An operating system, abbreviated OS, is a product, software type, that is part of a system, equipment or computerized equipment, which deals

with management and coordination of its activities. The computerized system may be a computer, a workstation, a server, a PC, a notebook, a smartphone, a road navigation device or another system with "intelligence" of its own. The operating system plays the role of host for all applications running on the equipment (hardware).

Operating system functions To act as interface between hardware and users, an operating system must be able perform the following functions: 1. Enabling startup application programs. Thus, the operating system must have: - A text editor - A translator - An editor of links 2. The allocation of resources needed to execute programs is done by identifying: the programs that are running, the need for memory, peripheral devices and data protection requirements. 3. Facilities for data compression, sorting, mixing, cataloging and maintenance of libraries, through utility programs available. 4. Plan implementation works according to certain criteria, for efficient use of central processing unit. 5. Assisting implementation of programs through computer-user communication system, at both hardware and software level.

Desktop Operating Systems

A desktop operating system is one that is intended for a desktop computer. These operating systems usually come with things that one would probably use at his/her desk. For example, Windows operating system typically comes with Microsoft Office pre-installed.

Comparison of Desktop Operating Systems Windows is know for its user friendliness, large hardware support, and the large amount of software available for it. However, it is also closed-source and is very well know for some of the greatest computer headaches in existence: viruses, spyware, malware, gradual performance decay, and the BSOD (Blue Screen of Death). This means that as long as the user doesnt want to see their system go down in fairly short time, they need to install security and maintenance software. Even then, the system isnt 100% covered. Overall though, you can run the most programs, games, and devices on Windows, and with enough effort to maintain it, is a very effective operating system. On a completely different side, Mac OS X is another operating system that should be reckoned with. It includes a very appealing interface with many programs that integrate tightly into the system. There are also a handful of programs that work just in Mac OS X that have received very well reviews. Mac OS X is based on Darwin, and is therefore correctly titled as a Unix operating system, complete with Unix certification. Because its built differently than Windows, programs made for Windows wont work under Mac OS X, unless the application is made cross-platform to make it work over several operating systems. It doesnt get Windows

viruses because of its design (Unix), which automatically makes it numerous times safer than Windows. It also supports many peripherals attached to it, providing ease of use with cameras, printers, etc. In this sea of advantages it has, especially over Windows, there are two huge obstacles that keep it from being an ultimate contender: Both due to hardware support in specific areas and usage restrictions in its license, Mac OS X can only be run on systems built by Apple, such as the Mac mini, iMac, etc. This means that if you want to run Mac OS X without hacking it and then running it illegally, you will have to buy an Apple computer, which are more expensive than normal PCs, and may break your bank. Also, Mac OS X is, like Windows, mainly closed-source. Last but not least we have Linux in our comparison. Linux is the general term that is used for the large collection of Linux distributions (distros for short), where all distros use the Linux kernel. Linux has a large number of advantages that can benefit everyone, no matter what they use their computer for. One of the most important points is that Linux is open-source. This means that anyone in the whole world can look through the source code of Linux and any other part of the distribution and find any bugs, security holes, or any other problems within the source code, and either fix it themselves, or give their findings to someone who can fix the problem. Open source, which is most characterized by the GNU GPL (GNU General Public License), which lets you create, modify, and redistribute any software freely that is using the GNU GPL, is very advantageous in that everything is free, both price-wise and freedom to do anything you want with the program. This can help individuals and companies with a small or even nonexistent budge create a robust system (and network). Second, Linux is classified as Unixlike, so you get the great flexibility and power of Unix (with tweaks). However, it contains no Unix code, but is a Unix-like replica made of open-source code. Third, there are also many great applications that work on Linux, such as OpenOffice.org, Pidgin, and GIMP. In fact, Pidgin and GIMP were first made for Linux and were eventually ported to other operating systems like

Windows because of their popularity. Linux also has very good hardware support, and unique features/programs, such as GNOME, KDE, XFCE, and Compiz. Applications that work for Windows and Mac OS X are most likely also ported to Linux, and some Windows-only programs even work in Linux without any modifications through the use of Windows Compatibility Layer programs, such as the popular WINE program. Finally, Linux is also a fairly universal language (depending on the distribution), and can have a number of different languages installed and active. Linux is also most popular when used in servers, which is runs the famous LAMP application stack (Linux, Apache, MySQL, PHP), as well as many other server applications and services. Overall, each operating system has its own perks. After doing my own calculations and weighting my own opinions of each, Linux seems to me like the best operating system of choice. Linux has so many areas that are already having amazing effects on users and others that show major promise, I see Linux eventually getting a major market share, just like how Firefox is starting to topple Internet Explorer. Even though Linux has less than 2% of the market, its mainly because Linux isnt well known to all users, plus it is hard for some to migrate to Linux because they try to use their Windows mindset on Linux, which just doesnt work well. That, in effect, also shows that Microsoft has closed the minds of users with their monopolizing, closed-

source Windows to other ideas.

Mobile Operating Systems A mobile operating system, also referred to as mobile OS, is the Operating System that operates a smartphone, tablet, PDA, or other digital mobile device. Modern mobile operating systems combine the features of a personal computer operating system with other features, including a touchscreen, cellular, Bluetooth, WiFi, GPS mobile navigation, camera, video camera, speech recognition, voice recorder, music player, Near field communication and Infrared Blaster. Mobile devices with mobile communications capabilities (e.g. smartphones) contain two mobile operating systems - the main user-facing software platform is supplemented by a second low-level proprietary real-time operating system which operates the radio and other hardware. Research has shown that these low-level systems may contain a range of security vulnerabilities permitting malicious base stations to gain high levels of control over the mobile device. Android Android is from Google Inc. It is free and open source. Android's releases prior to 2.0 (1.0, 1.5, 1.6) were used exclusively on mobile phones. Most Android phones and some Android tablets, now use a 2.x release. Android 3.0 was a tablet-oriented release and does not officially run on mobile phones. The current Android version is 4.4. Android's releases are nicknamed after sweets or dessert items like Cupcake (1.5), Donut(2.0) Eclair(2.1) Frozen Yogurt ("Froyo") (2.2), Ginger Bread (2.3), Honeycomb (3.0), Ice Cream Sandwich (4.0), Jelly Bean (4.1),(4.2),(4.3) and Kit Kat (4.4). Most major mobile service providers carry an Android device. Since HTC Dream was introduced, there has been an explosion in the number of devices that carry Android OS. From Q2 of 2009 to the second quarter of 2010, Android's worldwide market share rose 850% from 1.8% to 17.2%. On November 15, 2011, Android reached 52.5% of the global smartphone market share.

Blackberry BlackBerry 10 is from BlackBerry. It is closed source and proprietary. BlackBerry 10 (previously BlackBerry BBX) was the next generation platform for BlackBerry smartphones and tablets. One OS was planned for both Blackberry smartphones and tablets going forward. iOS iOS is from Apple Inc. It is closed source and proprietary and built on open source Darwin core OS. The Apple iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad and second-generationApple TV all use an operating system called iOS, which is derived from Mac OS X. Native third party applications were not officially supported until the release of iOS 2.0 on July 11, 2008. Before this, "jailbreaking" allowed third party applications to be installed, and this method is still available. Currently all iOS devices are developed by Apple and manufactured by Foxconn or another of Apple's partners. Windows Phone Windows Phone is from Microsoft. It is closed source and proprietary. On February 15, 2010, Microsoft unveiled its next-generation mobile OS, Windows Phone. The new mobile OS includes a completely new overhauled UI inspired by Microsoft's "Metro Design Language". It includes full integration of Microsoft services such as Microsoft SkyDrive and Office, Xbox Music, Xbox Video, Xbox Live games and Bing, but also integrates with many other non-Microsoft services such as Facebook and Google accounts. Windows Phone devices are made primarily by Nokia, along with HTC, Samsung, Huawei and other OEMs.