More About Operating Systems
This lecture focuses on:
- Ms DOS
- Windows Operating Systems
- Mac OS X
- DOS vs. Windows
- Ubuntu linux and Linux mint
MSDOS
The Microsoft Disk Operating System is an old OS that was used on early PCs most of which did not even have a hard disk. Flash drives were not yet invented so floppy disks also called diskettes were used back then. To use DOS users had to memorize many commands. It was text based and command driven. Very early versions of DOS did not have mouse support. There was no graphical user interface with icons for users to click on.
You can find a lot of useful information about the old Disk Operating System at Wikipedia. There is no need for you to memorize any of the commands though unless you choose to. Just browse the page and stop when you think you understand what DOS was like.
Microsoft Windows OS
Today many PCs use some version of Microsoft Windows. Windows 7, Windows 8.1 or Windows 10. All of which support not only a GUI but the ability to perform many tasks seemingly at the same time. This is called multi-tasking.
Take a quick look at the new Windows 11 on YouTube
DOS vs Windows
DOS is more difficult to master because of its many commands. Windows is user-friendly because of its Graphical User Interface. Users now operate on an electronic desktop using the mouse, menus and icons. Modern PCs have very powerful CPUs that support large amounts of RAM and terabytes of storage on hard disks.
Mac OS X
Finally Apple computers run on their own Os called Mac OS X. A well loved and stable version is called Mac OS X Mountain Lion. Mac OS X Mountain Lion is built on a Unix foundation.
Our lesson would be incomplete if we did not look at a Mac OS new version
Linux
Linux is a powerful, free and open-source operating system that runs on many different types of computers from supercomputers and servers to embedded systems with the operating system built into the hardware.
The Android OS which runs most tablet PCs is built ontop of the Linux kernel. There are many versions of linux available and this can complicate matters however, ubuntu and linux mint have a very large user base.
You should take a quick look at Ubuntu OS version 22.04 and Linux mint 21.2
Best linux editions for 2023 Debian, Pop _OS and more
Test Yourself
Assignment
1.) How is Ubuntu and Window 10 and 11 alike and how are they different?
2.) How is the old Ms DOS different from the modern Ubuntu, Mac OS and Windows 10?
3.) There is an OS called UNIX. Research online the key features of the Unix operating system and state what they are.
Lecturer:
|
The Tutor |
|