Unit 2
P2: Computer System
The
operating system offers many function and services to manage the hardware and software
of a computer system. It offers a stable way for the application to deal with
the hardware. This makes it easier for the user to interact with the software
that is available on the computer. Without the OS on a computer system the
users will not be able to run a software program on their computer, which is
why the OS is the most important software on a computer system. The OS also
makes it easier for users to connect different input and output hardware to the
computer. Every operating has device drivers which is a group of files that
allow more than one hardware device to connect to the computers operating
system. Without device drivers hardware devices will not work as they are not
connected to the computers operating system. For example without devices
drivers for a computer printer, the printer will not work as it cannot
communicate with the operating system.
Firewall is an
operating systems security as it prevents other computers that are connects to
the same network, to gain access or steal data off of your computer. It only
allows authorised programs to access data. You as the user can allow what to
receive and what to send out. For example if software data is required on all
the computers on the network, you can choose to update or postpone it. The user
can also protect their folders by adding a password or providing controlled
access, which can limit file access for other users on the computer system. By
adding passwords to folders it prevents other users to access it and by
providing controlled access it can stop other users from reading, writing, deleting,
and renaming or copying documents from the folder. File Management is used by
operating system to organise and keep track of files on the computer system. It
uses directories to organise files into a tree structure.
The most
popular operating system are:
- Microsoft Windows: Windows is created by a company called Microsoft which released its first OS in 1985 which lacked a huge amount of functionality. The current Windows OD uses a graphical user interface which allows the user to interact with the computer by using the images/icons. This makes it easier for the user to use the computer as they do not need to type in commands to run.
- Mac OS X: Mac OS X is created by Apple which released their first OS in 1984. The Mac OS created to only run on Mac computers, since 2002 all Mac computers have the OS already installed to it. The Mac OS previously ran on PowerPC-based Macs but since 2006 they have ran on Intel. Same as Windows, Mac OS uses a graphical user interface making it easier for the user to use the computer.
- Linux: Same as Mac OS X, Linux also uses a Unix-based system, however Linux is a completely open source which allows the user to modify their OS and even create their own from a basic templates from Linux.
M1: Comparing Windows and Linux
Microsoft
Windows
|
Linux
|
|
Cost
|
Windows could cost from £70 plus depending
on what type of windows the users wants.
|
Linux is completely free of charge.
|
Software
|
Windows has a much more available software
programs, utilities and games than Linux. Windows have more because of they
have more users than Linux.
|
Linux has many available software programs,
utilities and games.
|
Software
Cost
|
Windows does have software programs, utilities and games for free however many of the software could cost you from £20 to £200+. |
Software programs available on Linux are
mainly freeware or open source. However some programs such as Gimp,
OpenOffice etc. are sometime available for free or at low cost.
|
Hardware
|
Windows have more support for hardware
devices, they are almost compatible with every manufactures. Windows are more
compatible because they have a larger amount of users.
|
Linux will still not be support by many
hardware devices, however the hardware devices that have driver support they
will could work in all versions of Linux.
|
Security
|
Microsoft Windows may have made a lot of
improvements to the security of their operating system, but they are still very
vulnerable to be attacked by viruses.
|
Linux is much more secure operating system as they hardly get attacked by viruses. |
GUI
|
Windows is a GUI operating system and is
very similar to Mac OS, as it uses icons and text to navigate.
|
Linux is a GUI operating system. As it uses
icons and text to navigate around the operating system.
|
File
Management
|
Windows replaced NTFS and now use Fat32 as
it is faster and reliable.
|
Linux uses ext4 file system type which is
slightly faster than Windows NTFS file system type.
|
User
Support
|
Once the users have purchased the operating
system, they can get support by calling up the company for help or visit
their website.
|
Linux users can only get support through
the internet, as they have not purchased the operating system so they will
have to ask other Linux users for help. E.g. through forums etc.
|
File
System Support
|
Microsoft support files such as Ext2, Ext3,
Ext4, Jfs, ReiserFS, Xfs, Btrfs, FAT, FAT32 and NTFS.
|
Linux only supports files such as FAT,
FAT32, NTFS and eXFAT
|
Reliability
|
Microsoft has made many improvements in
reliability for the Windows operating system however the reliability is not
as good as Linux as they still have many issues.
|
Many of the Linux operating system versions
are very reliable as they can run for months without needing to reboot.
|
Gaming
|
Nearly every game is compatible with
Windows.
|
Some games are available on Linux, however
some games can only be played through Wine.
|
'the ability for the user and technicians to
customize the system settings and appearance
|
Microsoft
Windows is very user friendly as it is very simple to use. Windows also
allows the technicians to customise the operating system to the user needs.
|
"note you may be asked to expand on some of the points, so try to add more to the assignment. Also remember not to copy word for word, as their are now software to check for plagiarism, when marking the assignment, try to complete the assignment your own way." [I am not encouraging you to copy this piece is here for educational purposes]
