Your computer has 3 main hardware components: the CPU, RAM, and mass storage. The operating system’s job is to act like a conductor to keep track of all the running applications, files, networking, hardware device inputs and outputs, etc. The operating system is like a program to run all programs. It controls the interaction between components like memory, hard drives, keyboard, mouse, CPU, etc.
Built into every operating system is a kernal. The kernal is the core part of the operating system that handles the primary memory management. When you start a program, it’s the kernal that decides where is the program going to sit in the RAM, how often will it run, etc.
Workstation operating systems
Standard operating system features include:
- File management to add, delete, rename files
- Application support including memory management and swap file management
- Input and output support including printers, keyboards, hard drives, USB
- OS configuration and management tools
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows comes in traditional desktop versions such as Windows 7, Windows 10, etc. but there are also Windows Server versions as well.
The advantages of Windows is that it’s widely recognized operating system and thus has large industry support. Most applications will run on Windows. Secondly, there are many versions of Windows available (home use or enterprise use version)
The disadvantages of Windows is that because it’s so popular it is also a big target for security exploitation. Hackers will target Windows because once they find a vulnerability, they will be able to use it against many Windows users. Another disadvantage is that Windows has to support a wide variety of hardware
Apple Macintosh OS
MacOS is designed to run on Apple hardware.
The advantages of macOS is that it’s designed for ease of use. Since it’s designed primarily for Apple hardware, the OS is extremely compatible with the hardware. MacOS has relatively fewer security concerns.
The disadvantages of macOS include that it requires Apple hardware. There is less industry support than the Windows PC platform. There are limited hardware options and there may be a higher initial hardware cost.
Linux
Linux is a free operating system. There are many different distributions such as Ubuntu, Debian, Red Hat/Fedora.
The advantage of Linux is that it’s free. It works on a variety of hardware. There is a large, active, and devoted user community.
The disadvantage of Linux is that there is limite driver support, especially with laptops. In general, the support options for Linux are limited.
Cell phone/tablet operating systems
Microsoft Windows
Some modern tablets are able to run the full blown version of Microsoft Windows. These tablet are made by many different manufacturers but generally feature a touchscreen computer with a keyboard and stylus pen.
Windows mobile was a limited version of Windows that was previously used in mobile devices. However, Windows Mobil is no longer in active development and will no longer be supported after December 2019.
Android
The Android operating system is developed by Google. Android is an open source operating system based on Linux. It’s supported on many different manufacturer’s phones and tablets.
Android apps are available from the Google Play store or from third party sites like Amazon AppStore.
iOS
Apple iPhones and iPads use the Apple iOS. Apple iOS is based on Unix. It’s closed source, meaning that users don’t have access to the source code used in iOS. iOS is exclusive to Apple products.
Apps must be approved by Apple before they are released. These iOS apps are downloadable from the Apple App Store.
Chrome OS
Chrome OS is Google’s operating system. It’s based on the Linux kernel. Chrome OS centers around the Chrome web browser. Consequently, most apps are web based. Many different manufacturers have hardware that can run ChromeOS. Hardware running Chrome OS is generally less expensive. Chrome OS requires you to have a good internet connection because it relies so heavily on the cloud.
