RELATED: 4 Ways to Run Android on Your PC and Make Your Own 'Dual OS' SystemĪndroid also uses the Linux kernel, but practically everything else on Android is very different from typical Linux distributions. Valve will support you installing SteamOS on any PC you like - it’s just not anywhere near complete yet. In 2015, you’ll be able to buy PCs that come with SteamOS preinstalled, known as Steam Machines. The old Linux desktop is there underneath, but the computer boots to a Steam interface designed for living rooms. However, SteamOS is being positioned as a new PC gaming operating system. Technically, Steam OS is just a Linux distribution and includes much of the standard Linux software. RELATED: What Exactly Is a Steam Machine, and Do I Want One?

However, there are ways to install Chrome OS on your own PC. Google’s Chrome OS is built on the Linux kernel, but it replaces the desktop and user-level software with a specialized desktop that can only run the Chrome browser and Chrome apps.Ĭhrome OS isn’t really a general-purpose PC operating system - instead, it’s designed to be preinstalled on specialized laptops, known as Chromebooks. RELATED: How Try Chrome OS in VirtualBox Before Buying a Chromebook The experience of using FreeBSD on a desktop PC will be pretty similar. FreeBSD uses a different kernel, but it uses much of the same software you’d find on a typical Linux distributions. Linux is a Unix-like operating system, and there are other open-source operating systems like FreeBSD out there. If you want to install a non-Windows operating system on your PC and actually use it, you should probably pick Linux.

Ubuntu and Mint are some of the most popular. Linux comes in many different flavors, known as Linux distributions. It’s the alternative PC operating system. No list of alternative PC operating systems could be complete without Linux.

RELATED: What Is a Linux Distro, and How Are They Different from One Another?

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