The uniqueness of UNIX
The features that made UNIX a hit from the start are:
Multitasking capability
Multi-user capability
Portability
UNIX programs
Library of application software
Security
1. Multitasking Capability
Many computers do just one thing at a time, as anyone who uses a PC or laptop can attest. Try logging onto your company's network while opening your browser while opening a word processing program. Chances are the processor will freeze for a few seconds while it sorts out the multiple instructions.
UNIX, on the other hand, lets a computer do several things at once, such as printing out one file while the user edits another file. This is a major feature for users, since users don't have to wait for one application to end before starting another one.
2. Multi-user
The same design that permits multitasking permits multiple users to use the computer. The computer can take the commands of a number of users -- determined by the design of the computer -- to run programs, access files, and print documents at the same time.
The computer can't tell the printer to print all the requests at once, but it does prioritize the requests to keep everything orderly. It also lets several users access the same document by compartmentalizing the document so that the changes of one user don't override the changes of another user.
3. System portability
A major contribution of the UNIX system was its portability, permitting it to move from one brand of computer to another with a minimum of code changes. At a time when different computer lines of the same vendor didn't talk to each other -- yet alone machines of multiple vendors -- that meant a great savings in both hardware and software upgrades.
It also meant that the operating system could be upgraded without having all the customer's data inputted again. And new versions of UNIX were backward compatible with older versions, making it easier for companies to upgrade in an orderly manner.
4. UNIX Programs
UNIX comes with hundreds of programs that can divide into two classes:
Integral utilities
These are absolutely necessary for the operation of the computer, such as the command interpreter, and Tools that aren't necessary for the operation of UNIX but provide the user with additional capabilities, such as typesetting capabilities and e-mail.
UNIX Communications
E-mail is commonplace today, but it has only come into its own in the business community within the last 10 years. Not so with UNIX users, who have been enjoying e-mail for several decades.
I was very interested in computers and technology as a child, both playing games and building fake parts for them. Still in elementary school, I was fascinated by these computing machines, spending hours on end working with DOS to satisfy my curiosity. Around my middle school years, Windows became graphical, and I found interest in even more computer games with even greater experiences and capabilities. Windows was the dominant operating system at the time, but I was soon to find there was a whole different world out there of operating systems. While out on vacation in Washington, DC, my Dad and I were able to meet with the local Tech Fanatics group, HackDC. It was here where I discovered Linux. Linux, an alternative to Windows, immediately grabbed my attention when I saw it in use. It appeared to me as something that only the extreme computer users even heard of. Upon my return home,
The Linux operating system is the catchall term for the dozens of software stacks built around the free and open source Linux kernel. Clumped into distribution...
During the time of 1969, two-computer scientist that worked with the AT&T Bell Labaratories made the decision to lead a time-sharing computer system named Unix. This system was later modified...
In the early 1980s the top competitor in this industry was IBM due to its open system and ease of being cloned. During this same time, Apple struggled to keep pace and changed its competitive strategy multiple times. From 1980 to 1993 Apple positioned itself in the computer industry as the company that provides easy to use desktops with superior software and hardware. Unlike its competitors, Apple did not use “open systems that other producers could clone; instead they practiced horizontal and vertical integration and used Apple’s own proprietary design” (Pearce, 2013). It is this strategy that held the company back. Open systems were popular within the industry and customers enjoyed the flexibility of the systems
Retail system management can be an exhausting and daunting task. However, successfully evaluating the efficiency of an organization’s operating system is necessary to ensure a smooth and efficient operating stance for any venturing company. In this example, I will discuss the evaluation of RadioShack’s current operating system—Windows 98.
In this case, the Mac OS (Operating System) differs from other operating systems like Windows, which presents difficulty to users. Basic operating systems including Mac, UNIX, Linux, and Windows function in different ways, but present one distinct purpose: the implementation of programs to do different tasks.
It all began in 1991, during the time of monumental computing development. DOS had been bought from a Seattle hacker by Bill Gates, for a sum of $50,000 – a small price for an operating system that had managed sneak its way across the globe due to a clever marketing strategy. Apple’s OS and UNIX were both available, though the cost of running either was far greater than that of running DOS. Enter MINIX, an operating system developed from the ground up by Andrew S. Tanenbaum, a college professor. MINIX was part of a lesson plan used to teach students the inner-workings of an operating system. Tanenbaum had written a book on MINIX called “Operating System” and anyone who had picked up a copy would find the 12,000 lines of code that comprised MINIX itself. This was a big issue; due to the fact that all know (well published) operating systems to that point had been well guarded by software developers, thus making it difficult for people to truly expand on operating system mechanics.
The reason for this rapid adoption is Linux’s unique ability to provide powerful functionality, security, compatibility, customization at a more cost-effective price than proprietary vendors. In its inception, there were many perceived concerns to utilizing Linux in a corporate infrastructure.
At the outset, before the advent of user friendly operating systems, computers were run using the operating system CP/M (Control Program for Microcomputers). The program itself looked simple, but the complexity of its use meant that not many fully understood how to use it. As the program was also limited in use, since it was designed for 8-bit systems, a new operating system was needed when 16-bit IBM systems came out.
Another Linux advantage is that there are a number of free and commercial distributions, or distros for short, versions of Linux. They all offer something
...er expect, such as text editors and formatters electronic mail facilities and network protocols. AND UNIX is a software development environment. It was written by programmers for programmers, and has many sophiscated programming tools. Writing new applications is well supported and the system supports applications of every kind. (Quarterman and Wihelm 1993)
Some of the functions of an operating system include hardware management, data management, multitasking, message transfer and multiprocessing.
Electronic Mail, a means of communication that is growing at a very rapid rate. In this paper, I will write about introduction of e-mail, the advantage and disadvantage of e-mail, mailing lists, sending an e-mail message, sending attachments, e-mail improvement, and security features. Introduction of Electronic Mail Electronic mail (E-mail) has become popular and easy way of communication in this decade. E-mail is a method of sending and receiving document or message from one person to another. E-mail is not only replacement for postal mail and telephones, and also it is a new medium. E-mail send plain text, images, audio, spreadsheets, computer programs can attach to an e-mail message. Using the e-mail, you must have a computer on a network. The computer must require a modem and phone line. Sending and receiving e-mail needs an e-mail program. Every e-mail user requires an e-mail address. This e-mail address is similar to a postal address. E-mail address is written as username@domain, for instance, PCLEE@juno.com. The username is used for sending and receiving e-mail.
Computers are helpful because they offer a wide range of functions and services that are not available anywhere else. There are four main uses: word processing, internet/communications, digital video/audio composition, and desktop publishing. Although one can create a typed paper with a typewriter, the computer has more features
Where would we be without operating systems? Technologically, we would be living in the Stone Age, computers would be useless without an operating system. What is an operating system? An operating system is computer instructions that coordinate all the activities of a computers’ hardware like, memory, storage devices, and printers (Gary B. Shelly).