Common Operating Systems

Common Operating Systems

MS Windows
Most PCs use Windows. Here are the most
recent versions:
• With Windows 98, Internet access
becomes part of the user interface. Its
active desktop lets you find information
easily. The system includes Outlook
Express for email, a chat program, and a
web-page editor. It offers advancements
such as USB and multimedia extensions.
• Windows 2000 is built upon the
Windows NT architecture and designed
for business uses.
• Windows Millennium is designed for
home use. It includes new system
safeguards and support for DVD, music
players, and portable computers.
• Windows XP is an update to all
Windows versions, with a new visual
design. It’s more secure and reliable. It
offers support for the latest technologies.
• Windows Vista contains many changes
and new features, including an updated
graphical user interface and visual style,
improved searching features, new
multimedia creation tools such as
Windows DVD Maker, and redesigned
networking, audio, print, and display
subsystems.
There are a number of security and safety
features new to Window Vista, most of
which are not available in any prior
Microsoft Windows operating system
release.

Packet PC OS (Microsoft)
This OS is developed for handheld computers
(or palmtops) that use a stylus or a small
keyboard for input.

OS/2 Warp (IBM)
This is the most technically sophisticated OS
in the PC world. It provides true multitasking;
thus, not only can numerous programs run
simultaneously, but one program can perform
many tasks at the same time. The IBM OS/2
Warp includes easy access to networks via
modem, support for Java applications, and
voice-recognition technology.

UNIX
This OS, designed by Bell Laboratories for
minicomputers and workstations, is used by
many large companies. From the very first, it
was designed to be a multitasking system. It
is written in C language.
It has become an operating environment for
software development, available for any type
of machine, from IBM PCs to Macs to Cray
supercomputers.

Linux
Linux is a Unix-like computer operating
system, in which its underlying source code
can be freely modified, used redistributed by
anyone. The name "Linux" comes from the
name of its creator, Linus Torvalds, and it
was started in 1991.
Linux derives much of its basic design from
principles established in Unix during the
1970s and 1980s. Linux uses a kernel, which
handles process control, networking, and
peripheral and file system access. Device
drivers are integrated directly with the kernel.
Much of Linux's higher-level functionality is
provided by separate projects which interface
with the kernel.
Linux can be controlled by one or more of a
text-based command line interface (CLI),
graphical user interface (GUI) (usually the
default for desktop), or through controls on
the device itself.