diff --git a/lib/spack/spack/operating_systems/cnl.py b/lib/spack/spack/operating_systems/cnl.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..20cb4c215b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lib/spack/spack/operating_systems/cnl.py
@@ -0,0 +1,19 @@
+from spack.architecture import OperatingSystem
+
+class Cnl(OperatingSystem):
+    """ Compute Node Linux (CNL) is the operating system used for the Cray XC
+    series super computers. It is a very stripped down version of GNU/Linux.
+    Any compilers found through this operating system will be used with
+    modules. If updated, user must make sure that version and name are 
+    updated to indicate that OS has been upgraded (or downgraded)
+    """
+    def __init__(self):
+        name = 'CNL'
+        version = '10'
+        super(Cnl, self).__init__(name, version, "MODULES")
+
+    def compiler_strategy(self):
+        return self.compiler_strategy
+
+    def find_compilers(self):
+        pass
diff --git a/lib/spack/spack/operating_systems/linux_distro.py b/lib/spack/spack/operating_systems/linux_distro.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..c5547749d8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lib/spack/spack/operating_systems/linux_distro.py
@@ -0,0 +1,24 @@
+import platform as py_platform
+from spack.architecture import OperatingSystem
+
+class LinuxDistro(OperatingSystem):
+    """ This class will represent the autodetected operating system
+        for a Linux System. Since there are many different flavors of
+        Linux, this class will attempt to encompass them all through
+        autodetection using the python module platform and the method
+        platform.dist()
+    """
+    def __init__(self):
+        name = py_platform.dist()[0]
+        version = py_platform.dist()[1] 
+
+        super(LinuxDistro, self).__init__(name, version, "PATH")
+    
+    def compiler_strategy(self):
+        return self.compiler_strategy
+
+    def find_compilers(self):
+        pass
+
+    
+
diff --git a/lib/spack/spack/operating_systems/mac_osx.py b/lib/spack/spack/operating_systems/mac_osx.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..555c5cfb14
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lib/spack/spack/operating_systems/mac_osx.py
@@ -0,0 +1,40 @@
+import platform as py_platform
+from spack.architecture import OperatingSystem
+
+class MacOsx(OperatingSystem):
+    """ This class represents the MAC_OSX operating system. This will be auto
+    detected using the python platform.mac_ver. The MAC_OSX platform
+    will be represented using the major version operating system name, i.e
+    el capitan, yosemite...etc.
+    """
+    
+    def __init__(self):
+        """ Autodetects the mac version from a dictionary. Goes back as
+            far as 10.6 snowleopard. If the user has an older mac then
+            the version will just be a generic mac_os.
+        """
+        mac_releases = {'10.6': "snowleopard", 
+                        "10.7": "lion",
+                        "10.8": "mountainlion",
+                        "10.9": "mavericks",
+                        "10.10": "yosemite",
+                        "10.11": "elcapitan"}     
+
+        mac_ver = py_platform.mac_ver()[0][:-2]
+        try:
+            name = mac_releases[mac_ver]
+        except KeyError:
+            name = "mac_os"
+
+        super(MacOsx, self).__init__(name, mac_ver, "PATH")
+
+    def compiler_strategy(self):
+        return self.compiler_strategy
+
+    def find_compilers(self):
+        pass
+        
+
+
+
+