Types of OS
As
computers and computing technologies have evolved over the years, so have their
usage across many fields. To meet growing requirements more and more customized
software have flooded the market. As every software needs operating system to
function, operating systems have also evolved over the years to meet growing
demand on their techniques and capabilities. Here we discuss some common types
of OS based on their working techniques and some popularly used OS as well.
GUI OS
GUI is
the acronym for Graphical User Interface. An operating system that presents an
interface comprising graphics and icons is called a GUI OS. GUI OS is very
easy to navigate and use as users need not remember commands to be given to
accomplish each task. Examples of GUI OS includes Windows, macOS, Ubuntu, etc.
Time Sharing OS
Operating
systems that schedule tasks for efficient processor use are called time
sharing OS. Time sharing, or multitasking, is used by operating systems
when multiple users located at different terminals need processor time to
complete their tasks. Many scheduling techniques like round robin scheduling
and shortest job next scheduling are used by time sharing OS.
Real Time OS
An
operating system that guarantees to process live events or data and deliver the
results within a stipulated span of time is called a real time OS. It may
be single tasking or multitasking.
Distributed OS
An
operating system that manages many computers but presents an interface of
single computer to the user is called distributed OS. Such type of OS is
required when computational requirements cannot be met by a single computer and
more systems have to be used. User interaction is restricted to a single
system; it’s the OS that distributed work to multiple systems and then presents
the consolidated output as if one computer has worked on the problem at hand.
Popular Operating Systems
Initially
computers had no operating systems. Every program needed full hardware specifications
to run correctly as processor, memory and device management had to be done by
the programs themselves. However, as sophisticated hardware and more complex
application programs developed, operating systems became essential. As personal
computers became popular among individuals and small businesses, demand for
standard operating system grew. Let us look at some of the currently popular
operating systems −
· Windows − Windows is a GUI operating system first
developed by Microsoft in 1985. The latest version of Windows is Windows 10.
Windows is used by almost 88% of PCs and laptops globally.
· Linux − Linux is an open source operating system
mostly used by mainframes an supercomputers. Being open source means that its
code is available for free and anyone can develop a new OS based on it.
· BOSS − Bharat Operating System Solutions is an
Indian distribution of Linux based on Debian, an OS. It is localized to enable
use of local Indian languages. BOSS consists of −
·
o
Linux kernel
o
Office application suite BharteeyaOO
o
Web browser
o
Email service Thunderbird
o
Chat application Pidgim
o
File sharing applications
o
Multimedia applications
Mobile OS
An
operating system for smartphones, tablets and other mobile devices is
called mobile OS. Some of the most popular OS for mobile devices includes−
· Android − This Linux-based OS by Google is the most
popular mobile OS currently. Almost 85% of mobile devices use it.
· Windows Phone 7 ,8,10− It is the latest mobile OS developed by Microsoft.
· Apple iOS − This mobile OS is an OS developed by Apple
exclusively for its own mobile devices like iPhone, iPad, etc.
· Blackberry OS − This is the OS used by all blackberry mobile
devices like smartphones and playbooks.
