Operating System Through A User Interface example essay topic

Main developments in operating systems An operating system (sometimes abbreviated as "OS") is the program that, after being initially loaded into the computer by a boot program, manages all the other programs in a computer. The other programs are called applications or application programs. The application programs make use of the operating system by making requests for services through a defined application program interface (API). In addition, users can interact directly with the operating system through a user interface such as a command language or a graphical user interface (GUI).

A GUI (usually pronounced GOO-ee) is a graphical (rather than purely textual) user interface to a computer. As you read this, you are looking at the GUI or graphical user interface of your particular Web browser. The term came into existence because the first interactive user interfaces to computers were not graphical; they were text-and-keyboard oriented and usually consisted of commands you had to remember and computer responses that were infamously brief. The command interface of the DOS operating system (which you can still get to from your Windows operating system) is an example of the typical user-computer interface before GUIs arrived. An intermediate step in user interfaces between the command line interface and the GUI was the non-graphical menu-based interface, which let you interact by using a mouse rather than by having to type in keyboard commands. MS-DOS MS-DOS (Microsoft Disk Operating System) was the Microsoft-marketed version of the first widely installed operating system in personal computers.

Most users of either DOS system simply referred to their system as Disk Operating System. Like PC-DOS, MS-DOS was (and still is) a non-graphical line-oriented command-driven operating system, with a relatively simple interface but not overly "friendly" user interface. Its prompt to enter a command looks like this: C: The first Microsoft Windows operating system was really an application that ran on top of the MS-DOS operating system. Today, Windows operating systems continue to support DOS (or a DOS-like user interface) for special purposes by emulating the operating system. WINDOWS 9 X The windows 9 x systems are all the windows, which begin with 9. e.g. Windows 95 etc. Windows 98 Windows 98 (called "Memphis" during development and previously called "Windows 97" based on an earlier schedule) is a widely installed product in Microsoft's evolution of the Windows operating system for personal computers.

Windows 98 expresses Microsoft's belief that users want and should have a global view of their potential resources and that Web technology should be an important part of the user interface. Although building Microsoft's own Web browser into the user desktop has been an issue in the U.S. Justice Department's suit, Windows 98 was released as planned with its tightly integrated browser. In Windows 98, Microsoft's Internet Explorer is an integral part of the operating system. Using the Active Desktop of Windows 98, you can view and access desktop objects that reside on the World Wide Web as well as local files and applications. The Windows 98 desktop is, in fact, a Web page with HTML links and features that exploit Microsoft's ActiveX control.

With Windows 98 (or with Internet Explorer 4.0 in Windows 95), you can set up news and other content to be push technology to you from specified Web sites. Windows 2000 Previously called Windows NT 5.0, Microsoft emphasizes that Windows 2000 is evolutionary and "Built on NT Technology". Windows 2000 is designed to appeal to small business and professional users as well as to the more technical and larger business market for which the NT was designed. The Windows 2000 product line consists of: . Windows 2000 Professional, aimed at individuals and businesses of all sizes. It includes security and mobile use enhancements.

It is the most economical choice... Windows 2000 Server, aimed at small-to-medium size businesses. It can function as a Web server and / or a workgroup (or branch office) server. It can be part of a two-way symmetric multiprocessing system.

NT 4.0 servers can be upgraded to this server... Windows 2000 Advanced Server, aimed at being a network operating system server and / or an application server, including those involving large databases. This server facilitates clustering and load balancing. NT 4.0 servers with up to eight-way SMP can upgrade to this product. Windows XP Windows XP is the latest version of the Windows desktop operating system for the PC. Microsoft and trade publication writers view Windows XP as the most important version of Windows since Windows 95.

Windows XP is built on the Windows 2000 kernel but brings a new, more personalized look to the desktop that will also make it easier for users to scan or import images and to acquire music files on the Web and transfer them to portable devices. The new Windows allows different family members to use their own desktop and personal sets of files. In addition to the "My Computer" and "My Documents" views provided in Windows 2000, Windows XP users see "My Music" and "My Pictures". The Start Menu has been redesigned to make the most-used programs easiest to find. Windows XP comes in a Professional version and a Home Edition version.

There have been other developments in operating systems. A lot of developments have been made to virtual memory management, synchronization and communication, file systems, protection and security, operating system structure and extension techniques. In a virtual memory (VM) system, the program code deals with virtual addresses. Upon use, the virtual address is translated by the MMU (main memory unit) to obtain a physical address that is used to access physical memory. Some operating systems can simulate having more memory than is available as main memory, by storing part of the data in backing store, typically on disk. If the page referenced by the virtual address is not currently in main memory, a page fault occurs, triggering an operating system handler that swaps in the page.

Some other page might be swapped out to make room. Each process typically has its own separate virtual address space with its own mappings and protections. Example of the relationship between the virtual address spaces of two processes, are physical memory, and backing store. Main purposes of an operating system There are many purposes for operating systems. I think the three main purposes are as follows: 1.

To provide a convenient environment for users to execute programs on computer hardware. 2. To allocate, fairly and efficiently, the computer resources needed to execute the program safely (without adversely affecting other users or the OS itself). 3. To provide a foundation for evolution to future services, while still supporting existing services. Main types of operating systems Operating systems is essentially the body of the computer.

Every general-purpose computer requires some type of operating system that tells the computer how to operate and how to utilize other software and or hardware that are installed onto the computer. Operating systems can be classified as follows: GUI - Graphical User Interface operating systems are operating systems that have the capability of using a mouse and are graphical. Operating systems that would fall into this category are: 1. Windows 95 2.

Windows 98 3. Windows ME 4. Windows NT 4.0 5. Windows 2000 6. Windows XP Windows 2000 requirements Minimum Requirements Computer / Processor 133 MHz or higher Pentium-compatible CPU. Memory At least 128 megabytes (MB) of RAM.

256 MB recommended. 4 gigabytes (GB) maximum. Hard Disk 2 GB with 1 GB free space. Additional free hard disk space is required if you are installing over a network. CPU Support Windows 2000 Server supports up to four CPUs on one machine. Drive CD-ROM or DVD drives.

Display VGA or higher resolution monitor. Keyboard Required.