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I was just wondering, how hard is it to create a fully functional OS from scratch where all the drivers also work and it can boot successfully. I don't mean an edited version of Linux, I mean a full one made from scratch, what is required and how hard is it?

FELIX0411'S EXPERIENCE WITH LINUX Something that happened. A BRIEF INTRODUCTION For the benefit of us all, let me briefly describe my history of operating systems... at least all of the interesting ones. I'll start way back with Windows XP, which was okay. At the time, I wasn't particularly into the look, but that was personal preference. Next, was Windows Vista. I actually really liked Vista, again mostly because of looks. After the computer I used broke, I decided I'd have a look at OSX. And so, I used an iMac up until a year or so after Windows 8.1 came out. Because I was never really a power user and the kind of hardware and compatibility I required was of little importance at the time, I thought OSX wasn't half bad. Again, it took me a while to get back to Windows when I got bored. Windows 8.1 was a big jump from Vista, and I had used Windows 7 infrequently since. I wasn't particularly impressed, but it was.. okay. After getting bored of that too, I decided I would jump into Linux... WHY LINUX? If it isn't already apparent, I've had a habit of frequently swapping between operating systems, and I'd heard that more recent Linux versions were very user friendly. As I became more interested in software, it seemed right to jump into a new world. When I say "new world", I mean it. Aside from a few Ubuntu screenshots and TekSyndicate videos, I had no clue what I was going into. And although compatibility is something that frequently comes up with Linux, I wasn't so bothered. Those who have used Macs will know they are meant for a reason, and that reason is not gaming. I found few situations where software wasn't compatible aside from videogames, and that wasn't why anyone should by a an iMac or Macbook in the first place. THE BEGINNING Although I was definitely aware of distributions such as Debian and Ubuntu, I really had no clue what to install. I ended up going with Linux Mint. I did some reading and found that it was one of the most user friendly and functional Ubuntu distros. I already had Windows installed on all my machines, and I was aware of GRUB(2), so I decided to dual boot. I'm not going to go over installation, this isn't tutorial after all. I'll say it was better than Windows (sorry Reddit). I started with a 64x flavour of Linux Mint Mate (pronounced Ma-tay), which launched perfectly into GRUB, and was fine with all of my hardware and peripherals. I got used to the terminal and sudo, and had some fun getting used to EXT4 and Firefox (I did install Chromium). I was really happy to see software, driver and update managers. Although drivers were a little more difficult than Windows, I adored the software and update managers. Really, I loved them. Chromium was dead easy, and as it is an Ubuntu distro, the updates were smooth (better than Windows /: ). The file manager was smooth and getting around was easy as /home/(user)/. Okay, this is the same as most other files managers, but it felt better implemented here. Looks were great, but I'll get to that later. THE END? After using Mate for a while, I was quite impressed. The most complex thing I did for the short period of time I used Mate for was web browsing, sadly. Anyway, I looked at the more popular variant of Mint, Cinnamon, which appealed to me more than Mate. I installed it instantly. Installation was the same. It was all the same, until I realized my GPU wasn't working to it's full capability (partly because of OpenGL and not DX), and my mouse was really glitchy. Drivers and updated were far less smooth on Cinnamon, and that was a pain. I ended up having to use an old Logitech M100 I had lying around. I got GPU drivers sorted out a lot later. Oh man. I already mentioned compatibility, and for someone coming straight from Windows, it was a big bummer. However, I was saved by Wine. Not the alcoholic beverage, but the program. I was under the impression that Wine would be pretty awful, and glitchy. It took me a while, but I found Wine worked quite well. Although I now just run a Virtual Machine running Windows 8... The open source element of Linux was great. Plenty of Windows programs had been brought over to Linux by some really cool people hiding in Ubuntu forums etc. They weren't viruses, and they worked... Which was something nice. Viruses are few and far between from my experience.. Overall, things weren't so bad, and I got most of the problems sorted. I stayed with Cinnamon.. THE REAL BEGINNING. I started to really enjoy Linux after getting used to it. The terminal became a close friend in the process, and I started learning loads of cool tips and tricks. I learnt how to install themes and window borders etc. and even really basic stuff, like where to go for help or find software. It was great. I even ended up making Cinnamon look like OSX. I'll be honest with you, Linux is not for everyone. OpenGL isn't perfect and not every program in the universe is compatible. Not great for pro gaming, but for an RTS or Quake, it's okay. The user experience is outstanding in my opinion, and with some technical knowledge and common sense, most issues can be easily fixed, and even improved upon. Multitasking is soooo much better than Windows 8.1. Hot corners and snapping into quadrants work perfectly by default, and even the ability to have multiple work spaces and view tabs on one or across all of them is absolutely brilliant. LINUX ISN'T FOR EVERYONE, AND IT ISN'T PERFECT. BUT IT'S ONE OF THE BEST USER EXPERIENCES EVER AND PEOPLE OFTEN SHY AWAY FROM IT... Please correct me if you feel I'm wrong, and please share your thoughts. I also need to make a few things clear. First, I am definitely not a Linux "wizard", I still need to learn a lot. Second, there is plenty more to say, really. I could go on forever, but I think this is fine for now. Lastly, I don't believe that any OS is superior overall. I feel they all serve a purpose, and I hope to have a more neutral approach to this, I even installed different Linux distros such as Ubuntu and some Debian ones to get a better perspective. Sadly the images I wanted to attach were too large. - Felix0411