real operating system

from Jargon File (4.4.4, 14 Aug 2003)

real operating system
 n.

   The sort the speaker is used to. People from the BSDophilic academic
   community are likely to issue comments like "System V? Why don't you
   use a real operating system?", people from the commercial/industrial
   Unix sector are known to complain "BSD? Why don't you use a real
   operating system?", and people from IBM object "Unix? Why don't you
   use a real operating system?" Only {MS-DOS} is universally considered
   unreal. See {holy wars}, {religious issues}, {proprietary}, {Get a
   real computer!}

from The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing (8 July 2008)

real operating system

   <operating system, abuse> The sort the speaker is used to.
   People from the {BSD}ophilic academic community are likely to
   issue comments like "{System V}?  Why don't you use a *real*
   operating system?", people from the commercial/industrial
   {Unix} sector are known to complain "BSD?  Why don't you use a
   *real* operating system?", and people from {IBM} object "Unix?
   Why don't you use a *real* operating system?"

   See {holy wars}, {religious issues}, {proprietary}, {Get a
   real computer!}.

   [{Jargon File}]

   (1997-03-12)