Despite Google’s move into the operating system (OS) space, the idea of a primarily cloud-centric OS is nothing revolutionary. Some current offerings present welcome alternatives to mainstream operating systems, packing in useful features and making it easier to access your online content.

Over the years, the question “is Linux ready for the desktop” has been raised time and time again, and countless articles have been written about the strengths and weaknesses of this operating system. While desktop Linux adoption has yet to go completely mainstream, recent indicators show that a major change is underfoot.

GNU/Linux based Open Source Operating Systems are right now and have been for a while ready to become the mainstream software of choice used daily by billions of people. As I see it we are currently on the verge of a major revolution in Personal Computers primarily in regards to the software everyone uses without thinking about it

There are a list of other operating systems beyond the ones that rule the market. And those of you who love open source operating systems, if you like experimenting or trying out new things, here are some cool alternatives for you.

Alongside Red Hat and Novell's recent pulling away from the consumer Linux space, some are not confident the operating system (OS) will be ready for the mainstream market anytime soon.

Among the three major operating systems, you may know that Linux has the lowest market share on the desktop but is leading the server market. However, Linux on the desktop is slowly but surely going mainstream that's enough to scare the crap out of Microsoft.

Many people now believe that Linux represents a viable alternative. Today, with mainstream hardware vendors like Dell offering Linux installations and some folks thinking a major shift is about to happen, it's time to take another look at Linux on the desktop.

"Achieving synchronization on the scale that Shuttleworth desires would require some open-source software projects to radically change their current development models and adopt a new approach that isn't going to be viable for many projects."

This post is about the desktop operating systems that fly under the radar of most people. We are definitely not talking about Windows, Mac OS X or Linux, or even BSD or Solaris. There are much less mainstream options out there for the OS-curious.