Talk:Operating system
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I'm moving the entire "history of operating systems" section to its own page. The entire (very large) subject of operating system concepts and research operating systems hasn't been mentioned. And that's just the current research OSes. If we include the past research OSes (ie, missed opportunities) the history section could get very big indeed.
In a technical sense an operating system is the system software responsible for the direct control and management of the hardware that makes up a computer and basic system operations such as
- memory management
- process management
- file management
- input/output management
There's nothing "technical" about the definition of OS. Especially if you look at research OSes. There are good arguments for why graphics is a necessary part of the OS, for example.
- Operating systems which distinguish more than one user also track such things as file ownership (I can't read (or erase or alter) your files unless you allow me to) and access to the machine (without properly identifying myself, the operating system will not let me run programs, including itself). These restrictions on users' privileges necessarily require creation of a kind of superuser who can tell the system about newly authorized users, revoke privileges for formerly authorized users, permit those who have forgotten their passwords access, install software, delete software, ...
I just removed this. If you interpret "file ownership" narrowly (ie, as what Unix does) then it's a blatant lie that multi-user systems require tracking of file ownership. If you interpret it broadly, then it's extremely deceptive because the broad definition is not what people will understand.
The "superuser" bit is also wrong. But this phrase pissed me off: necessarily require creation of a kind of superuser?? Who's the ignoramus who wrote this? Not only is it a blatant lie but it's a lie aimed at apologizing for Unix' bad design. Whoever wrote it must have a severe case of Dennis Ritchie worship. Unix's user model (with a single totalitarian superuser) is modeled on fascism and I really hate people who apologize for fascism. -- Ark
Removed this recently added ... er ... stuff:
Operating Systems made so far The first real popular OS avaible for PC was DOS (Disk Operating System), made by Bill Gates and Paul Allen in 1975. After that, the systems have developed into much more advanced programs that let you use your hardware in very many ways. Here is a list with the biggest operating systems from the start:
- MS-DOS - 1975
- Unix - 1983
- Microsoft Windows - 1985
- Microsoft Windows 2.0 - 1987
- Microsoft Windows 3.0 - 1990
- Linux - 1991
- Microsoft Windows NT - 1994
- Microsoft Windows 95 - 1995
- Microsoft Windows 98 - 1998
- Microsoft Windows 2000 - 2000
- Microsoft Windows ME - 2000
- Microsoft Windows XP - 2001
- Lindows - 2002
Several reasons for this: (i) it ignores mainframe and mini operating systems, from which microcomputer operating systems descend. (ii) it's way too short and selective - AppleDOS, CPM, Amiga, TRSDOS, etc., etc., etc. (iii) It dates MS-DOS to 1975 (6 years before the IBM PC!) and ignores the things it was cloned from. (iv) It lists one particular minor Linux distribution (Lindows) and ignores all others.
In short, it needs a lot of work - and the end result would simply be to duplicate material that is already covered in greater depth and with more accuracy elsewhere. Tannin 22:59 Jan 29, 2003 (UTC)
It should be pointed out that a user interface need not involve a monitor at all. The user interface can be as simple as a row of pushbuttons and an accompanying row of lights. Computers operated via push buttons, teletype terminals, etc... are increasingly rare, but they were once common. Let's not limit the 'pedia to strictly modern beliefs. Elde 09:57, 16 Mar 2004 (UTC)
Common Core
This article isn't really up to scratch on this point, surprisingly, seeing that we are on the internet here and there should be enough programmers. Someone seems to be confusing functionalty of API and of OS. The objective of an OS is to provide an abstraction layer to the hardware of the system to make more different architectures somewhat compatible with each other. This may have been forgotten in the windows era, but see NetBSD and even lowly Linux . Hmmm. Kim Bruning 11:31, 21 May 2004 (UTC)
As I try to point out the original objective (circa 1960) is to change the accounting for computer usage from the wall clock to the computer's internal clock and to protect/secure those accounting records from malicious users (who would want to reduce the amount attributed to them). After the various attempts to do this came the realization that this new "layer" could transform the appearance of the hardware. The early operating systems made no effort to allow really different architectures, they were specifically written to exactly one definition of hardware (which could have been broad enough to include some significant variations). OS360 was written for the the line of IBM mainframes, the OS on CDC machines only ran on CDC machines, the OS on the Univacs only ran on the Univacs. I am most familiar with the operating systems on the DEC (Digital Equipment Corporation) boxes and there the TOPS-10 OS only ran on PDP-6s, PDP-10s, and PDP-20's; RSTS, DOS-11, RT-11, RSX-11M, and RSX-11S only ran on PDP-11s; OS-8 only ran on PDP-8s; and while there were some common themes, similar utilities, etc, programs could not be moved from RSTS to RSX-11M let alone to an other DEC machine. Even though TOPS-10 did absolutely nothing to accomodate different architectures, its writers and users still found it useful to visualize the "virtual machine" that the OS presented to user programs.
And as for "lowly Linux" (it is spelled with one l) technically it towers over anything Microsoft has had since it sold off its UNIX business. 03 June 2004 Arthur Protin <protin@h-68-166-100-10.nycmny83.covad.net>
How do you pronounce OS?
I've always said OS as in the way you say GUI, but Apple pronounces it O-S (spells it out). I was just wondering which way was common. I thought I heard someone on tv say Mac OS X my way.--naryathegreat 23:34, Jul 29, 2004 (UTC)
- I pronounce it somewhat like "ahs," unless I am talking about OS X, in which case I spell it out because that is how Apple does it. Apparently, saying "ahs X" regarding OS X is almost as bad as calling it "OS 10," (that is, discouraged) among a few Apple fans I know. Mga 05:11, 14 Jun 2005 (UTC)
- That's odd. Are either of you computer science people? I've done a lot of programming over the years (my experience covers 12 languages although I stay proficient now only in 2) and all other programmers I know have always spelled out the letters out loud as O-S. Or at least that's the way everyone says it in California. --Coolcaesar 21:59, 14 Jun 2005 (UTC)
- Well, with 32 years in the business, I can think of only one instance where it was anything other than O-S: The "commercial operating system" that Digital Equipment Corporation sold for its PDP-8 family was called COS-300 (and later, COS-310); this was pronounced "Kawss-300" (and later "Kawss-310"). Other than that, I can't think of a single case where OS isn't spelled out as "O-S": OS/8, OS/360, OS-9, Mac OS X, Z/OS, and so on. Once in a while, the initialism RTOS is pronounced "R-toss" but it's much more often spoken as "R-T-O-S".
- Atlant 00:01, 15 Jun 2005 (UTC)
Os-tan
IIRC there has been a VFD debate on Os-tan, with consensus to keep*, so all links should be kept too. Feel free to (re?)challenge Os-tan on vfd, but don't remove the links before a clear consensus to delete.
- IIRC, YMMV, wikipedia search tools turn out to be truely terrible, so I can't find a link back to the debate in question. :-/
- No reference to os-tan in archived vfd pages? Could be. Darn! Still, first vfd os-tan page, only then delete links to it. Kim Bruning 13:10, 4 Oct 2004 (UTC)
Kim Bruning 12:56, 4 Oct 2004 (UTC)
- I don't have a problem with OS-tan having its own page with links to whatever. However I don't see why the actual OS pages should link to OS-tan, I don't see what this contributes to the actual OS pages. Fair enough if it was an actual official or unofficial mascot like Tux or Hexley, but when it is just something a bunch of people made up to amuse themselves...
- If someone out there has written Bill Gates/Steve Jobs slash fiction stories should we create links to them on the Steve Jobs and Bill Gates pages? AlistairMcMillan 17:18, 4 Oct 2004 (UTC)