Comparison of Various operating systems

CLASSIFICATION OF OPERATING SYSTEMS

Operating systems can be classified into different types based on their interface, user friendliness, and functionality. Different types of operating systems are:

Character user interface (CUI)-based operating systems
Graphical user interface (GUI)-based operating systems
Single-user operating systems
Multi-user operating systems
Single-tasking operating systems
Multitasking operating systems
Real-time operating systems

1. Character User Interface (CUI)-Based Operating Systems:

MS-DOS and UNIX (not newer Linux)
Such an interface is also called a Command-Line Interface (CLI).

Examples of MS-DOS-Based Commands

To move a file: move [source path\file name] [destination path\file name]
When you use this command a file, once moved, will exist only in the destination.
This command can be used in the following ways:
move c:\command.doc d:\command.doc

To copy a file: copy [source path\file name] [destination path\file name]
When you use this command, a file once copied will exist both in the source and the destination. This command can be used in the following ways:
copy c:\command.doc d:\command.doc

To delete a file: delete [path\file name]
Using this command, you can either delete a file in your present location or you can specify the path from where you will delete a file. This command can be used in the following ways:
delete d:\command.doc

2. Graphical User Interface (GUI)-Based Operating Systems
GUI-based operating systems are easy to use because the user can click menus and icons rather than type cryptic commands. Users can use a device called a mouse to select an application, after which the operating system will load and run it. In comparison to a CUI-based operating system, a GUI based operating system is slower and needs more hard disk space but is more user friendly.

3. Single-User Operating Systems
Operating systems performed on personal computers are examples of single-user operating systems.
MS-DOS, Win95, and Win98 are examples of single-user operating systems.

Also WinME and Win3.x WinXP, WinNT4 Workstation

4. Multi-User Operating Systems
A multi-user operating system allows multiple users to work simultaneously on the operating system.

Linux, UNIX, and Windows NT4 Server are examples of multi-user operating systems. Also Win2000 Server, Win2003 Server

5. Single-Tasking Operating Systems
A single-tasking operating system can support only a single task at any time. In such single tasking environments, the task execution is sequential. An example of a single-tasking operating system is MS-DOS.

6. Multitasking Operating Systems
A multitasking operating system also multitasks by executing more than one task at a time. In such systems, the processor divides its time to execute multiple tasks. This division of time is termed time-sharing.

An example of a multitasking system is Windows 95. It can handle simultaneous execution of multiple tasks by sharing its resources such as memory and microprocessors

7. Real-Time Operating Systems
Real-time Operating Systems (RTOSs) are operating systems that need to respond to inputs within a defined time period and have a predictable behavior. RTOSs have less user-interface capability. RTOSs are a part of video games, CD players, washing machines, and reservation systems. Lynx OS is a real-time operating system.

COMPARISON AMONG OS:

Operating systems are generally not hardware dependent, but the hardware configurations required to use them can vary. Based on their features, these operating systems can be compared in the following ways:
Ø MS-DOS
Ø Microsoft Windows
Ø UNIX and Sun Solaris
Ø Linux
Ø Novell NetWare
Ø Apple Macintosh

MS-DOS
The MS-DOS operating system is a Microsoft product designed for IBM-compatible computers. The first version of DOS, MS-DOS v1.0 released in 1981, was a simplistic version of the operating system. From then onwards, various updated and sophisticated versions of DOS have been released. MS-DOS is a popular CUI-based operating system.

FEATURES:
Ø It is a 16-bit operating system, which means that it can send or receive 16 bits of information to the microprocessor for processing 16 bits of data.
Ø It is a single-user and single-tasking operating system.
Ø It is easy to load and install.

DISADVANTAGES:
Ø It is a command-line operating system, which means that you have to enter single-line commands by using the command interface. To do so, it is important to remember the various commands and their syntax.
Ø Since MS-DOS is a single-user and single-tasking operating system, at a given point in time, only one user can use it, and only one task can be executed.
Ø MS-DOS does not have built-in support for networking.
With the advent of various advanced operating systems, such as the Microsoft Windows family, MS-DOS is not widely used today.

Windows Family
Microsoft’s Windows family consists of various GUI-based operating systems. Since GUI-based interfaces are more user-friendly than the CUI-based interfaces, the operating systems of the Windows family are more popular. The most popular Windows operating systems currently in use are
Win95, Win98, WinNT4, WinME, Win2000, WinXP, & Win2003 Vista

Windows 9x
Windows 9x is a more stable product than the earlier Windows versions. They are designed primarily for the end user’s desktop.

FEATURES
Ø It is a single-user 32-bit operating system.
Ø It provides support for multitasking
Ø It provides backward compatibility for MS-DOS and Win3.1 programs.
Ø It provides a DOS Shell that can be used to run some DOS commands.

3.5.2.2 Windows NT 4.0
Microsoft designed Windows New Technology (NT) version 4.0 to meet the requirements of the corporate user. Windows NT has different versions for end users, as well as a network operating system. Since its release, Windows NT has emerged as a powerful desktop operating system to perform complex business activities. You can use Windows NT for managing either a small business organization or a large organization spread across several cities and countries. Windows NT has the same user-friendly interface as Windows 95.

FEATURES
Ø The interface can be customized to suit user-specific requirements, which means that different users can have the interface customized according to their own preferences.
Ø It is a more advanced operating system and provides more stability and security than Windows 95 and Windows 98.
Ø It provides advanced multitasking and multi-user support.
Ø It is a true 32-bit operating system.
Ø It supports the Plug-and-Play feature, making it easier to add new hardware devices to your system.
Ø It is offered in several countries in local languages. This enables users located in different countries to create, read, and edit documents in their native languages.
Ø WinNT supports date, time, and currency formats of different countries.
Ø It is an expensive operating sys & more suitable for large organizations.

Windows 2000
Windows 2000 is the next version of the Windows NT-based operating system and has a user interface similar to that of the previous Windows versions.

FEATURES
Ø It is a true 32-bit operating system.
Ø It provides increased security and flexibility features. The security features of Win2000 are the best as compared to any other version of Windows.
Ø It provides multitasking support.
Ø It provides support for the Plug-and-Play feature.
Ø It supports more wizards than the previous versions. This helps users perform several tasks easily and quickly.
Ø It has multilingual support.
Ø It enables you to automatically personalize the Start menu by displaying the programs that you use frequently.
Ø It is more stable and reliable than any previous version of Windows.
Ø Windows 2000 has gained great popularity due to these advanced features.

The various components of the Windows 2000 architecture are:
Ø Hardware Abstraction Layer (HAL)
Ø Kernel
Ø Executive Services

UNIX and Solaris
The UNIX operating system was initially developed as a single-user operating system at Bell Laboratories, USA, in 1969. Later, in 1973, Ken Thompson and Dennis Ritchie rewrote the UNIX operating system in C programming language. Since then, various universities, organizations, and programmers have helped and contributed to the development of the UNIX operating system. UNIX has gradually gained popularity and success due to its reliability features.

FEATURES
Ø It is a CUI and GUI-based operating system that supports multiprogramming and multitasking.
Ø It is a multi-user operating system designed to support multiple users simultaneously.
Ø It is written in a high-level language, making it easy to read and understand. Code can be easily modified and compiled on any system, even if it has different hardware. Therefore, portability and machine independence are important features of UNIX.
Ø UNIX uses a hierarchical file structure to store information. This structure has maximum flexibility in grouping information in an organized manner, with easy maintenance and efficient implementation. UNIX was the first operating system to use the hierarchical file structure.


Linux
Linux is a CUI-based operating system. The GUI for Linux is supported by the X Windows system. Linux has several graphical user interfaces called desktop environments, such as K Desktop Environment (KDE) and GNU Object Model
Environment (GNOME). Both KDE and GNOME are environments that provide the user interface on the top of an X Windows system.

When you start KDE, the desktop is organized into folders such as auto start, trash can, CD-ROM, printer, and floppy drive. All these folders are depicted pictorially through icons. GNOME can be configured to suit your requirements and supports the drag-and drop mechanism.

FEATURES
Ø It supports multiprogramming and multitasking.
Ø It is a stable operating system and provides high security.
Ø It is almost free of cost, making it an extremely popular and powerful operating system.

Novell NetWare
In 1983 Novell introduced NetWare, originally designed for single-user systems. The concept of NetWare was to develop a system that would share hard disks or files on the hard disk, however, this did not materialize. Later, Novell realized the urgent need to be able to share files and folders and released NetWare with file and print services.

FEATURES
Ø One of the advantages that Novell NetWare had over other network operating systems was the capability to support different makes of hardware. This made NetWare popular because during that period, network-based operating systems supported only their own brands.
Ø Reduce the cost of networking by packaging inexpensive Ethernet cards along with their software.
Some of the current products of Novell are Intranet Ware 4.12, NetWare 5.1, NetWare for Small Business 4.2, and GroupWise.

Macintosh
In 1984, Apple introduced a GUI-based operating system called the Macintosh operating system (Mac OS). It came in as a revolution for personal computers. Since then, several GUI-based operating systems have been introduced. The Macintosh operating system remains a popular and widely used operating system.

FEATURES
Mac OS X is the latest Mac operating system. Some of the features of Mac OS X are:
Ø It supports multitasking and symmetric multiprocessing.
Ø It is based on UNIX which runs on Macintosh hardware, making it more stable and faster than the previous versions.
Ø It is easy to install and use.
Ø It provides built-in support for playing movies and music.
Ø It provides tools to create movies and manage music.
Ø It provides a new user interface called Aqua that offers various features to save time. These features include a new Finder and Dock. Dock is used for the navigation and organization of files and folders and enables you to easily access the programs or folders that you use frequently.



CONCLUSION:

Thus, there are various operating systems available in the market. Each has certain advantages, & each has specific limitations. Their choices depend on the needs or preferences of users. Considering features of any operating system and requirements of the user, right OS is selected.