Structure and evolution of pc operating system

STRUCTURE AND EVOLUTION OF PC OPERATING SYSTEM.

Operating Systems

An operating system is the program that manages all the application programs in a computer system. This also includes managing the input and output devices, and assigning system resources.

Operating systems evolved as the solution to the problems that were evident in early computer systems, and coincide with the changing computer systems. Three cycles are clear in the evolution of computers, the mainframe computers, minicomputers and microcomputers, and each of these stages influenced the development of operating systems.

Now, advances in software and hardware technologies have resulted in an increased demand for more sophisticated and powerful operating systems, with each new generation able to handle and perform more complex tasks. The following report examines the development of operating systems, and how the changing technology shaped the evolution of operating systems.

First Generation Computers (1945-1955).

In the 1940’s enormous machines capable of performing numerical calculations were created. The machine consisted of vacuum tubes and plugboards, and programming was done purely in machine code. Programming languages were unheard of during the early part of the period, and each machine was specifically assembled to carry out a particular calculation.

These early computers had no need for an operating system and were operated directly from the operator’s console by a computer programmer, who had immediate knowledge of the computers design.

By the early 1950’s punched cards were introduced, allowing programs to be written and read directly from the card, instead of using plugboards.

Second Generation Computers (1955-1965).

In the 1950’s, the transistor was introduced, creating a more reliable computer. Computers were used primarily for scientific and engineering calculations and were programmed mainly in FORTRAN and assembly language.

As computers became more reliable they also became more business orientated, although they were still very large and expensive. Because of the expenditure, the productiveness of the system had to be magnified as to ensure cost effectiveness. Job scheduling and the hiring of computer operators, ensured that the computer was used effectively and crucial time were not wasted.

Loading the compilers was a time consuming process as each compiler was kept on a magnetic tape, which had to be manually mounted? This became a problem particularly when there were multiple jobs to execute written in different languages (mainly in Assembly or Fortran). Each card and tape had to be individually installed executed then removed for each program. To combat this problem, the Batch System was developed. This meant that all the jobs were grouped into batches and read by one computer (usually an IBM 1401) then executed one after the other on the mainframe computer (usually an IBM 7094), eliminating the need to swap tapes or cards between programs.

General Motors designed the first operating system called IBM 701. It was called input/output System, and consisted of a small set of code that provided a common set of procedures to be used to access the input and output devices. It also allowed each program to access the code when finished and accepted and loaded the next program. However, there was a need to improve the sharing of programs, which led to the development of the SOS (Share operating system), in 1959. The SOS provided buffer management and supervision for I/O devices as well as support for programming in assembly language. Around the same time as SOS was being developed, the first operating system to support programming in a high-level language was achieved. FMS (Fortran Monitoring System) incorporated a translator for IBM’s FORTRAN language, which was widely used as most programs where written in this language.

Modern Operating Systems

The past 9 years have seen many advances in computers and their operating systems. Processors continue to increase in speed, each requiring an operating system to handle the new developments. Microsoft Corporation has dominated the IBM compatible world, Windows being the standard operating system for majority of personal computers.

Now as computing and information technology becomes more towards the Internet and virtual computing, so too must the operating systems.

In 1992, Microsoft for Workgroups 3.1 was introduced, extending on from the previous versions. It allowed the sending of electronic mail, and provided advanced networking capabilities to be used as a client on an existing local area network. This was only the one stage in the vast evolution of the worlds most popular operating system, with the most recent being Windows NT and Windows 98, the latter being a fully Internet integrated operating system. Windows, however is not the only operating system in use today? Other’s such as UNIX, Apple Operating System and OS/Warp have also had an impact, each new version more advanced, and more user friendly than the last ones.

Windows 7 is one of Microsoft’s more popular recent operating systems. Like most versions of Windows, it’s written using various dialects of the C programming language originally developed in the 1970s. One unique feature of Windows 7 is the Bit Locker Drive Encryption, which enables you to encrypt your hard disk. The minimum system requirements (for the 32-bit version) are a 1 GHz processor, 1 GB RAM, and 16 GB hard drive space. Compared to its predecessors, Windows 7 is faster and possesses easier networking methods. However, there are numerous versions of the operating system. Not all of them are available in all countries. There are also features from Vista that are not present in 7. Microsoft Windows started out as a shell. Windows uses a colorful graphics interface that, among other things, eases access to the operating system. The feature that makes Windows so easy to use is a graphical user interface (GUI-pronounced "goo-ee"), in which users work with on-screen pictures called icons and with menus rather than with keyed-in. They are called pull-down menus because they appear to pull down like a window shade from the original selection. Some menus, in contrast, called pop-up menus originate from a selection on the bottom of the screen. Furthermore, icons and menus encourage pointing and clicking with a mouse, an approach that can make computer use both fast and easy. 

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