OI uses IPS packaging, which is the same packaging used by Solaris 11 (some find it over engineered). Tribblix, on the other hand, is also an illumos-based distro but is based on Solaris 10 (and prior’s) SVR4 packaging which is managed via a utility called “zap”.
Both are good distributions, but I strongly encourage you to try Tribblix if OI is problematic; for whatever reason the latest OI installers do not seem to include the same amount of driver support as Tribblix, in my experience.
I know this is a bit late, but I second the recommendation for an updated openlook and XView on Tribblix. In addition, ol/xv as a default desktop environment would be an strong differentiator for the distribution, IMHO. Along those same lines, Tribblix could more aggressively tout the historical justification for its SVR4 packaging, highlighting its retro-ness.
And thank you so much for tribblix; I was about to give up on illumos after repeated trouble installing OpenIndiana on my laptop (Tribblix worked out of the box on the hardware). I’ve since picked up a copy of “Solaris Internals” and have spent some time appreciating Solaris. Kudos.
I’m personally fond of Motif, even going so far as to hold XEphem as the epitome of timeless user interface design; I wish I had an entire OS following those blocky UI conventions. While normally using emwm, CDE would be productive and welcome on any of the BSDs and illumos distributions, IMHO.
Now if only OpenLook/XView could be made to lose its 32-bit cruft and become more portable. What a wonderful pair of desktop environments CDE and OpenLook would be to choose from—and perhaps add more functionality to—in 2025.
I was surprised when the 64bit fork appears in github.
The OpenLook 64bit fork is available at [1], it has 64bit & X11R7 patches. It has a miriad of changes related to ids sizes, %ul, function casts, and a migration from X11R4 to X11R7.
Sadly, if a legacy applications is old enough to be linked to OpenLook, it surelly require adaptation. They need their own migration to transition to 64 bits and X11R7. This openlook fork is the start of the journey to resurect them.
I have been leaning more and more on Marginalia Search to avoid the type of webpages you are describing. The filters centered on page technologies seem to weed out much that is wrong with the modern style-over-substance web, IMHO.
I'm actually rolling out changes as we speak that should make nuisance identification even better, and will result in throwing out fewer babies with the bathwater.
Both are good distributions, but I strongly encourage you to try Tribblix if OI is problematic; for whatever reason the latest OI installers do not seem to include the same amount of driver support as Tribblix, in my experience.