Operating+Systems

There are three major TYPES of operating systems out there. Microsoft Windows, Apple's Mac OS and Linux. There are different VERSIONS of each type of operating system. What is an operating system? It's the software that is on-top of your computer (not literally...). All of the other software connect to your computer through the operating system. Without an operating system, you wouldn't get very far with your computer. Early on in Personal Computer history, everything was TEXT based, that is, typing in commands. An example of this is the "DOS" operating system. What we're more familiar with now is GUI (Graphic User Interface). Windows is an example of a GUI where you access programs and applications with the click of a mouse or the keyboard equivalent. Windows is still based on "DOS" while Mac OS and Linux are based on Unix.

A brief run-down;

 MS-DOS

 MS-DOS displays lines of text on the screen. Users perform tasks by keying short commands. Windows XP (or newer) provides a simulated DOS screen called Command Prompt.

 Windows

 Windows displays information on a screen using a GUI (graphical user interface). Users use a pointing device to perform tasks. Windows is capable of multitasking. This means it can run several programs at the same time. Windows has different versions suitable for home or professional use. Windows has been plagued by security concerns and some less-successful versions such as Vista and Windows 2000. Windows 7 has proved to a much more usable version, building on the success of Windows XP.

 Unix

 Unix is used mainly by businesses and universities, not by individual users on home computers. Unix is capable of multitasking. It is also multiuser, which means that several different people can use the system all at the same time. Like MS-DOS, basic Unix uses a text display, not GUI. It requires that users perform tasks by keying in short commands. It is possible to layer a graphical display, making it appear similar to Windows.

 Linux

 Linux is a descendent of Unix, and it is very similar to it. Linux is more compact, and it can be used easily on home computers. A desktop environment provides a GUI that allows the user to interact with Linux is a way that is very much like Windows or Mac OS. Linux has almost none of the security concerns that Windows does. In fact, Google no longer uses Windows in it's computers at their offices, they use only Linux or Mac OS.

Mac OS

Similar to Windows in that it is a GUI based system. Running through Unix means that it focuses all of it's RAM on one program at a time, switching as you ask it to. This makes it run single programs slightly faster than Windows, though switching between programs is said to take fractionally longer. Like Linux, Mac OS has avoided the security concerns of Windows, though this may change as it gains in popularity.

Here's a brief introduction to the most popular form of Linux operating System Ubuntu Linux.

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 1. Name two ways that you think Ubuntu Linux is like Windows  2. Name two ways that you think Ubuntu Linux is not like Windows <span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;"> 2. Ubuntu Linux is "freeware". What do you think that means?

<span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;"> Mac OS (Operating System) <span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;"> Click on the link below to watch an introductory video. Follow that up with going to the next video which describes the differences between a Mac and a PC. <span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;"> http://www.apple.com/ca/findouthow/mac/#anatomy <span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;"> http://www.apple.com/ca/findouthow/mac/#pctomac

<span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;"> 1. Name two ways that you think Mac OS is like Windows. <span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;"> 2. Name two ways that you think Mac OS is not like Windows. <span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;"> 3. Do you think you would have a difficult time adjusting to a Mac based on what you know now? Why?