Features and functions of different operating systems

Since there are a number of different operating systems around, I will compare the Linux kernel OS with the latest version of Windows along with MAC's


Linux is a freeware operating system that has been provided in a number of different systems, that are all based around the basic "kernel" that is at the centre of all linux systems. Each different system has a different interface depending on what the developer decides it wants it to be closer to, for example, the "Puppy" version of linux has a interface that is similar to windows, while the "Ubuntu" version has a interface that is closer to the Mac operating system. When Linux when it first started it was closer to a MAC system, so in it's early days it was essentially a freeware version of MAC.

Windows, in comparision is firmware, and as such offers more functionality such as a on-screen keyboard. It's interface is a basic desktop, and each application runs in a seperate "window". There have been many different versions of windows, from windows 95, up to windows millenium , which was a special edition that was released from october 1998, while another version windows 2000, was released from febuary 2000, these 2 were the last kind of the old windows interface, as when windows xp was released, the interface was totally re-designed to include a new windows start button, but retained the option to revert the start menu and the task bar back to the old windows format. The interface was again redesigned when windows vista was released, with the start button being re-designed again to a simple round button with the windows logo on.

Overall, both operating systems have their individual advantages and disadvantages, with Linux being at a disadvantage over drivers, since it is not what people would call a 'mainstream' operating system, while Windows has the advantage of being a 'mainstream' operating system, but has it's disadvantages in that it has major rivals to contend with, and as a result, they tend to rush development of operating systems, Windows Vista is an example of this, as it was well publisised, but had so many bugs, that people avoided using it, this was fixed by the release of Windows 7, which is what Vista was supposed to be.

Macintosh computers which are produced by Apple.inc are the main rival to Windows, and it's computers tend to focus on the graphical edting of images, and as such are used in all of the major corperations, however software for MAC computers tends to expensive, whereas software for Windows is average. In terms of the Price of software, Linix is the real winner since most of it's software is free, but again does not have the specilised aspect that paid for software has, for example , Linux cannot support Adobe Photoshop.

In terms of ease of use, there is no clear winner, as users of each system say that there's is the easiest to use, while other people may differ.

Operating Systems

An operating system is a system that directly controls all of the basic operations and hardware within a computer, while also providing a basic foundation on which to run applications, and as a result they are the first thing that is loaded when the computer is started up. They normally come with pre-loaded programs. Overall  there are 2 different types of operating systems, command driven and graphical driven. Command driven is when the user inputs commands into a terminal. This type of operating system is easy to use provided that you know all of the commands. The second type, the graphic driven is what we are most used to, this type of operating system uses a graphical user interface that uses windows. Some examples of graphic operating systems are;

Windows 7
Windows Vista
Mac OSX leopard
Linux
Sun Solaris

There is also the option of a command driven interface for Linux.


Mac OSX

The Mac Operating System is provided by Apple and is mainly used for graphics work. It is a main competitor to Microsoft Windows.

Along the bottom of the screenshot is the quick access toolbar that lists the most used applications while along the top is the menu that contains various options to help the user, such as file, edit, view, window and help.


Linux

Linux is a freeware operating system loosly based of the Mac OS system, and as such contains many of the features of the same system. It is however based around a central Kernel. Linux comes as both a command driven and Graphic driven interface

This is the command driven interface for the Linux OS system, as you can see. Depending on the user, the command driven interface can be very fast to use but for new users, it is quite difficult to use.

This is the graphic user interface for linux, depending on the version they differ, in this version, the user interface looks more like windows but in other versions it will look like MAC but it depends on the type of linux being used, some examples of Linux are Ubuntu, Puppy, Kubuntu.

Windows 7 and Windows Vista

These two versions of Windows are produced by Microsoft, and are the main contender to the MAC OSX system. they use a graphical user interface using the concept of windows for each application. It is one of the main operating systems.

ROM

The ROM stands for read only memory, which can only be read, not written to. Unlike RAM, ROM keeps it's memory after the computer is shut down. ROM generally contains the operating system infomation, along with user folders and system infomation. ROM cannot be removed as it is soldered onto the motherboard. ROM is programed at the factory with pre-determined infomation, and as such cannot be modified to add or remove infomation.


ROM is also found in other electrical objects, such as GPS, SatNav and Gaming Consoles.

ROM

BIOS

The BIOS (Basic Input Output System) is a small chip that makes sure that all of the other chips and cards are functioning correctly. There are a few different types of BIOS, such as the soldered ones, which are soldered directly to the motherboard, there are also catched BIOS, where there is a small catch holding the BIOS in. The BIOS is also involved in helping to boot the Operating System up. It has it's own power supply coming from the CMOS battery, which keeps track of time and other infomation

The only reason as to why you would need to replace the BIOS is if it fails, otherwise the BIOS does not need replacing. The BIOS performes a POST (Power on self test) test during the start up sequence on all of the components such as the Hard drive and any disk drives and also activating any other BIOS chips such as those that can be found on the Graphics card.

When you initially start the computer, the BIOS does the following;

1. Check the CMOS Setup for custom settings
2. Load the interrupt handlers and device drivers
3. Initialize registers and power management
4. Perform the power-on self-test (POST)
5. Display system settings
6. Determine which devices are bootable
7. Initiate the bootstrap sequence

When you need to update the BIOS, you need to go to the manufactuers website and download the upgrade along with a small utility to install it.

Power supply

The power supply is used to supply power to the motherboard and disk drives. The power supply varies depending on the power of the computer, although the standard volts that it provides are 3.3, 5 and 12 volts. The 3.3 volts, along with the 5 volts are used for digital circuts while the 12 volt is used to power the fan and drive motors  It converts the home AC (Alternating Current) current into DC( Direct Current) current which is what the computer requires. When the computer is in standby, it runs 5 volts so that when the power button is pressed, it then tells the power supply to start up

The power supply connects to the motherboard and disk drives via a number of wires called a ribbon. This ribbon uses a 20-pin and 4-pin connector. The 4-pin connector connects to the hard drive and disk drives while the 20 pin connector connects to the motherboard, while also enabling the link so that the motherboard can identify the primary and slave hard drives.

There are a variety of reasons as to why you would want to replace the hard drive, such as if you have a powerful graphics card, or have a powerful computer

Types of motherboard

There are 2 different types of motherboard, integrated and non-integrated, integrated is when all of the compnents such as a video card and sound card are diectly attached to the motherboard, and example of this type of motherboard is in a laptop. A non-integrated motherboard is when you can add additional cards to the motherboard. This type of motherboard can be shown via it's expansion slots. This type of motherboard can usually be found in a standard tower, or desktop computer. Motherboards can also be two different forms, AT and ATX. AT motherboards have different slots than what ATX motherboards have. AT motherboards have "PCI, VESA, EISA, ISA " (http://www.answerbag.com/q_view/400143) slots while ATX have "PCI, AGP and PCI-Express" (http://www.answerbag.com/q_view/400143)slots. There are also different sizes of motherboard, such as Micro-ATX, which is a smaller version of the ATX motherboard. They are also found in smart phones and GPS (Global Positioning Systems).

When choosing a motherboard, make sure that it is the right type for the computer, as the wrong type may not fit the casing.

A picture of a motherboard detailing all of the components

The Processor

The processor is the heart of the computer, it controls all instructions that are sent to the RAM and ROM. The processor speed is also the same speed at which the memory cache runs, meaning that for some programs, it does not have to wait for the RAM to send the infomation to it. It can have various speeds ranging from 8x all the way up to 20x speed. It is connected to the mother board by pins which connect into a slot

                                                 The Pins on a processor chipset

To take out the Processor, you need to carefully remove the heatsink, then you should see the processor and a small lever on the side, what you need to do is to carefully lift the lever up, then gently lift the processor off. To re-insert the processor, you need to align the small triangle with the one on the motherboard, then gently press down on the processor to push it in, after this you then need to lower the lever and lock it in position.

When choosing a processor to install, take note of the speed of it , as this will affect what speed the Cache RAM will run at.