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We already know about the importance of computer software. There are number of software which built to perform the same thing. By considering user needs carefully you have to decide which software is suitable for tasks. First of all, you have to decide which operating system that you familiar with. Then choose which applications or application packages need to perform your tasks. E.g.:- Operating systems, office packages, accounting or Invoice software etc.
What is an Operating System
The operating system is the most important software in a computer system. Each and every application that you need to run is depending on your computer’s operating system and also it manages all the hardware components in your computer. It is the interface between hardware and software components of a computer. Operating system allocate resources for the multiple tasks which user perform. It provides security facilities to confirm that only the authorized persons can access the data and resources. Modern operating systems have Graphical User Interfaces. So we can communicate with the computer without knowing computer’s language. Most people are familiar with single user multi-tasking operating systems. E.g.:- Windows, Linux, Mac OS X etc. There are 4 major types of operating systems.
Real-Time Operating Systems
These Operating systems support real time applications. A Realtime application is an application that responds to certain inputs very quickly. It accepts inputs, processes the inputs and gives the appropriate response in milliseconds or microseconds. Realtime applications are used in medical diagnostic equipment, life-support systems, machinery, scientific equipment and industrial machines. Real-time operating systems are very fast and relatively small.
Single-User/Single-Tasking Operating Systems
This type of
operating system allows a single user to perform just one task at a time. A
user may at any given time be able to do only one function such as printing a
document, editing a text file, saving a file or downloading some content from a
network server. The operating system considers a process as a task and simple
OSs can handle only a single task at a time. MS-DOS, Palm OS, used on the Palm
handheld computers are examples.
Single-User/Multitasking Operating Systems
These operating systems allow a user to perform two or more functions at any given time. For example, an office user may print a very large document in his computer and while it is being printed, he may edit another document in his computer, this results in increasing of his productivity. These operating systems are complex and large as they have to support multi-tasking, support a GUI (graphical user interface), have two or more programs running at the same time and sharing data too. Windows 95,Windows 3.1, Windows 10 are some examples.
Multi-User/Multitasking Operating Systems
These are
powerful operating systems that support more than one user at a time,
performing more than one task at a time. Multiple users use programs that are
simultaneously running on a single network server called the terminal server. A
multi-user OS gives each user a complete environment called a user session, on
the server. Each user’s application runs within their user session on the
server separated from all other user sessions. The software that makes this
possible is called the terminal client.
For the networking purposes we can divide operating systems mainly in to two categories. They are Server Operating Systems and Client Operating Systems.
Client Operating Systems
There may be multiple user accounts in a client OS, but only a single user can work at a time. Client operating systems are normally installing to normal workstation computers. With the help of this kind of operating systems, client computers can communicate with server computers and request different services from server computers.
Server Operating Systems
A server
operating system is an operating system specifically designed to run on
servers, which are specialized computers that operate within client/server
architecture to serve the requests of client computers on the network. The Server
OS, is the software layer on top of which other software programs, or
applications, can run on the server hardware. Server operating systems help
enable and facilitate typical server roles such as Web server, mail server,
file server, database server, application server and print server.
Some of the key features of a server operating system include;
• Execute all or most processes from OS commands
• Advanced-level hardware, software and network configuration services
• Install/deploy business applications and/or web applications
• Provides central interface to manage users, implement security and other administrative processes
•
Manages
and monitors client computers and/or operating systems
Some common examples of server operating
systems include Red Hat Enterprise Linux, Windows Server, Mac OS X Server.
Comparison of Operating Systems;
|
Feature |
Windows |
Linux |
macOS |
|
Ability to
customize |
You
can customize colours scheme, taskbar position, themes, other background
appearance and other basic things according to the OS version that you are
using. |
You
can do all the things that windows OS can do, other than that you can change
the code and change most of the things in the OS as you wish. |
Same
as in windows you can do only some given customizations. But they have been
used open source codes and software (e.g.:- Darwin) to develop. The
OS Kernel and the majority of the libraries are open source and you can
download and change them. |
|
Security |
Security
options are quite good. Windows have a build in firewall system, antivirus
program (Windows defender) and also you can change group policies according
to your needs. Also you can manage multiple user accounts and passwords
simply. |
It can do
everything that windows OS can do but also you can change the OS and include
other security features as you wish. |
Security
options are quite good. FileVault feature can be used to encrypt data in your
drives. It has a good run time protection and a privacy protection. iCloud
feature can store user names and passwords securely.
|
|
Stability and
Reliability |
Stable,
but sometimes crashes. |
Stable.
You can also change the OS to be more stable and reliable. |
Excellent
Stability. Can run and work long hours without causing problems. |
|
Ease of
management |
Windows is the
most popular OS in the world. Most of the people familiar with it, so it can
be easily managed. E.g.:- better looking and advanced interface, better
multitasking ability, sharing and social integration |
Modern Linux
versions have better ease of management side. But you have to learn the
programming in order to develop it. |
Web browsing,
phone integration, apps and app store are some great features of macOS rather
than windows. But still windows beats the macOS from ease of management side. |
|
Associated
utilities |
Because
windows is the most popular OS, it has the biggest range of associated
utilities. |
Linux
also have a big range of associated utilities. |
macOS
also has wide range of associated utilities. |
|
Support for
the user |
There are
community, forums, websites, books and a help section to support users. |
There online
community, forums, books for the support. |
There are
online tutorials, website, community and forums to support users. |
|
Support for
removable media |
Windows
support almost all the media types such as USB drives, optical media and also
the connections like Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, syncing etc. |
Linux
doesn’t support wide range of connectivity. You can download and use software
development kit to develop and enhance it. |
Support
most media types, but if your smartphone is using android or windows or any
other OS, it is very hard to work together with mac computer (macOS). |
|
Cost |
High |
Free |
OS is free but
the compatible hardware price is Very High. |
|
Familiarity |
Familiar
|
Not
much |
Not
much |
Comparison Chart Between Windows 8.1 Pro and Win 10 Pro;
|
Feature |
Windows 8.1
Pro |
Windows 10
Pro |
|
Voice, pen, touch, and gesture |
ü |
ü |
|
Microsoft
Edge (+ reading view PDF reader) |
|
ü |
|
Start
Menu and Live Tiles |
ü |
ü |
|
Windows
Information Protection |
|
ü |
|
Device
Encryption |
ü |
ü |
|
BitLocker |
ü |
ü |
|
Trusted
Boot |
ü |
ü |
|
Windows
Device Health Attestation service |
|
ü |
|
Group
Policy |
ü |
ü |
|
Mobile
Device Management |
ü |
ü |
|
Enterprise
State Roaming with Azure Active Directory |
|
ü |
|
Windows
Store for Business |
|
ü |
|
Assigned
Access |
ü |
ü |
|
Dynamic
Provisioning |
|
ü |
|
Windows
Update for Business |
|
ü |
|
Shared
PC configuration |
|
ü |
|
Domain
Join |
ü |
ü |
|
Azure
Active Directory Domain Join, with single sign-on to cloud-hosted apps |
|
ü |
|
Enterprise
Mode Internet Explorer (EMIE) |
ü |
ü |
|
Remote
Desktop |
ü |
ü |
|
Client
Hyper-V |
ü |
ü |
|
Latest O/S |
|
ü |
System requirements for Windows 10;
Processor: - 1GHz or faster
RAM: - 1GB (32-bit) or 2 GB (64-bit)
Free Hard Disk Space: - 32 GB
Graphics Card: - Microsoft DirectX 9 graphics device with WDDM driver.
Display :- 800 x 600
A Microsoft account and Internet Access
Visit ;
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/windows-10-specifications
System Requirements for Latest MAC OS;
For macOS Big Sur; (need unique hardware)
MacBook: Early 2015 or newer
MacBook Air: Mid 2013 or newer
MacBook Pro: Late 2013 or newer
Mac Mini: Late 2014 or newer
iMac: Mid 2014 or newer
iMac Pro
Pro Display XDR
Mac Pro: Late 2013 or newer
Developer Transition Kit (2020)
Visit ;
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MacOS_Big_Sur
https://www.apple.com/macos/how-to-upgrade/