Windows XP is the latest version of Windows. Although Windows XP uses the same Kernel as Windows 2000, it is thought to be more user friendly, being more user-friendly and having specific folders for certain type of files. Windows XP also allows multiple users per computer and even though several accounts can be accessed at the same time, the accounts cannot be viewed at the same time. A major downfall to Windows XP is the bugs which it has. It is these problems that have made it easier for hackers to attack computers ran with Windows XP and the only solution to the problem is a constant upgrade of security patches from the Microsoft Web Site.
Novell
Novell is the most popular company for creating Network Operating System. Novell’s operating System Netware and although it is considered to be an Operating System, it is only an add-on, which means that the user must have another Operating System installed to run Netware. The reason Netware is so popular is because of the scalability. It can almost have an unlimited amount of computers connected via a network. It has its own Domain Name System and the Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol. The disadvantage to Netware is the cost, due to needing an existing Operating System to run it.
UNIX/LINUX
UNIX was created in 1969 and is the first Operating System to be created, and in 1974 it was the first Operating System to be written in the C language. It was also freeware which meant that anybody could use it and because of this, other programmers could edit the Operating System to their requirements and because of this, UNIX rights were bought and now Sun Micro Systems now create UNIX Operating Systems, and the latest version is Sun Solaris 8.
There are 6 main functions of an Operating System. These functions are:
- The Operating System must ensure that each running application (process) is treated fairly in terms of processor time allocated in a Multi-Tasking environment
- The processor is maximally and efficiently utilised
- Each process must have enough memory in which to execute, and it can neither run into the memory space of another process nor be run into by another process.
- The different types of memory in the system must be used properly so that each process can run most effectively.
- Creating a file system
- Copying, deleting, moving files
- Multitasking programmes
- Starting the computer
- Interfacing with the hardware
- Programme intercommunication
- Networking
- User Interface
- Storage Management
- High Speed Cache
- Main Memory
- Secondary Memory
The Kernel is the centre of the operating System that provides services for the other parts of the Operating System. The kernel handles all requests and operations and schedules which programs share the Kernels processing time and a supervisor which will give parts of the computer to each process when it is scheduled.
CLI
A CLI (Command Line Interface) is a user interface that is more popular towards the older generation rather than the young. This is due to that GUI was created only over a decade ago. A Command Line Interface works by typing a command and the computer will perform it. This kind of is not used by most Operating Systems had many disadvantages; mainly the filenames only had a limit of 8 characters plus 3 extension characters. Although the GUI is far more popular, Microsoft still use their CLI in Windows but changed the name from MS-DOS to Command prompt as it is not longer recognised by Microsoft as an Operating System.
GUI
A GUI (Graphical User Interface) is the current user interface used by most people. This is because it is very user friendly, as typing in long commands and sub directories has been replaced by a piece of hardware called a mouse, which is used to click on icons which perform commands. This is the type of interface that is used for most operating Systems such as Windows, MAC OS X and LINUX. The advantages of GUI over CLI is that filenames now have a limit of 255 characters plus 3 extension characters and it doesn’t cause stress by trying to remember each command and directory. Although GUI’s can also allow similar commands to CLI e.g. Ctrl+Alt+Del would bring up the Task Manager.
