Types Of Operating Systems 6f5mq

Types of Operating Systems Within the broad family of operating systems, there are generally four types, categorized based on the types of computers they control and the sort of applications they . The categories are: •

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Real-time operating system (RTOS) - Real-time operating systems are used to control machinery, scientific instruments and industrial systems. An RTOS typically has very little -interface capability, and no end- utilities, since the system will be a "sealed box" when delivered for use. A very important part of an RTOS is managing the resources of the computer so that a particular operation executes in precisely the same amount of time, every time it occurs. In a complex machine, having a part move more quickly just because system resources are available may be just as catastrophic as having it not move at all because the system is busy. Single-, single task - As the name implies, this operating system is designed to manage the computer so that one can effectively do one thing at a time. The Palm OS for Palm handheld computers is a good example of a modern single, single-task operating system. Single-, multi-tasking - This is the type of operating system most people use on their desktop and laptop computers today. Microsoft's Windows and Apple's MacOS platforms are both examples of operating systems that will let a single have several programs in operation at the same time. For example, it's entirely possible for a Windows to be writing a note in a word processor while ing a file from the Internet while printing the text of an e-mail message. Multi- - A multi- operating system allows many different s to take advantage of the computer's resources simultaneously. The operating system must make sure that the requirements of the various s are balanced, and that each of the programs they are using has sufficient and separate resources so that a problem with one doesn't affect the entire community of s. Unix, VMS and mainframe operating systems, such as MVS, are examples of multi- operating systems.

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Mac OS X Panther screen shot

It's important to differentiate between multi- operating systems and single- operating systems that networking. Windows 2000 and Novell Netware can each hundreds or thousands of networked s, but the operating systems themselves aren't true multi- operating systems. The system is the only "" for Windows 2000 or Netware. The network and all of the remote s the network enables are, in the overall plan of the operating system, a program being run by the istrative . With the different types of operating systems in mind, it's time to look at the basic functions provided by an operating system.

Real-time Operating System: It is a multitasking operating system that aims at executing real-time applications. Real-time operating systems often use specialized scheduling algorithms so that they can achieve a deterministic nature of behavior. The main object of real-time operating systems is their quick and predictable response to events. They either have an event-driven or a time-sharing design. An event-driven system switches between tasks based of their priorities while time-sharing operating systems switch tasks based on clock interrupts. Multi- and Single- Operating Systems: The operating systems of this type allow a multiple s to access a computer system concurrently. Time-sharing system can be classified as multi- systems as they enable a multiple access to a computer through the sharing of time. Single- operating systems, as opposed to a

multi- operating system, are usable by a single at a time. Being able to have multiple s on a Windows operating system does not make it a multi- system. Rather, only the network is the real . But for a Unix-like operating system, it is possible for two s to at a time and this capability of the OS makes it a multi- operating system. Multi-tasking and Single-tasking Operating Systems: When a single program is allowed to run at a time, the system is grouped under a single-tasking system, while in case the operating system allows the execution of multiple tasks at one time, it is classified as a multi-tasking operating system. Multi-tasking can be of two types namely, pre-emptive or co-operative. In pre-emptive multitasking, the operating system slices the U time and dedicates one slot to each of the programs. Unix-like operating systems such as Solaris and Linux pre-emptive multitasking. Cooperative multitasking is achieved by relying on each process to give time to the other processes in a defined manner. MS Windows prior to Windows 95 used to cooperative multitasking. Distributed Operating System: An operating system that manages a group of independent computers and makes them appear to be a single computer is known as a distributed operating system. The development of networked computers that could be linked and communicate with each other, gave rise to distributed computing. Distributed computations are carried out on more than one machine. When computers in a group work in cooperation, they make a distributed system. Embedded System: The operating systems designed for being used in embedded computer systems are known as embedded operating systems. They are designed to operate on small machines like PDAs with less autonomy. They are able to operate with a limited number of resources. They are very compact and extremely efficient by design. Windows CE, FreeBSD and Minix 3 are some examples of embedded operating systems. The operating systems thus contribute to the simplification of the human interaction with the computer hardware. They are responsible for linking application programs with the hardware, thus achieving an easy access to the computers.

computer would be useless. Operating system types As computers have progressed and developed so have the types of operating systems. Below is a basic list of the different types of operating systems and a few examples of operating systems that fall into each of the categories. Many computer operating systems will fall into more than one of the below categories.

GUI - Short for Graphical Interface, a GUI Operating System contains graphics and icons and is commonly navigated by using a computer mouse. See our GUI dictionary definition for a complete definition. Below are some examples of GUI Operating Systems. System 7.x Windows 98 Windows CE Multi- - A multi- operating system allows for multiple s to use the same computer at the same time and/or different times. See our multi- dictionary definition for a complete definition for a complete definition. Below are some examples of multi operating systems. Linux Unix Windows 2000 Multiprocessing - An operating system capable of ing and utilizing more than one computer processor. Below are some examples of multiprocessing operating systems. Linux Unix Windows 2000 Multitasking - An operating system that is capable of allowing multiple software processes to run at the same time. Below are some examples of multitasking operating systems. Unix Windows 2000 Multithreading - Operating systems that allow different parts of a software program to run concurrently. Operating systems that would fall into this category are: Linux Unix Windows 2000 Types of Operating systems Within the broad family of operating systems, there are generally four types, categorized based on the types of computers they control and the sort of applications they . The broad categories are:

Real-time operating systems: They are used to control machinery, scientific instruments and industrial systems. An RTOS typically has very little -interface capability, and no end- utilities, since the system will be a sealed box when delivered for use. A very important part of an RTOS is managing the resources of the computer so that a particular operation executes in precisely the same amount of time every time it occurs. In a complex machine, having a part move more quickly just because system resources are available may be just as catastrophic as having it not move at all because the system is busy. Single-, single-tasking operating system: As the name implies, this operating system is designed to manage the computer so that one can effectively do one thing at a time. The Palm O.S. for Palm handheld computers is a good example of a modern single-, single-task operating system.

Single-, multi-tasking operating system: This is the type of operating system most people use on there desktop and laptop computers today. Windows 98 and the Mac O.S. are both examples of an operating system that will let a single has several programs in operation at the same time. For example, it's entirely possible for a Windows to be writing a note in a word processor while ing a file from the Internet while printing the text of an e-mail message. Multi- operating systems: A multi- operating system allows many different s to take advantage of the computer's resources simultaneously. The operating system must make sure that the requirements of the various s are balanced, and that each of the programs they are using has sufficient and separate resources so that a problem with one doesn't affect the entire community of s. Unix, VMS, and mainframe operating systems, such as MVS, are examples of multi- operating systems. It's important to differentiate here between multi- operating systems and single- operating systems that networking. Windows 2000 and Novell Netware can each hundreds or thousands of networked s, but the operating systems themselves aren't true multi- operating systems. The system is the only for Windows 2000 or Netware. The network and the entire remote s the network enables are, in the overall plan of the operating system, a program being run by the istrative .