Operating Systems

An operating system or OS is the most important layer of software that lives and is installed onto the hard drive; it handles the hardware and software of a computer to help the user interact with the programmes installed on the hard drive and achieve the user’s desired objective/intention e.g. by executing application programmes like Mozilla Firefox, and then displaying the browser onto the monitor to the user. In other words, it is a medium or transmitter between the hardware and the user. OS does this by instantly identifying input commands from the user to things like a computer mouse and keyboard, and then sending an output instruction to peripheral devices such as a monitor/screen or a printer, depending on what the user wanted to attain.

Furthermore, operating systems are used to keep track of files and directories, which is beneficial because some could be misplaced; they are also obligated to keep the system safe from those who do not have the permission to access it/certain documents e.g. with passwords, and are responsible to allow two or more users to run programs simultaneously e.g. at the same time. But the main reason why it is crucial is because it is needed to be able to run programs on the computer

Operating systems have different features and functions that add to their strengths and weaknesses. Three very popular operating systems are Microsoft Windows/MS Windows, Linux and The Macintosh OS/Mac OS.

	Strengths	Weaknesses
Windows	§  Several games available because a game station is already up and running when bought (almost all the games anyone could want is already on this game station), attracting many younger generations as well as anyone that’s into games. §  Cheaper than Mac OS. §  Can act like an office where creating documents is available. §  Widespread/commonly used and recognisable e.g. start menu and desktop. §  A large number of software is made for Windows. Windows only that Linux and OS will probably have a Windows version too so that the majority of the software are able to function, whereas Windows can be dependent in running these software. §  At the moment, any piece of hardware should work flawlessly with this OS.	§  Relatively expensive, so some are probably not able to purchase it. §  Less stable than Linux and Mac OS and therefore, crashes more often. §  Vulnerable to viruses so are prone to get clobbered by these, usually ‘once a minute on thousands of computers’, affecting the systems performance overtime. Also, because it is a very famous OS, virus creators tend to target it more frequently than Linux and Mac OS. §  Doesn’t come with an iLife suite like Mac OS, so editing software are needed to be installed for photos, movies and music e.g. Photoshop and iTunes.
Linux	§  Can be installed and used by anyone as it’s completely free, whereas Windows and Mac OS are quote costly: a massive advantage to those with financial issues, particularly those who are redundant and are relying on benefits. §  Highly popular with servers because it almost never has to be restarted, allowing the servers to run 24/7. §  Compatible softwares for it are relatively cheap. §  Very unlikely to come across a virus attack like in Windows. §  Can be decidedly customised that even the whole desktop is alterable. In fact, the user can probably do whatever they want with it. §  Comes with many distributions that provide diverse experiences. §  Far more standardised than Mac OS and Windows. §  Supports most hardware but not all. §  Same high security level as Mac OS.	§  Could be challenging to use and install. Some will probably not even have a single clue how to operate the system because it’s not as common as Windows/OS, particularly to new users. §  Could be overwhelming with new users with the number of features and choices available. §  Unable to run pretty much any software unless Windows is purchased with it too. On the other hand, there are choices available in this OS that doesn’t require Windows. §  Doesn’t come with an iLife suite like Mac OS, so editing software are needed to be installed for photos, movies and music e.g. Photoshop and iTunes. §  Some games may be available but most have issues/errors (some are even difficult to find). §  Certain hardwares are still currently unable to run on this OS.
Mac OS	§  Built on a powerful base programming (UNIX), so it is exceedingly more powerful and secure compare to Windows and Linux (any type of virus protecting tool is almost never needed). §  Faster and minimised loading times, so those who are intolerant of slow computers would benefit from choosing this as an OS. However, this certainly does not mean that the other operating systems are extremely sluggish. §  Lots of useful software that are only built for Mac. §  Visually pleasing on the outside. §  Can act like an office where creating documents is available. §  iLife suite availability, which is for photos, movies and music: attention-grabbing to photographers, musicians and those who are interested in media.	§  Too costly and charges double the amount or more for the same hardware compare to Windows. §  Unable to run pretty much any software unless Windows is purchased to; it can only operate about 5% of the existing software if Windows isn’t obtained with it. §  Availability of games is not as good as Windows (almost nothing compared to it). §  Limited in terms of upgrading.