Computer Operating Systems

Without an operating system a computer is useless. Three operating systems dominate the market. Each has its strong and weak points. When choosing an operating system factors such as budget, the user's level of computer literacy and ease of use for the most frequent and critical tasks need to be considered. This article looks at the main PC operating systems not mobile phones since the difference between Operating Systems is not so critical on hand held devices.

The operating system can be considered as a computer's nervous system and unconscious mind. It is a program loaded (usually slowly, as it may carry out a lot of checks) when you press the power on button and handles just about everything you do not want to handle yourself, like making sure that when you press one or more keys the computer takes the right action or tracking the movement of a mouse. To Quote Wikipedia

“An operating system (OS) is software, consisting of programs and data, that runs on computers and manages computer hardware resources and provides common services for efficient execution of various application software".

For hardware functions such as input and output and memory allocation, the operating system acts as an intermediary between application programs and the computer hardware, although the application code is usually executed directly by the hardware, but will frequently call the OS or be interrupted by it. Operating systems are found on almost any device that contains a computer—from cellular phones and video game consoles to supercomputers and web servers.”

It is useful to think of the operating system as having three levels, hardware, software and user interface. In human terms ( at the risk of anthropomorphism) the hardware level may be compared to the body, the software level to the mind and the user interface to the personality.

When choosing an operating system you need to consider what you want to do and how compatible the user interface is with your personality and way of working. The way it handles security and privacy is also very important.

My list of needs include: write, communicate, develop software, edit photographs and automatic backup. Less often I need to burn a CD of critical documents or scan and OCR a document, since electronic copies weigh less than paper. Your needs will vary but not by much. You may find a smartphone will also cover your needs.

You may also need to consider the problems you may encounter if you have to use multiple operating systems and transfer data between them. This is less of a problem than it used to be but is still needs consideration

Microsoft Windows is the dominant operating system for laptop and desktop computers. It is not dominant on servers, computers that provide a service, normally over a network, to thousands or millions of lap/desktop computers. It has also not proved as popular in the hand held device market, where there is active competition between many operating systems.

The strong point of Windows for the home and small business user is its universal presence. The weak point is that because of its age ( the first public version was released in 1985) it has some irritating quirks and has become notorious as insecure. Again because of its ubiquity it is a prime target for virus, spam and malware writers, but that same ubiquity means there is a community of users who can act as informal support networks.

Windows is a good default choice for most needs though as far as I know it does not have automated backup as part of the system. Most of my clients develop software on Windows that will be released to the public on machines running the UNIX operating system. Since the Windows environment is not aimed at developers anyone wishing to use it to learn to program or develop software often has to install many other programs.

The Apple operating system was originally designed for creative workers such as artists, and for desktop publishers. The target market was either technically challenged or wanted something that just worked, rather than having to waste time fixing technical problems. As a result many third party utilities seem to have been purchased by Apple and incorporated into their operating system.

I have used a Macintosh for many years. The features that make it attractive for me to continue using Macintosh are the automated backup, the background indexing of all content on the disk and the programming languages that come with it. The bad points are the price of Macintosh computers, Apple's tendency to try to lock developers into their applications, and a shortage of open source and free applications compared with Windows and UNIX. It does not come with Microsoft office or an Office compatible suite of programs.

It is possible to get free software to handle most needs on an Apple computer. Support for problems may not be available but most major cities have at least one Apple reseller. OS X is a unix based system with a distinctive user interface

UNIX is the techie's operating system though, like OS X, it can be turned into a decent machine for the office or home. LINUX is a popular UNIX variant (though some consider it a UNIX like system) . If you want to use LINUX you should ask the dealer to remove Windows, install UNIX and reduce the price by the cost of a Windows Licence. You can also install LINUX on a Windows machine but this would best be done when you buy it as installing LINUX gets “interesting” later.

The good point about UNIX is that it gives total control over the system if that is desired, though for some tasks you may have to enter a special password: This is intended to prevent you inadvertently damaging the system. The bad point for many is a fairly steep learning curve.

If your needs are mainly for “office like “ work: preparing documents and sending and receiving word documents buy a windows machine and use NeoOffice saving documents in Microsofft Office formats

If you want a simple system that pushes some tedious tasks into the background and can afford it, use OS X and Neo Office for creating documents. Use the Gimp for photo editing.

If you want to learn about the system and dig around, having total control, choose a Linux or UNIX system.