The O.S Wars

8/8/2019 The O.S Wars

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THE O.S WARS

Taking things for granted is a blessing or a curse? Well answering this question indeed doesrequire some taking winding turns in the boulevards of philosophy. Yes or a No, we have to

admit that technology has blessed or cursed us with it. The world of computing for example has

taken over in such an extent that leaving the comfort of the bedroom and the ac to go to the

bank seems to be a herculean task. Computers are everywhere. Ask a ten year old about his

machine, he will be all praises and bragging about his Intel core i5, 6 gb ram, 1 gb graphics

card powered computer running on a Windows 7 ultimate edition. But give him the same

configuration without the operating system installed. He would be at his wits end as to what to

do with the system. Thus the life force that drives the system is the Operating system. Since it isclear that we are going to deal with the evolution of the modern computer and the operating

systems, it would be nice to take a peek at their history.

The earliest calculating machine was the abacus, believed to have been

invented in Babylon around 2400 B.C. The abacus was used by many different cultures and

civilizations, including the major advance known as the Chinese abacus from the 2nd Century

B.C. This marked a new addition of a feather to

innovation of the mankind. What followed were a

series of modifications. Namely, South Pointing

Chariot by the Chinese, the Antikythera

mechanism by the Greeks and many more. The

first digital computers were made by the Inca

using ropes and pulleys. Knots in the ropes

served the purpose of binary digits

In the 1800s, the first computers or programmable

devices for controlling the weaving machines inthe factories of the Industrial Revolution were

created. Created by Charles Babbage, these early computers used Punch cards as data

storage. Innovation continued and Babbage introduced new functionalities into the machine

such as the arithmetic control units and more. However the reliability of these machines and

precision still continued to be a major issue. Time passed by , Gregory Bool introduced the

The Abacus


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concept of Boolean Algebra- The basis for modern day circuit design for chips. The foundation

stone was laid.

The first modern computer was the German Zuse computer (Z3)

in 1941. Then in 1946 the first modern electronic computer ENIAC was created using 18,000

vacuum tubes .

Still the machines developed till now were pretty rigid. What was needed was

flexibility. Mankind knows that there is never a time to stop. And so a man named Von Neumann

stepped forward. He suggested that programs be stored in the same memory as data. The

computer should know the difference between code and data which it attempts to access at any

given moment. When evaluating code, the binary numbers will be decoded by some kind of

physical logic circuits, and then the instructions are run in hardware. This design is called von

Neumann architecture and has been used in almost every digital computer ever made.

Von Neumann architecture

The first computers that were made were raw hardware devoid of any operating systems. And

the numbers of them present were also scanty. This posed a number of problems which are

mentioned as

1. The experimenters wrote their programs in machine or assembly language and a

running program had complete control of the entire computer

2. Often programs and data were entered by hand through the use of toggle switches


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3. Debugging consisted of a combination of fixing both the software and hardware,

rewriting the object code and changing the actual computer itself.

4. Multi user functionality also lacked. One computer could be used by only one person.

These limitations meant that something was still lacking that could make the job easier.

The First Operating Systems

The General Motors Research Laboratories implemented the first operating systems in early

1950's for their IBM 701. The system of the 50's generally ran one job at a time. These were

called single-stream batch processing systems because programs and data were submitted in

groups or batches.

The next decade saw technology improving and hence the opening of new horizons in the zone

of operating systems. An array of features was introduced.

1. Multiprogramming: The solution for the problem that evolved was to partition memory

into several pieces, with a different job in each partition. While one job was waiting for

I/O to complete, another job could be using the CPU

2. SPOOLING : Another major feature was the addition of technique called spooling

(simultaneous peripheral operations on line).A high-speed device like a disk interposed

between a running program and a low-speed device involved with the program in

input/output. Instead of writing directly to a printer, for example, outputs are written to the

disk. Programs can run to completion faster, and other programs can be initiated sooner

when the printer becomes available, the outputs may be printed.

3. Time Sharing:Another variation to multi programming that was addedwas time

sharing. Each user had an online terminal. As each user was present interacting with

the machine it had to respond quicker. Timesharing systems were developed to provide

multiprogramming for large number of simultaneous interactive users.

ADVENT OF UNIX

In the year 1957 Bell Labs , which at that time was undergoing many batch processing jobs

found that they needed an operating system dedicated to their needs. The BESYS operating

system was created to deal with these needs. However innovation didnt stop here. And in


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summer 1969 an operating was conceived and created which is popularly known as UNIX by

Ken Thomson, Dennis Ritchie, Douglas Mcllroy and Joe Osanna. The first version was written

in assembly level language a common practice at that time. However later Dennis Ritchie wrote

the system in C language. Written in a high level language ensured a feature new to the OS

front. Portability.

The uses of this operating system in todays world are manifold. Apart from general purpose

uses on desktops Linux is used mainly for special purposes like embedded systems support,

multiuser support, security, setting up of servers, mainframes and the list continues.

Linux is distributed nowadays mainly by several distributors like ubuntu, red-hat, fedora,

mandriva etc. The graphic user environment mainly used are of two types, GNOME and KDE.

As time has passed the GUI of Linux has not been left far behind its competitors.

Linux desktop

A point of difference that sets Linux apart from major operating systems existing in the market is

it being open source, which means that the source code for the system is available to the users.

This definitely enhances research and developments, and the user can customize the operating

system as per his or her needs. Plus it goes well with the vision with which Linux was created as

a free O.S. An operating system for all. Further Scholars Casson and Ryan have pointed

outheightened value proposition from open source (when compared to most proprietary formats)

in the following categories:

y Security

y Affordability

y Transparency


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y Perpetuity

y Interoperability

However the recognition of Linux has faced barriers and it is yet to capture markets

according to its potential. The reasons according to experts may be cited as:-

y The frictional cost of switching operating systems

y The lack of support for hardware and applications designed for Microsoft Windows

y Microsoft's deliberate hampering through campaigns like "Get The Facts" and

condemnation of Linux and other open-source software in press meetings.

THE WINDOWS

A study of the evolution of operating systems remains incomplete without referring to the

Windows story.

The most common O.S installed on any P.C in the recent times has to be a version of Windows.

Developed under the banner of Microsoft under the mastermind Bill Gates, the success story of

this product is worth taking a look at. The following table charts the evolution of Windows briefly.

Date Description Evolution of the GUI

November 20, 1985 Windows 1.0, a 16-bit graphical

operating environment was

released.

December 1987 Taking advantage of superior

speed of Intel 286/386

Windows 2.03 having a size of

no more than 2.5 MB allowed

users to customise windows

and screens.


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May 22, 1990 Windows 3.0, the first widely

successful version of Windows

brought with it an improved set

of icons and applications like file

and program manager, whichare present even in present

versions.

August 1993 Windows NT 3.1 was the first

release of Microsofts Windows

NT line of server and business

desktop operating systems. The

version number was chosen to

match the one of Windows 3.1,

the then-latest GUI fromMicrosoft, on account of the

similar visual appearance. The

difference was that Windows

3.1 was a 32 bit OS.

August 24, 1995 Windows 95 a consumer

oriented GUI Operating System

was released which had

features like a integrated 32 bit

TCP/IP stack, dial-up

networking and plug and play

options to help users install

hardware and software with

greater ease.

September 1996 Windows NT 4.0, the fourth

release of Microsofts Windows

NT line of operating systems

was released. A 32-bit Windows

system available in both

workstation and server editions

it had a graphical environment

similar to that of Windows 95. It

had however improved and

more secured networking


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abilities.

June 25, 1998 Windows 98, a hybrid 16-

bit/32-bit monolithic product

based on MS-DOS was

launched to meet the consumerdemand to works better plays

better.

February 2000 Windows 2000, an

interruptible, graphical operating

system that was designed to

work with either uni-processor

or symmetric multi-processor32-bit Intel x86 computers was

launched. Windows

Professional 2000 and Windows

Server 2000 were available.

October 25, 2001 Windows XP for use on

general-purpose computer

systems, including home and

business desktops, notebook

computers, and media centers

was released. The letters XP

stand foreXPerience.it showed

enhanced security, reliability

and performance. Features

such as remote desktop

support, encrypting file system

and advanced networking

features made their

appearance.


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April 24, 2003 Windows Server 2003was

released as the successor to

Windows 2000 Server.

Considered by Microsoft to be

the cornerstone of theirWindows Server System line of

business server products,

it is more scalable and delivers

better performance than its

predecessor.

January 30, 2007 Windows Vista, a line of

graphical operating systems to

be used on personal computers

(home and business desktops),notebook computers, Tablet

PCs, and media centers was

released worldwide after a long

gap of 5 years of release of

Windows XP, its predecessor.

October 22, 2009 Windows 7 is the latest release

was released with a number of

new features like support for

virtual hard disks, improved

performance on multi-core

processors, improved boot

performance, Direct Access,

and kernel improvements. Its

chief goal was to be compatible

with applications and hardware

which Windows Vista was not at

the time.

The factors which ensure that this system has the highest market share would be.

1. User friendly GUI

2. Applications like Word, Excel and Power point have wide consumer acceptance.


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3. Product releases and bug fixes are made frequently.

In spite of its huge success Windows often faces criticism because of

1. Little presence in wireless space.

2. Has few internet based applications.

3.Products dont work too well on top of other products.

THE MAC O.S (APPLE)

On January 24, 1984, Apple Computer Inc introduced the Macintosh personal computer, with

the Macintosh 128K model, which came with what was later renamed the Mac OS operating

system. The Macintosh is often credited with popularizing the graphical user interface. The Mac

OS has been pre-installed on almost every Macintosh computer sold. The operating system is

also sold separately at Apple retail stores, and online.

The evolution of the Mac OS can be traced as follows:

Date Description Evolution of the GUI

January 1984 The first version of the MacOS can be distinguished from

other contemporary operatingsystems as it did not use acommand line interface. It wasone of the first operatingsystems to use an entirelygraphical user interface.

Additional to the system kernelwas the Finder, an applicationused for file management. The1st few releases could only runone application at a time, though

special application shells suchas Switchercould work around

this to some extent.


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October 1987 System Software 5 (alsoreferred to as simply System 5)adding MultiFinder, an extensionwhich let the system run severalprograms at once was released.The system used a co-operative

multitasking model, meaningthat time was given to thebackground applications onlywhen the running applicationyielded control.

September 1988 System Software 6 (alsoreferred to as simply System6),a consolidation release of theMac OS, producing a complete,stable, and long-lastingoperating system was released.

A number of versions 6.0.1 to

6.0.8L followed.

May 13, 1991 System 7,the second majorupgrade to the Mac OS, addinga significant user interfaceoverhaul, new applications,stability improvements wasreleased

The most significant feature ofSystem 7 was probably virtualmemory support. Accompanying

this was a move to 32-bitmemory addressing, necessaryfor the ever-increasing amountsof RAM available. Anotherfeature was the built-in co-operative multitasking.

July 26, 1997 Mac OS 8 was released shortlyafter Steve Jobs returned to thecompany. It was mainly releasedto keep the Mac OS movingforward during a difficult time for

Apple.

The GUI was changed inappearance to a new shadedgrayscale look called Platinum,and the ability to change theappearance themes (also knownas skins) was added with a newcontrol panel.


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October 23, 1999 Mac OS 9, a steady evolutionfrom Mac OS 8 was released. Itintroduced an earlyimplementation of multi-usersupport (though not considereda true multi-user operating

system by modern standards).Mac OS 9 also provided a muchimproved memoryimplementation andmanagement and providedimproved control of TCP/IP andnetworking. Some otherresplendent and unique featuresincluded its Remote Networkingand File Server packages andmuch improved list of USBdrivers.

March 2001 Mac OS X, released in sportedthe new Aqua user interface.Since then, six more distinct"end-user" and "server" versionshave been released.

Versions of Mac OS X:

Mac OS 10 (Cheetah) [2001]Mac OS 10.1 (Puma) [2002]Mac OS 10.2 (Jaguar) [2003]Mac OS 10.3 (Panther)[2004]Mac OS 10.4 (Tiger) [2005]Mac OS 10.5 (Leopard)[2008]Mac OS 10.6 (Snow Leopard)[2010]Mac OS 10.7 (Lion) [expectedsummer 2011]

What follows is a SWOT analysis of the MAC operating system:


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NEW COMPETITORS

The war just got even more exciting when a new company decided to step into the battle field.

The first step that Google took to announce its presence in the industry was to acquire Android

in 2005. Android is a software stack for mobile devices that includes an operating system,

middleware and key applications. The following diagram would give us an insight into the

architecture of the android system.

Strenghts:Simple, reliable, easy-to-use design andconcise product rangeattract customers.

Weaknesses:

Limited productrange, especiallyabsence from low-enddesktop and netbookmarkets.

Opportunities:

1.Poor publicperception ofWindows Vista helped

OSX.2.The ability to extendsuccessfully intohandheld devices(iphone).

Threats:

Windows 7 seemswell-poised to correctmany of the flaws ofVista.

Economic crisis couldhurt as it is perceivedto be priced high.


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Built on the Linux kernel Android tries to optimize all the utilities of a mobile phone efficiently.

Android is open source; it can be liberally extended to incorporate new cutting edge technologies as

they emerge. The platform will continue to evolve as the developer community works together to build

innovative mobile applications. . Five years after the acquisition, Android is appealing to customers

around the world. According to a survey during the second quarter alone, the mobile operating system

was running on 33 percent of all the smart phones sold during the period. Now with Google is thinking of

developing Android for computers.The day that is done will definitely mark the start of a new level of

competition.

A completely new concept that has been introduced by Google is the Chrome O.S. This has led

innovation to a new level altogether by introducing a concept of Web Based operating system.

Now days internet is thought to be a mandatory requirement for a computer. Google identified

this situation to their benefit and created a blue ocean strategy for themselves. By making a

web based O.S they eliminated a major constraint. Hard drive space. The requirement for this

new idea was spurred by the advent of a new gadget in the market.- The netbook. This mini

laptop added another dimension to the issue of portability of computers. However it had one

limitation , The machine specifications were not very high. The operating systems in the market


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though supported by the netbooks failed to give full performance. This is where Google stepped

in with their light-weight Operating System. The Chrome.

Google also plans to create a service called Google Cloud Print, which will help any application

on any device to print on any printer. This method of printing does not require any drivers and

therefore will be suitable for printing from Google Chrome OS.

From the security point of view too Google is described as a "hardened" operating systemfeaturing auto-updating and sandbox features that will reduce malware exposure.

From the market competition point of view an edge that Google chrome holds is its adherence

to the internet when the cyber world is speaking the language of Cloud Computing. Also

experts say that there would not be direct competition between Windows and Chrome as me

OS hosted on a netbook is not intended as a substitute for Windows running on a conventional

laptop, which has the computational power to run a resource-intensive program like Photoshop,

Auto Cad, Oracle etc.

As it seems that this operating system market is far from a monopoly, with continuous

innovation being shown by the different companies. New vistas continue to be created everyday

making life simpler for us. Who will survive the rat race, only time can tell.


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REFERENCES TAKEN FROM

1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Mac_OS#Mac_OS_X

2. http://www.computerhovel.com/mac_evolution.html

3. http://www.hongkiat.com/blog/evolution-of-microsoft-windows-1985-2009/

4. http://www.computerhovel.com/windows-evolution.html

5. http://www.bsu.edu/libraries/ahafner/awh-th-swot-ms.html

6. http://ivythesis.typepad.com/term_paper_topics/2008/01/organization-an.html

7. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linux

8. http://developer.android.com/guide/basics/what-is-android.html

9. http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2009/07/introducing-google-chrome-os.html

10. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Google_Chrome_OS

11. http://www.osdata.com/kind/history.htm

12. http://www.personal.kent.edu/~rmuhamma/OpSystems/Myos/osHistory.htm

AND OFCOURSE GOOGLE!!!!

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The O.S Wars