Week 7 covered various operating systems, system and application software. This week was very beneficial as these concepts can help develop one to become more familiar with technology that is used every day. The most clear of these topics was the different types of operating systems and the pro's & con's of each of the operating systems. I also learned of new operating systems that I was unfamiliar with in the past like Linux.
The first type of operating system that was introduced in chapter 8 was Windows XP. This OS was originally released in 2001 but continues to be the favorite over the more-recent Windows Vista due to it being more stable and having better performance. Windows XP was released in five different versions including: Home Edition, Professional Edition, Media Center Edition, Tablet PC Edition and Professional x64 Edition. Each of these editions served a specific purpose and catered to a niche market that would allow the user to use it for their own needs. The most popular of these editions is the Home Edition that came pre-installed on many computers in the early 2000's. Home edition was the easiest and most friendly to use for computer users who were using their computer for daily computing needs. It also included easy to use tools that would help address and fix computer related problems.
After the release of Windows XP, Microsoft came about with Windows Vista in 2006. Unfortunately, many users were disappointed by the error-prone Vista and converted to a Mac or went back to Windows XP. Windows Vista was also released in five editions included: Home Basic, Home Premium, Ultimate, Business and Enterprise. The new interface for Windows Vista was memory intense and older computers did not have the required performance to run Vista successfully. Microsoft's latest operating system, Windows 7 was designed to fix all of the bugs Vista had and to create a more efficient computing experience.
Windows chief rival is the Macintosh operating system which is focused on ease of use and noted for its video editing abilities. The latest Macintosh operating system is the Mac OS X and is a multitasking OS only available for computers manufactured by Apple. The war between Microsoft and Apple has been going on for decades, in recent years Apple has taken a larger market share due to a very successful advertising campaign. The new operating system has features like: desktop search technology, built-in fast web browser, 3-D personal video and an all new re-designed dashboard.
A less popular but alternative operating choice is Linux, however it has been on the rise in recent years. Unlike previous operating systems which were proprietary, Linux is open source software which means its code is provided for use, modification and redistribution. Thus ultimately meaning it has no restrictions regarding copyrights or any issue with modifying the softwares internal instructions. Linux is available in both a GUI interface and command-line, with the GUI interface being the more popular of the two. Linux can be downloaded from the web for free(www.linux.com), or purchased from distributors who bundle their software along with Linux like Red Hat or IBM.
Knowing the different types of operating systems and how to use them is critical in a business environment. It allows users the capability to diagnosis problems on their own with utilities that are readily available that they may not have had prior knowledge of. It also gives them exposure to different options opposed to only using Windows or Mac, they have other options like Linux which could be more efficient given their computing needs. In the end, it is very important for anyone in a business environment to know the different kinds of operating systems and how to use them properly.
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