL, GNU GPL, others	Server
MCP	Unisys	1961	None	CP OS 20.0	Template:Dts	Bundled with hardware	Template:Proprietary	Server
MenuetOS	Ville Turjanmaa and others	2000	None	1.49.00	Template:Dts	OS written in assembly language	Template:Open source	Workstation
MINIX 3	Andrew S. Tanenbaum	2005	Minix2	3.3.0	Template:Dts	No cost	Template:Open source	Workstation
MPE	HP	1974	None	MPE-V	Template:Dts	Discontinued; Was bundled with HP-3000 CISC hardware "Classic"	Template:Proprietary	Server
MPE/XL	HP	1987	MPE	7.5	Template:Dts	Discontinued; Was bundled with HP-3000 PA-RISC hardware	Template:Proprietary	Server
MVS (OS/VS2 R2 through R3.8)	IBM	1972	OS/360 MVT, SVS	Release 3.8	Template:Dts	Free (discontinued)	Template:Open source	IBM System/370
MVS (MVS/SE through MVS/ESA)	IBM	March 1978	OS/VS2 R3.7 for MVS/SE R1 OS/VS2 R3.8 for MVS/SE R2 through MVS/ESA	z/OS Version 2.5 (V2R5)	Template:Dts	Price tied to processor capacity	Template:Proprietary	S/370 S/370-XA S/370-ESA ESA/390
NetBSD	The NetBSD Project	1993	386BSD	9.3	Template:Dts	No cost	Template:Open source	NAS, server, workstation, embedded
NetWare	Novell	1985	S-Net	6.5 SP8	Template:Dts	Superseded by Novell Open Enterprise Server; Was Template:US$ (one-user)	Template:Proprietary	Server
NeXTSTEP	NeXT	1989	Unix	3.3	Template:Dts	Discontinued; Was bundled with hardware, then sold separately	Template:Proprietary	Workstation
OpenBSD	OpenBSD Project	1996	NetBSD 1.0	7.4	Template:Dts	No cost	Template:Open source	Server, NAS, workstation, embedded
OpenIndiana	Many, based on software developed by Sun Microsystems and many others	2010	OpenSolaris	2023.04	Template:Dts	No cost	Template:Open source	Server, workstation
OpenVMS	DEC (now VSI)	1977	RSX-11M	V9.2-3	Template:Dts	Commercial, no cost for non-commercial use	Template:Proprietary	Server, workstation
OpenHarmony	Various (OpenAtom Foundation, Huawei and others)	2020	HarmonyOS, LiteOS	5.0.0 Release	September 29, 2024	No cost	Template:Open source	Internet of things, embedded system, smart watches, mobile devices, personal computers
Oniro	Various (Eclipse Foundation, Huawei and others)	2021	None	4.1	June 21, 2024	No cost	Template:Open source	Internet of things, embedded system, smart watches, mobile devices, personal computers
OS/2	IBM and Microsoft	1987	MS-DOS	4.52	Template:Dts	Discontinued (see ArcaOS successor); Was Template:US$	Template:Proprietary	Personal computer, server
OS/360	IBM	1966	None	Operating System/360 R21.8	Template:Dts	Free (discontinued)	Template:Open source	S/360 S/370
OS/390	IBM	1995	MVS/ESA	OS/390 version 2 R10	Template:Dts	Price tied to processor capacity	Template:Proprietary	S/390
OS 2200	Unisys	1967 as Exec 8e	Exec 8, OS 1100	CP OS 18 (Exec 49.2)	Template:Dts	Bundled with hardware	Template:Proprietary	Server
OS/VS1	IBM	Template:Dts	OS/360 MFT II	Release 7.0?		Free (discontinued)	—	IBM System/370
OS/VS2 SVS	IBM	Template:Dts	OS/360 MVT	Release 1.7		Free (discontinued)	—	IBM System/370
Plan 9	Bell Labs	1992	Unix	Fourth Edition	Template:Dts (except for minor later updates)	No cost	Template:Open source	Workstation, server, embedded system, HPC
QNX	QNX Software Systems	1982	Unix, POSIX	7.1.0	Template:Dts	Bundled with BlackBerry 10 and PlayBook devices. Commercial; an academic version exists that needs authorization code before installing	Template:Proprietary	Automotive, medical, smartphone, consumer, industrial, embedded system, safety
ReactOS	ReactOS development team	1998	Windows NT (clone of)	0.4.14	Template:Dts	No cost	Template:Open source	Workstation, personal computer
Redox	Jeremy Soller	2015	-	0.7.0	Template:Dts	No cost	Template:Open source	Desktop, workstation, server
RISC iX	Acorn Computers	1988	BSD 4.3	1.21c	Template:Dts	Discontinued; Was bundled with hardware	Template:Proprietary	Workstation
RISC OS	Acorn Computers	1987	Arthur	3.71	Template:Dts	Discontinued; Was bundled with hardware	Template:Proprietary	Education, personal computer
RISC OS 4	RISCOS Ltd, Pace plc	1999	RISC OS	4.39	Template:Dts	Bundled with hardware, then sold separately at £70 (US$127)	Template:Proprietary	Education, personal computer
RISC OS 5	Castle Technology, RISC OS Open	2002	RISC OS 4	5.28^[3]	Template:Dts	No cost	Template:Open source	Education, personal computer
RISC OS 6	RISCOS Ltd	2006	RISC OS 4	6.20	Template:Dts	Bundled with hardware, then sold separately at £70 (US$127)	Template:Proprietary	Education, personal computer
SerenityOS	Andreas Kling	2018	None	Continuous integration	N/A	No cost	Template:Open source	Workstation, personal computer
Solaris	Sun (now Oracle Corporation)	1992	SunOS	11.4	Template:Dts	Commercial; (a perpetual license at no cost when used "for the purpose of developing, testing, prototyping and demonstrating your applications"^[4])	Template:Open source	Server, workstation
STOP 6, XTS-400	BAE Systems	2003	STOP 5, XTS-300	8.2	Template:Dts	Template:US$+; bundled with XTS hardware and OEM licensed	Template:Proprietary	Server, workstation
Symbian	Symbian Ltd.	1998	EPOC32	9.5	Template:Dts	Discontinued; Commercial	Template:Proprietary	Phone
Symbian platform	Symbian Foundation	2010 (initially 1998 as Symbian)	Symbian	3.0.4	Template:Dts	No cost	Template:Open source	Embedded system
TempleOS	Terry Davis	2005 (as J Operating System)	None	5.03	Template:Dts	No cost	Template:Open source	Personal computer
Tru64	Digital Equipment Corporation	January 1992	OSF/1	5.1B-6	Template:Dts	Bundled with hardware	Template:Proprietary	Server, workstation, HPC
VME	ICL	1974	None	SV294	Template:Dts	Bundled with hardware	Template:Proprietary	ICL mainframe
VSEⁿ	21st Century Software	1979 (as DOS/VSE)	DOS/360 DOS/VS	6.3	Template:Dts	Monthly license fee	Template:Proprietary	IBM Z
VxWorks	Wind River Systems	1987	VRTX	7	Template:Dts	Paid	Template:Proprietary	Embedded real-time system
Windows (classic 9x family)	Microsoft	1995	MS-DOS	Windows Me (Win 4.90.3000)	Template:Dts	Discontinued	Template:Proprietary	Personal computer, media center
Windows (NT family)	Microsoft	1993	OS/2 and Windows 3.1x	Windows 11 (version 24H2)	Template:Dts	One time license fee	Template:Proprietary; Source-available	Workstation, personal computer, media center, Tablet PC, embedded system
Windows Server (NT family)	Microsoft	1993	OS/2	Windows Server 2025 (version 10.0.26100.2605)	November 1, 2024	US$1050 5 CALs server; other editions dependent on number of CALs purchased	Template:Proprietary; Source-available	Server, NAS, embedded system
z/OS	IBM	2000	OS/390	Version 2.5 (V2R5)	Template:Dts	Price tied to processor capacity	Template:Proprietary	IBM Z
z/VM	IBM	2000	VM/ESA	7.4	Template:Dts^[5]	Monthly license fee	Template:Proprietary	IBM Z
ZETA	yellowTAB	2005	BeOS R5	1.5	Template:Dts	Discontinued	Template:Proprietary	Personal computer, media center, workstation
Name	Creator	Initial public release	Predecessor	Current stable version	Release date	Cost, availability	Preferred license^{[g 1]}	Target system type

Template:Reflist

Technical information

Template:Sort-under

Name	Computer architectures supported	File systems supported	Kernel type	Source lines of code	GUI default is on^{[t 1]}	Package management	Update management	Native APIs^{[t 2]}	Non-native APIs supported through subsystems
AIX	POWER, PowerPC-AS, PowerPC, Power ISA	JFS, JFS2, ISO 9660, UDF, NFS, SMBFS, GPFS	Monolithic with modules		No	installp, RPM	Service Update Management Assistant (SUMA)	SysV/POSIX
AmigaOS classic	68k, PowerPC	Proprietary (OFS, FFS, SFS, PFS), FAT, ISO 9660, UDF, many others via 3rd party drivers, such as SMBFS, etc.	Microkernel		Yes	Installer^{[t 3]} (almost not needed)^{[t 4]}		Proprietary	BSD subset (available through 3rd party ixemul.library)
AmigaOS 4	PowerPC	Proprietary (OFS, FFS, SFS, PFS), JXFS, FAT, ISO 9660, UDF, many others via 3rd party drivers, such as SMBFS, etc.	Microkernel		Yes	Installer^{[t 3]} (almost not needed)^{[t 4]}	AmiUpdate (almost not needed)^{[t 5]}	Proprietary	BSD subset (available through 3rd party ixemul.library)
ArcaOS	IA-32	JFS (default), HPFS, ISO 9660, UDF, FAT32, NTFS	Hybrid		Yes	ANPM (based on YUM and RPM)	Update Facility	OS/2	POSIX, Win16, DOS, Win32, Java
ChromeOS	ARM, IA-32, x86-64	eCryptfs, NTFS, FAT, FAT16, FAT32, exFAT, ext2, ext3, ext4, HFS+, MTP (read and write), ISO9660 (read-only), UDF (read-only)	Monolithic with modules	≈17 million^[6]	Yes	Portage		Linux/POSIX
DragonFly BSD	x86-64	UFS1, MFS, ext2, FAT (16/32), HAMMER, ISO 9660	Hybrid		No	dports, pkg	git, cvsup, rsync, pkg	BSD/POSIX	Mono, Java, Win16,^{[t 6]} Win32,^{[t 6]} Linux
eComStation	IA-32	HPFS (default), FAT, JFS, UDF, FAT32, NTFS (read only)	Hybrid		Yes	WarpIN, Feature Install, others	Maintenance Tool	Proprietary, DOS API, Win16	POSIX, Java, others
FreeBSD	IA-32, x86-64, ARM, MIPS, PowerPC, others	UFS2, ZFS, ext2, ext3, ext4, FAT, ISO 9660, UDF, NFS, others	Monolithic with modules	6.25 million^[7]	No	Ports collection, packages	by source, network binary update (freebsdupdate)	BSD/POSIX	Mono, Java, Win16,^{[t 6]} Win32,^{[t 6]} Linux
Genode	ARM, RISC-V, IA-32, x86-64	ext2, ext3, FAT32, ISO9660	Microkernel or Monolithic kernel	≈300,000 Script error: No such module "Unsubst".	No	Custom	None	Genode	POSIX, Qt, SDL, MirageOS^[8]
GhostBSD	IA-32, x86-64	UFS2, ext2, ext3, FAT, ISO 9660, UDF, NFS, ReiserFS (read only), XFS (experimental), ZFS, others	Monolithic with modules		Yes	Ports collection, packages	by source, network binary update (freebsdupdate)	BSD/POSIX	Mono, Java, Win16,^{[t 6]} Win32,^{[t 6]} Linux
Linux	IA-32, x86-64, ARM, PowerPC, SPARC, others	ext2, ext3, ext4, btrfs, ReiserFS, FAT, ISO 9660, UDF, NFS, and others	Monolithic with modules	≈15 million (kernel)^[9] lines of code for userland libraries and applications vary depending on the distribution	Yes	Depends on the distribution		Linux/POSIX	Mono, Java, Win16,^{[t 6]} Win32^{[t 6]}
Haiku	IA-32, PowerPC, x86-64	BFS (default), FAT, ISO 9660, ext3, NTFS	Hybrid	≈5.2 millionScript error: No such module "Unsubst".	Yes	Ports collection (haikuport)	pkgman, HaikuDepot	POSIX, BeOS API	Java, Qt
HP-UX	PA-RISC, IA-64	VxFS, HFS, CDFS, EVFS, NFS, CIFS	Monolithic with modules		No	SD, swinstall	swa (HP-UX Software Assistant)	SysV/POSIX
HarmonyOS	64-bit ARM, RISC-V, x86, x64 and LoongArch	HMDFS, EROFS, NFS, RAMFS, FAT, JFFS2, exFAT	Microkernel	≈239.6 million^[10] (100 Deterministic Latency Engine)^[11]	Yes	.app with HAP files	Software Update	Proprietary	Java until 3.0.0
Inferno	IA-32, PowerPC, SPARC, Alpha, MIPS, others	Styx/9P2000, kfs, FAT, ISO 9660	Monolithic with modules, user space file systems		Yes	?	?	Proprietary
iOS	ARMv8-A (iOS 7–present), ARMv7-A (iPhone OS 3–iOS 10), ARMv6 (iPhone OS 1–iOS 4.2.1)	HFS+ (prior to version 10.3), APFS (since version 10.3)	Hybrid	≈80 millionScript error: No such module "Unsubst".	Yes	?	Software Update	Cocoa, BSD-POSIX	?
Classic Mac OS	68k, PowerPC	HFS+, HFS, MFS (Mac OS 8.0 and before), AFP, ISO 9660, FAT(System 7 and later), UDF	Monolithic with modules		Yes	None	Software Update (only in Mac OS 9)	Toolbox, Carbon (from version 8.1)
macOS	Apple silicon (11-present), x86-64 (10.4.7–present), IA-32 (10.4.4–10.6.8), PowerPC (10.0–10.5.8) (see also iOS for ARM)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".	HFS+ (default on hard drives, and on flash drives up to Sierra), APFS (default on flash drives in High Sierra), HFS, UFS, AFP, ISO 9660, FAT, UDF, NFS, SMBFS, NTFS (read only), FTP, WebDAV, ZFS (experimental)	Hybrid with modules	≈86 million^[12]	Yes	macOS Installer	Software Update	Carbon, Cocoa, Java, BSD-POSIX	Toolbox (only in versions up to Mac OS X 10.4, not supported on x86 architecture), Win16,^{[t 6]} Win32^{[t 6]}
MINIX 3	IA-32		Microkernel	≈12,000 (C) + ≈1,400 (Assembly)^[13]	No			POSIX
NetBSD	IA-32, x86-64, ARM, MIPS, PowerPC, sparc64, others	UFS, UFS2, ext2, FAT, ISO 9660, NFS, LFS, and others	Monolithic with modules		No^{[t 7]}	pkgsrc	by source or binary (using sysinst)	BSD-POSIX	Linux, others
NetWare	16-bit x86, IA-32	NSS, NWFS, FAT, NFS, AFP, UDF, CIFS, ISO 9660	Hybrid		Yes	NWCONFIG.NLM, RPM, X11-based GUI installer	binary updates, ZENWorks for Servers, Red Carpet	Proprietary
OpenBSD	IA-32, x86-64, SPARC, 68k, Alpha, others	ffs, ext2, FAT, ISO 9660, NFS, some others	Monolithic		No^{[t 7]}	Ports collection, packages	by source or binary (packages via pkg_add)	BSD-POSIX
OpenVMS	VAX, Alpha, IA-64, x86-64	Files-11 (ODS), ISO 9660, NFS, CIFS	Monolithic with modules		No	PCSI, VMSINSTAL	?	Proprietary	POSIX, RSX-11M
OS/2	16-bit x86 (1.x only), IA-32	HPFS, JFS, FAT, ISO 9660, UDF, NFS	Monolithic with modules		Yes	Feature Install and others	?	Proprietary, DOS API, Win16	Win32
OpenHarmony	64-bit ARM, RISC-V, x86, x64 and LoongArch	HMDFS, EROFS, NFS, RAMFS, FAT, JFFS2, exFAT	Multi-kernel	≈110 million+^[14]	Yes	.app with HAP files	Software Update	Open-source, ArkUI, OpenHarmony API Kits	Java until 3.0.0, React Native, Qt, Flutter, Electron, CEF
Oniro	64-bit ARM, RISC-V, x86, x64	HMDFS, EROFS, NFS, RAMFS, FAT, JFFS2, exFAT	Multi-kernel		Yes	.app with HAP files	Software Update	Open-source, ArkUI, OpenHarmony and Oniro API Kits, React Native for ArkUI	React Native, Qt, Flutter, Electron, CEF
Plan 9	IA-32, Alpha, MIPS, PowerPC, SPARC, others	fossil/venti, 9P2000, kfs, ext2, FAT, ISO 9660	Hybrid, user space file systems	≈2.5 Million /sys/src (complete source of all supported architectures, kernels, commands and libraries)	Yes	None	replica	Proprietary (Unix-like)	POSIX compatibility layer
QNX	x86, SH-4, PowerPC, ARM, MIPS	QNX4FS, QNX6, ext2, FAT, ISO 9660, Joliet, NFS, CIFS, ETFS, UDF, HFS, HFS+, NTFS, others	Microkernel					POSIX, Java
ReactOS	IA-32, PowerPC, ARM	FAT, BTRFS, and NTFS (read only)	Hybrid	nearly 8 million^[15]	Yes	ReactOS Applications Manager, MSI, custom installers	None	Win32, NT API	DOS API
Redox	x86-64	RedoxFS, TFS	Microkernel		Yes	pkgutils		POSIX
RISC OS	ARM (both 26 and 32-bit addressing modes)	Acorn ADFS, Econet ANFS, FAT, ISO 9660, many others as loadable filesystems	Monolithic with modules. Cooperative multitasking with limited memory protection.^[16]		Yes	Applications self-contained; hardware drivers often in ROM	!IyoUpWtch	Huge number of SWI calls; extensive C libraries
SerenityOS	x86, x86-64	ext2	Microkernel	≈750,000	Yes	None	None	POSIX, propertiary
Solaris	IA-32, x86-64, SPARC	UFS, ZFS, ext2, FAT, ISO 9660, UDF, NFS, QFS, some others	Monolithic with modules		Yes	SysV packages (pkgadd) Image Packaging System (pkg) (Solaris 11 and later)	Image Packaging System (Solaris 11 and later)	SysV/POSIX, GTK, Java	Win16,^{[t 6]} Win32,^{[t 6]} Mono, Linux^{[t 8]}
OpenSolaris	IA-32, x86-64, SPARC(AI)	UFS, ZFS, ext2, FAT, ISO 9660, UDF, NFS, QFS, some others	Monolithic with modules	≈18.8 million^[17]	Yes	Image Packaging System (pkg), SysV packages (pkgadd)	Image Packaging System	SysV/POSIX, GTK, Java	Win16,^{[t 6]} Win32,^{[t 6]} Mono, Linux^{[t 8]}
STOP 6, XTS-400	x86	Proprietary	Monolithic		No	RPM for some untrusted applications	Binary updates via postal mail and proprietary tools	Some: SysV, POSIX, Linux, proprietary
Symbian	ARM	FAT	Microkernel		Yes	SIS files	FOTA	Proprietary	POSIX compatibility layer
TrueOS	IA-32, x86-64^{[t 9]}	UFS2, ext2, ext3, FAT, ISO 9660, UDF, NFS, ReiserFS (read only), XFS (experimental) and others	Monolithic with modules		Yes	Ports collection, packages, PBI Graphical Installers	by PBI updates, source, network binary update (freebsdupdate)	BSD-POSIX	Win16,^{[t 6]} Win32^{[t 6]}
Windows Server (NT family)	IA-32, x86-64, IA-64	NTFS, FAT, ISO 9660, UDF; 3rd-party drivers support ext2, ext3, ReiserFS,^{[t 10]} and HFS	Hybrid with modules	≈45 million^[18]	Yes	MSI, custom installers	Windows Update	Win32, NT API	DOS API, Win16 (only in 32-bit versions), POSIX, .NET
Windows (NT family)	IA-32, x86-64, ARM, IA-64, Alpha, MIPS, PowerPC	NTFS, FAT exFAT ISO 9660, UDF; 3rd-party drivers support btrfs, ext2, ext3, ReiserFS,^{[t 10]} HFS+, FATX, and HFS (with third party driver)	Hybrid with modules	≈40 (XP)/64 (Vista and later) millionScript error: No such module "Unsubst".	Yes	MSI, custom installers	Windows Update	Win32, NT API	DOS API, Win16 (only in 32-bit versions), POSIX, .NET
ZETA	IA-32	BFS (default), FAT, ISO 9660, UDF, HFS, AFP, ext2, CIFS, NTFS (read only), ReiserFS (read only, up to v3.6)	Hybrid		Yes	SoftwareValet, script-based installers	None	POSIX, BeOS API
z/OS	z/Architecture	VSAM, BDAM, QSAM, BPAM, HFS, zFS, etc.	Protected, multithreading, multitasking nucleus with programmable/user replaceable extensions. Not kernel-based.Template:Clarify		No	None, SMP/E	SMP/E	Filesystem access methods, Systems Services, etc.	POSIX, many others.
Name	Computer architectures supported	File systems supported	Kernel type	Source lines of code	GUI default is on^{[t 1]}	Package management	Update management	Native APIs^{[t 2]}	Non-native APIs supported through subsystems

Template:Reflist

Security

Name	Resource access control	Subsystem isolation mechanisms	Integrated firewall	Encrypted file systems	No execute (NX) page flag		Manufacturer acknowledged unpatched vulnerabilities (by severity)^{[s 1]}
					No execute (NX) page flag		Secunia					Security- Focus
					scope="col" Template:Verth	scope="col" Template:Verth	Extremely critical (number / oldest)	Highly critical (number / oldest)	Moderately critical (number / oldest)	Less critical (number / oldest)	Not critical (number / oldest)	Total (number / oldest)
AIX 7.1	POSIX, ACLs, MAC, Trusted AIX - MLS, RBAC	chroot	IPFilter, IPsec VPNs, basic IDS	Yes	Yes^{[s 2]}	—	colspan="5" Template:Unk	Template:Good 0
FreeBSD 10.1	POSIX, ACLs, MAC	chroot, Jails, MAC partitions, multilevel security, Biba Model, BSD file flags set using chflags, Capsicum Capability-based security	IPFW2, IPFilter, PF, IPsec	Yes	Yes	Yes^{[s 3]}	Template:Good 0	Template:Good 0	Template:Good 0	Template:Good 0	Template:Good 0	Template:Bad >0
GhostBSD 3.1	POSIX, ACLs, MAC	chroot, jail, MAC partitions, BSD file flags set using chflags	IPFW2, IPFilter, PF	Yes	Yes	Yes	Template:Good 0	Template:Good 0	Template:Good 0	Template:Good 0	Template:Good 0	Template:Bad >0
Genode	Hierarchal,^[19] least privilege	capability-based security	Virtual switch and NAPT controls in user-space	No	kernel dependent	No	colspan="6" Template:Unk
HP-UX 11.31	POSIX, ACLs	chroot	IPFilter	Yes	?	?	Template:Good 0	Template:Good 0	Template:Bad 3 Template:Start date and age	Template:Bad 2 Template:Start date and age	Template:Good 0	Template:Bad >0
Inferno	POSIX	Namespaces,^[20] capability-based security, no superuser or setuid bit	?	?	No	No	colspan="5" Template:Unk	Template:Bad >0
Linux-based 2.6.39	POSIX, ACLs,^{[s 4]} MAC	chroot,^{[s 5]} seccomp, Namespaces, SELinux, AppArmor	Netfilter, varied by distribution	Yes	Yes	Yes	Template:Good 0	Template:Good 0	Template:Good 0	Template:Bad 6 Template:Start date and age	Template:Bad 11 Template:Start date and age	Template:Bad >0
Mac OS 9.2.2	No	No	No	No	No	No	Template:Good 0	Template:Good 0	Template:Good 0	Template:Good 0	Template:Good 0	Template:Bad >0
OS X 10.10.5	POSIX, ACLs^{[s 6]}	chroot, BSD file flags set using chflags	ipfw	Yes	Yes (as of 10.5, X64 only)	Yes (Intel only)	Template:Good 0	Template:Good 0	Template:Bad 1 Template:Start date and age	Template:Bad 2 Template:Start date and age	Template:Bad 5 Template:Start date and age	Template:Bad >0
NetBSD 6.1.2	POSIX, Veriexec, PaX, kauth	chroot, kauth, BSD file flags set using chflags	IPFilter, NPF, PF	Yes	Yes	No	colspan="5" Template:Unk	Template:Bad >0
NetWare 6.5 SP8	Directory-enabled ACLs	Protected address spaces	IPFLT.NLM	Yes	Yes	No	Template:Good 0	Template:Good 0	Template:Bad 1 Template:Start date and age	Template:Bad 2 Template:Start date and age	Template:Good 0	Template:Good 0
OES-Linux	Directory-enabled ACLs	chroot	IPFilter	Yes	Yes	No	colspan="5" Template:Unk	Template:Bad >0
OpenBSD 4.8	POSIX	chroot, systrace, BSD file flags set using chflags	PF	Yes	Yes	Yes	colspan="5" Template:Unk	Template:Bad >0
OpenVMS 9.2	ACLs, privileges	logical name tables	?	?	Yes	?	Template:Good 0	Template:Good 0	Template:Good 0	Template:Good 0	Template:Good 0	Template:Unk Unknown
OS/2, eComStation, ArcaOS	ACLs^{[s 7]}	No	IPFilter	No	?	?	Template:Good 0	Template:Good 0	Template:Good 0	Template:Good 0	Template:Good 0	Template:Good 0
TrueOS 8.1	POSIX, ACLs, MAC	chroot, jail, MAC partitions	IPFW2, IPFilter, PF	Yes^{[s 8]}	?	?	Template:Good 0	Template:Good 0	Template:Good 0	Template:Good 0	Template:Good 0	Template:Bad >0
Plan 9	POSIX ?	Namespaces,^[20] capability-based security, no superuser or setuid bit	ipmux	Yes	No	No	colspan="5" Template:Unk	Template:Bad >0
QNX 6.5.0	POSIX	?	PF, from NetBSD	?	?	?	Template:Good 0	Template:Good 0	Template:Good 0	Template:Bad 5 Template:Start date and age	Template:Bad 1 Template:Start date and age	Template:Unk Unknown
RISC OS	No	No	IPFilter	No	No	No	colspan="6" Template:Unk
Solaris 10	POSIX, RBAC, ACLs, least privilege, Trusted Extensions	chroot, Containers,^{[s 9]} Logical Domains	IPFilter	Yes^{[s 10]}	Yes	No	Template:Good 0	Template:Bad 2 Template:Start date and age	Template:Bad 5 Template:Start date and age	Template:Bad 3 Template:Start date and age	Template:Bad 2 Template:Start date and age	Template:Bad >0
OpenSolaris 2009.06	POSIX, RBAC, ACLs, least privilege, Trusted Extensions	chroot, Containers,^{[s 9]} Logical Domains	IPFilter	Yes^{[s 10]}	Yes	No	Template:Good 0	Template:Good 0	Template:Good 0	Template:Good 0	Template:Good 0	Template:Bad >0
Windows Server 2012	ACLs, privileges, RBAC	Win32 WindowStation, desktop, job objects	Windows Firewall	Yes	Yes	Yes	Template:Good 0	Template:Good 0	Template:Good 0	Template:Good 0	Template:Good 0	Template:Unk[Unknown]
Windows 8.1	ACLs, privileges, RBAC	Win32 WindowStation, desktop, job objects	Windows Firewall	Yes	Yes	Yes	Template:Good 0	Template:Good 0	Template:Good 0	Template:Good 0	Template:Bad 1 Template:Start date and age	Template:Unk[Unknown]
ZETA	POSIX^{[s 11]}	No	No	No	No	No	colspan="6" Template:Unk
STOP 6, XTS-400^{[s 12]}	POSIX, multilevel security, Biba Model mandatory integrity, ACLs, privileges, subtype mechanism	Multilevel security, Biba Model, subtype mechanism	No	No	No	No	colspan="6" Template:Unk
z/OS 1.11	RACF	RACF, low storage protection, page protection, storage protect key, execution key, subspace group facility, APF, ACR (alternate CPU recovery), more	z/OS IPSecurity	Optional	Yes (storage protect key, execution key, APF, more)	Yes	Template:Good 0	Template:Good 0	Template:Good 0	Template:Good 0	Template:Good 0	Template:Unk Unknown
Name	Resource access control	Subsystem isolation mechanisms	Integrated firewall	Encrypted file systems	scope="col" Template:Verth	scope="col" Template:Verth	Extremely critical (number / oldest)	Highly critical (number / oldest)	Moderately critical (number / oldest)	Less critical (number / oldest)	Not critical (number / oldest)	Total (number / oldest)
					No execute (NX) page flag		Secunia					Security- Focus
					No execute (NX) page flag		Known unpatched vulnerabilities (severity is accounted for)^{[s 1]}

Template:Reflist

Commands

For POSIX compliant (or partly compliant) systems like FreeBSD, Linux, macOS or Solaris, the basic commands are the same because they are standardized.

Feature	AROS	FreeBSD	Linux-based	HP-UX	OpenVMS	macOS	Solaris	Windows (cmd)	Windows (PowerShell)
List directory	Template:Mono	Template:Mono	Template:Mono	Template:Mono	Template:Mono	Template:Mono	Template:Mono	Template:Mono	Template:Mono
Clear console	Template:Mono	Template:Mono	Template:Mono	Template:Mono	Template:Mono:	Template:Mono	Template:Mono	Template:Mono	Template:Mono
Copy file(s)	Template:Mono	Template:Mono	Template:Mono	Template:Mono	Template:Mono	Template:Mono	Template:Mono	Template:Mono	Template:Mono
Move file(s)	Template:Mono	Template:Mono	Template:Mono	Template:Mono	Template:Mono	Template:Mono	Template:Mono	Template:Mono	Template:Mono
Rename file(s)	Template:Mono	Template:Mono	Template:Mono	Template:Mono	Template:Mono	Template:Mono	Template:Mono	Template:Mono)	Template:Mono
Delete file(s)	Template:Mono	Template:Mono	Template:Mono	Template:Mono	Template:Mono	Template:Mono	Template:Mono	Template:Mono)	Template:Mono
Delete directory	Template:Mono	Template:Mono	Template:Mono	Template:Mono	Template:Mono	Template:Mono	Template:Mono	Template:Mono)	Template:Mono
Create directory	Template:Mono	Template:Mono	Template:Mono	Template:Mono	Template:Mono	Template:Mono	Template:Mono	Template:Mono)	Template:Mono
Change current directory	Template:Mono^{[c 1]}	Template:Mono	Template:Mono	Template:Mono	Template:Mono	Template:Mono	Template:Mono	Template:Mono)	Template:Mono
Run shell script with new shell	Template:Mono	Template:Mono	Template:Mono	Template:Mono	Template:Mono	Template:Mono	Template:Mono	Template:Mono	Template:Mono
Kill processes	?	Template:Mono	Template:Mono	Template:Mono	Template:Mono	Template:Mono	Template:Mono	Template:Mono	Template:Mono
Change process priority	Template:Mono	Template:Mono	Template:Mono	Template:Mono	Template:Mono	Template:Mono	Template:Mono	Template:Mono	Template:Mono
Change I/O priority	?	^{[c 2]}	Template:Mono	?	Template:Mono	Template:Mono^{[c 3]}	?	?	?
Create file system	Template:Mono	Template:Mono	Template:Mono	Template:Mono	Template:Mono	Template:Mono	Template:Mono	Template:Mono	Template:Mono
File system check and recovery	?	Template:Mono	Template:Mono	Template:Mono	Template:Mono	Template:Mono	Template:Mono	Template:Mono	Template:Mono
Create software raid	?	Template:Mono	Template:Mono	?	?	Template:Mono	Template:Mono	Template:Mono)	Template:Mono)
Mount device	Template:Mono	Template:Mono	Template:Mono	Template:Mono	Template:Mono	Template:Mono	Template:Mono	Template:Mono	Template:Mono
Unmount device	Template:Mono	Template:Mono	Template:Mono	Template:Mono	Template:Mono	Template:Mono)	Template:Mono	Template:Mono	Template:Mono
Mount file as block device	?	Template:Mono	Template:Mono	?	?	Template:Mono	Template:Mono	?	?
Show network configuration	?	Template:Mono	Template:Mono	Template:Mono	Template:Mono)	Template:Mono	Template:Mono	Template:Mono	Template:Mono
Show network route	?	Template:Mono	Template:Mono	Template:Mono	Template:Mono	Template:Mono	Template:Mono	Template:Mono	Template:Mono
Trace network route	?	Template:Mono	Template:Mono	Template:Mono	Template:Mono	Template:Mono	Template:Mono	Template:Mono	Template:Mono
Trace network route with pings	?	Template:Mono	Template:Mono	?	Template:Mono	Template:Mono	Template:Mono	Template:Mono	Template:Mono
Feature	AROS	FreeBSD	Linux-based	HP-UX	OpenVMS	macOS	Solaris	Windows (cmd)	Windows (PowerShell)

NOTE: Linux systems may vary by distribution which specific program, or even 'command' is called, via the POSIX Template:Mono function. For example, if you wanted to use the DOS Template:Mono 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).

Template:Reflist

References

Template:Reflist

External links

Template:Sister project

Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".

Template:Operating system

Cite error: <ref> tags exist for a group named "g", but no corresponding <references group="g"/> tag was found

↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
↑ find usr/src -type f -exec wc -l {} + | grep total | awk '{ sum += $1 } END {print sum }' on [1] results in 18793105
↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
↑ ^a ^b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".

Cite error: <ref> tags exist for a group named "t", but no corresponding <references group="t"/> tag was found
Cite error: <ref> tags exist for a group named "s", but no corresponding <references group="s"/> tag was found
Cite error: <ref> tags exist for a group named "c", but no corresponding <references group="c"/> tag was found

[4] Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".

[5] Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".

[ROOL_news_2020-10-24-6] Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".

[Oracle_Solaris_OTN_License-7] Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".

[8] Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".

[14] Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".

[16] Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".

[17] Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".

[18] Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".

[19] Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".

[20] Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".

[WWDC2006-21] Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".

[22] Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".

[24] Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".

[25] Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".

[26] Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".

[28] usr/src -type f -exec wc -l {} + | grep total | awk '{ sum += $1 } END {print sum }' on [1] results in 18793105

[31] Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".

[35] Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".

[namespace-36] Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".

[g 1]

[g 2]

[g 3]

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[t 1]

[t 2]

[t 3]

[t 4]

[t 5]

[6]

[t 6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

[10]

[11]

[12]

[13]

[t 7]

[14]

[15]

[16]

[t 8]

[17]

[t 9]

[t 10]

[18]

[s 1]

[s 2]

[s 3]

[19]

[20]

[s 4]

[s 5]

[s 6]

[s 7]

[s 8]

[s 9]

[s 10]

[s 11]

[s 12]

[c 1]

[c 2]

[c 3]

Comparison of operating systems

Contents

Nomenclature

General information

Technical information

Security

Commands

See also

Operating system comparisons

References

External links

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Comparison of operating systems

Nomenclature

General information

Technical information

Security

Commands

See also

Operating system comparisons

References

External links

Navigation menu

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