Different Operating Systems - Essay Example

Different Operating Systems: Outline: At present there are around five to six major operating systems that are provided by different companies. Each of these provide the backend support to the tablets, computers, mobile phones, digital devices, gadgets and numerous other devices. Each has its own characteristic features and distinctions that make them separate from one another. Introduction: All around us, we see the presence of computer in different spheres. Ranging from private usage to commercial and business related processes. Computer has become an integral part of our daily life. The colorful screen that we see around us is based on the operating system that provides support to all the functions and activities. The lay man may know little about the operating system but it makes up for the backbone and heart of the entire computer system. Even the small cell phones that we carry in hand have an operating system embedded within. Without it all the digital, colorful screens and all kinds of operations and calculations that are being done would not be possible. The field of operating systems has become a commercial one and all around numerous giants exist in the field of operating system manufacturing. Each supported by the state of the art technology and procedures which make them the best in the business. Key words: Operating system, free source, multi users, online support, malware consideration. Defining operating system and its related basic concepts: Operating system is defined as an intermediate source that connects the customer to the software program. The software program in turn enables execution of particular program and task requested. Generic types of operating systems: Operating sources are either open source or proprietary to the company authority for modification and editing to its source code. Operating system consists of the functions performing such as file allocation and handling, memory utilization, hardware recognition and handling and other similar works. Communities work for the purpose of open source applications development and once any significant application is introduced, it is being patented by the company for usage in its operating system. Some of the common operating systems are as follows: UNIX: UNIX operating systems is one of the most complete and secures operating system. The first traces of UNIX operating system can be stretched back to 1969-1970 when under trail and laboratory conditions in Bell laboratory it was introduced (Ritchie & Thompson, 1974). It is least vulnerable to the malicious content that is present around and threatens all kinds of operating systems. It is machine independent. It is built on the background of C language coding. Like other operating systems it provides for basic functions such as file system allocation, resources handling, hardware connection establishment and program handling in the manner of load execute and suspend. There are number of salient features and advantages that are served by Unix operating system. Apart from being most secure with regard to viruses, it is an open source operating system, meaning its system code is open to almost all the clients and experts who can contribute anytime and add patches and resolve any bugs or short comings that may persist in the officially launched version. The community so present is an organized force that works on the development tools of many programs and processes within a specific version of operating system and strive to make them more secure. Other advantages served by it are its system and hardware independence. Third major advantage served by it is that of facilitation of multi users and multi tasking function support. Like many other contemporary operating systems that are present around, UNIX is a graphic line interface enabled providing all the instructions, display of output in graphical pattern. Since there are certain operating systems and their variants that are limited to private usage, Unix is supportive of the commercial usage and it is richly engrained to provide support for network established infrastructure with multiple users and networks in place. Other side by features include its compatibility and support for other companies unlike few other contemporary operating systems such as Apple Inc that have their operating systems supported by their specific hardware devices only. Type of users facilitation: while some operating systems are supported by the purpose of domestic usage, Unix developers design it with aim of providing an operating system for multi tasking ,network environment, software development background and other sophisticated purposes. Based on this fact and requirement, the kernel of Unix is designed in a multi layered pattern providing support for processes, network devices and drivers. Linux operating system: Another high end operating system. Its history can be stretched back to 1990s (1991 precisely). It is yet another open source operating system and its usage is predominantly dedicated to the network level, multi task and multi user interface environment. For this reason it is called the special purpose operating system that may not find its application in all corners of society and by every user unlike Microsoft Windows. Few of the variants of Linux are Ubuntu, Mand Riva, Free BSD, Red hat, Fedora to name a few. Like Unix, it provides system portability and it serves as the secret of its success against its rivals in this category. Microsoft Windows: Microsoft windows is one of the most prominent name in the field of operating systems. Microsoft’s operating system is the brain child of Bill Gates who initiated the overall move in the 70s decade of 20th century . The name of windows is derived from the original name of windows( operating system) of Microsoft. Variants of Microsoft operating system include M.S Dos enabled and supported Window 3.1, Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows NT, Windows Xp, Windows 7, and presently the latest version is that of Windows version 8. Windows 95 introduced the concept of graphical user interface where command line interface was discontinued. They have also expanded their domain to the mobile phone sector. Nokia is one of the major partners of Microsoft in the field of operating systems and mobile phone devices. Its advantages include easy to handle and supportive for the function of individual clients, unlike Linux and Unix that require expertise and have a dedicated and different purpose. It is not an open source and unlike Linux and Unix, it has considerable high rate of infliction from viruses and other malwares that are present around in different forms. Large percentage of operating systems that are in market and used by the individual back end users are installed with Microsoft’s operating system- Windows. Windows file system consists of the two popular systems named as NTFS and FTS. Other advantages served by windows are its user friendly interface, patches being released through out in a continuous pattern, support service from online sources and notably Microsoft itself. Separate set of operating systems such as Windows Professional for networking purposes. Android Operating System: A relatively new name compared to Microsoft Windows and Linux yet it is gaining momentum and has become one of the major competitors in recent times. Its domain of excellence and distinction is that of mobile phones, gadgets and other portable devices such as tablets and note pads. Formally owned by Google Inc ever since 2005 (Rollins & Sandberg, 2013, 3) after purchase from two rookies who had developed it at a local level. It is supported by the Linux kernel. It is open source like the few other contemporary operating systems. A project of the Open Handheld Alliance that entails over eighty plus companies in its fold and provide the support of operating system support to these devices. These include the giants like Samsung, HTC and numerous others. Android Application Sandbox is an application that ensures safety from malicious content (Holla & Katti, 2012, 1). Language Support: Android is a complete operating system and it provides support for multiple languages such as C, C ++, Java. Java source and libraries collectively make up for the infrastructure of Android operating system. Being in market for less than a decade and amongst the top competitors in the operating systems market, speaks for the overall success in itself. Advantages served by Android include open source interface, rich support for numerous application programs. Other advantages include its user friendly interface, its little reliance on the hardware device, its quick load store functions, support for extensive graphics based functions and programs through incorporation of Java programs. As a result of this Android has millions of applications available in the market. Few of the versions of Android include Gingerbread, Honeycomb, Jelly Bean, Donut all named in form of Version 2.3, 3.0, 4.1 1.5 respectively. Comparison and advantage of Android over Apple Inc operating system: The applications so provided by Android are not device specific and based on a consortium of around 80 major players, it provides universal support. Apple Inc devices for I phone on the other hand are device specific (Sharma, 2011). The costs for developers are relatively lower in Google Inc as compared to Apple Inc. The synchronization function in Apple is subject to I-Tunes availability only; Android apps can be downloaded and transferred from any Bluetooth device. Other features include the throughout support for the world’s best and most effective search engine by Google Inc. Macintosh Operating system: Powered by Apple Inc, is a hardware dependent operating system. The brain child of Steve Jobs who went out to become one of the world’s most famous entrepreneur. I Phone, Mac Book, I Pad, all are supported by Mac Operating system. It was in 1990s when all the devices were merged into Apple Inc OS X and since then Apple Inc follows the line of OS X for its products. It is another free source operating system. The project was initiated in the 1970s but its first commercial usage came about in the subsequent decade. The earlier traces of Mac Operating system can be traced back to 1980s( 1984 precisely) (Stauffer & McElhearn, 2006, 4), and they hold the honors of being the first to introduce the graphical display in the monitors supported by the Mac operating systems. Instead of Command line interface which was being used by M.S Dos and Microsoft, a mouse was being used. The operating system of Mac is system and hardware proprietary and is subject to the I tune and Apple hardware presence. LISA: This was a name given to one of the brand items of Apple Inc, though it is little remembered in present day, yet it was the first computer that was supported by G.U.I and hence has had significance to its existence. It was later on transformed into Macintosh and sold under this banner name. However this product was not successful and due to this fact Apple Inc had to give up its line of LISA computers production. Few of the variants of Mac Operating system include Cheetah, Leopard, tiger, Lion, Mountain Lion each representing a version 10.0, 10.1 ,10.2 and version 10.4 respectively. It enacts support from BSD Unix, and the language support enjoyed is that of C. Being built of the Unix kernel, it provides one of the most protective covering and interface against the malware and other malicious content that directly hit out at the other operating systems such as Microsoft Windows. DOS: Acronym for Disc Operating systems; is one of the elementary form of operating system provided by IBM. It offered minimum functionality and support for number of users. They were operated through Command Line Interface and were predominately in use by IBM devices. Their usage went on decline after the introduction of GUI based operating systems. Conclusion: All the operating systems that we see around us are a result of the journey travelled from the point of initial introduction. None of them is useless in a given away and each finds its applications and users in millions across the world. While some offer the feature of being open source and more novel and open to change and development, others offer the features of being user friendly and supported by multiple patches and additions in no time. Overall it is the operating system that has enabled the computer technology to excel at such a brisk pace and without the competition of such players the operating systems might not had been as effective and vibrant as they stand today. References: Holla, S., & Katti, M. M. (2012). ANDROID BASED MOBILE APPLICATION DEVELOPMENT and its SECURITY. International Journal of Computer Trends and Technology, 5. Marketing Apps that Succeed on Google Play, Amazon Appstore and More. Apress. Ritchie, D. M., & Thompson, K. (1974). The Unix -Time Sharing System. Bell Laboratories. ( re printed). Rollins, M., & Sandberg, R. (2013). The Business of Android Apps Development: Making and Sharma, K. (2011). Android in opposition to iPhone. International Journal on Computer Science and Engineering (IJCSE), 5. Stauffer, T., & McElhearn, K. (2006). Mastering Mac OS X. John Wiley & Sons.Press. Read More