Building a Hackintosh - Essay Example

Building a Hacintosh Introduction The use of an OS requires that the user have knowledge and experience of how to effectively use the OS. This means that the use should be able to install all the necessary software required in order to update and build the machine. A Hackintosh refers to a device that has been made or hacked to run an OS. Therefore, different people have come up with ideas which help them build Hackintosh that can be used to provide solutions to the technical problems that the machine may have. The research question in building a Hackintosh is why people, companies and government facilities use one OS over the other. The reason as to why this question is important is because there are several OS that people and companies have come up with, and which can be used interchangeably to ensure that the machines are compatible and can work effectively. The aim of the study will be to give information on the different reasons as to why different people and institutions use different OS instead of using the common OS from Apple. Before conducting the research, I knew that there existed several OS that have been hacked and most of them if not all are being used today. What I want to discover after the study is the reasons as to why people consider using the OS that have been hacked instead of using the OS from Apple that is considered real and proper. One of the reasons why people use different OS is because of the security that they find in using one type of the Operating System. People have a belief that the operating system they chose to use has a big probability of providing protection and security to the files which have been stored in the computer (Chaubal 117). They believe a certain Operating System can be able to protect information that has been put in place by the users and thus view it as advantage of using the Operating System instead of the others which have been built to serve the same purpose. The government for example have their computers and machines used by several users, and have they may opt to use an Operating System that is not the same as that which an individual user may use. This is because the many different users who use the government facilities machines may tamper with the information that another person may have saved in the machine. There are systems which have been developed, and they cannot detect some of the viruses that come along with the surfing process. Therefore, people are coming up with various ways in which they are able to built operating systems that have trusted computing base that has software which provide security to the machines (Jaeger 6). The Trusted Computing Base in the operating system depends on its level, which can either be formally verified, tested fully or which the community accepts and trusts to be effective. There are people who use the formally verified system because they believe that they can be able to protect their data which is stored in the computers (Franklin and Coustan 1). Each security problem should be accessed by the process which is allowed to do so. It means that the operating system is able to perform each of the functions needed to ensure that the problems occurring in any of the machines used can be well accessed and solved using the proper operating system (Spring 3). Some people view operating systems to have different capabilities of solving problems and thus this is the reason as to why they use different operating systems. Another reason as to why people choose one operating system over the other is the cost incurred in purchasing and installing the system into the computer. People and companies use the operating systems that reduce on the total cost incurred in using that specific operating system. Those people and companies who have fewer resources look for cheaper operating systems. Other institutions which have resources and lots of money such as government institutions will not mind giving in extra costs to get and purchase a fancy operating system (Bekman 1). Some of the operating systems are expensive due to the process of deployment. It means that a person wishing to use such an operating system should first ensure that they purchase it, and some of them are very expensive. An operating system may improve the performance of the system, and thus there are those people who may consider adding other additional hardware in order to make their system more efficient and effective. Therefore, an individual may opt to incur more costs in order to improve the performance of the system. Other people may not see the need to add any additional hardware to their systems, and thus they end up purchasing an operating system that is not expensive and thus not effective and which could not change the performance of the system (Reid 47). There are also costs which are associated with the maintenance and support of the operating system. These issues help an individual in determining the type of an operating system that a person, a company or a government facility may use and purchase. If there is lots of important information that is supposed to be stored in the system, it means that the operating system required is that of high dependency and thus it would be so much expensive as compared to the other operating systems. The most important issue to consider is the total cost ownership of the operating system (Web Hosting 1) Another reason as to why people may use different operating systems is the fact of availability and memory that the system will provide to the system. There are countries which support some types of operating systems and restrict some (Reid 49). Availability of the operating system restricts one from purchasing and using an operating system. Therefore, an organization in different countries may use an operating system that is different from that which is used in another country. The system contains lots of programs which have to be stored and kept for a long period of time. When the user needs to use such programs, the operating system installed should be in a position to provide the programs and thus memory is a very important aspect when deciding the type of operating system (Breecher 16). Analysis The personal connection with the study is that I have been one of the people who have been using an operating system which is different from the operating systems that other people and institutions use. The reason as to why there is a difference in the operating systems used is because of the priorities that people have on their systems. There are those people who use the systems just because they have to and there are those who really value their systems. Therefore, is it evident that the types of operating systems used vary according to the users of that specific system. The people who have and use their own machines install operating systems that are expensive and valuable because they are responsible of these machines. Those people who work in companies and government institutions do not most of the time take into consideration the type of operating system that are installed in the systems. This is because they are not responsible of the operating system used. The senior project motto is closely related to the study being conducted. This is because the motto Pride, Risk and Success are so much related to the study in which the people use different types of operating systems. The people who use the most expensive operating systems are proud of doing so. The users of operating systems that are considered updated and technologically advanced have a tendency of feeling proud because of their system’s performance. However, such people also risk using some of these operating systems. This is because the systems may be restricted, but they also use them. They may also be needing licenses which are the users may not have purchased. However, if the users are able to install and maintain the system, they become successful in the process of ensuring that their systems are updated and can perform successfully and effectively. Conclusion The process of installing an operating system is one which different people consider important in the functioning of their machines. There are differences which exist especially when different people use different operating systems. This is because different people have different ideas and priorities which they consider while installing an operating system. The most important issues that an individual should consider are the security that the system has over the machine. If the system does not offer protection and security to the programs, then it means such a system is not preferred for installation. One of the most important issues that I would like to know about the operating system is about the originality of the programs that the system comes with. The study has enabled me get information about the reasons as to why there are so many operating systems that are used by different people and institutions, and the reasons as to why they do not use the common operating system from Apple. Works Cited Bekman, Stas. “Choosing an Operating system and Hardware” O’Reilly & Associates, Dec 31st 2012. Web. Dec 31st 2012. Breecher, Jerry. “Operating Systems Memory management.” Lecture Notes on Memory management. Chaubal, Suryakant. Operating System Concepts. New York: Lulu Publishers, 2006. Print. Franklin, Curt, and Coustan Dave. “How Operating Systems Work.” How Stuff Works. Jaeger, Trent. Operating System Security. New York: Morgan & Claypool Publishers, 2008. Print. Reid, Allan, & Lorenz Jim. “Networking for Home and Small Businesses.” CCNA Discovery Learning Guide. Spring. “Operating System: Protection and Security.” Rochester, 31st Dec 2012. Web. 31st Dec 2012. Web Hosting. “How to Choose Best Server Operating System.” Eukhost, 31st Dec 2012. Web. 31st Dec 2012. Read More