2. 3 Main operating systems and pros and cons of each
Windows Mac OS X Linux
• The major advantages of
windows are the availability of
business applications software,
support and resources.
• The high cost of matching
Windows applications on other
systems and the high cost of
migration are the greatest
barriers to change.
• Mac OS offers the advantages
of less “user friction interface”,
higher productivity, lower
maintenance and support costs,
and better security.
• Mac OS X is still the operating
system of choice for graphic
artists, designers and most
others who work with visual
and audio media.
• More secure than windows and
Mac OS X
• The latest and greatest
hardware is typically slower to
reach Linux.
3. Modern versions of operating systems Windows, Mac OS X, and
Linux
Windows 8 Mac OS X Linux
4. CLI vs GUI
GUI short for Graphical User Interface, a GUI
uses windows, icons, and menus to carry out
commands such as opening files, deleting files ,
and moving files. Unlike a CLI, GUI operating
systems are much easier for end-users to learn
and use because commands do not need to be
known or memorized.
Referred to as the command line or text
interface, the CLI is a user interface that is
navigated by typing commands at prompts, as
opposed to using the mouse to perform a
command. A command line interface requires
unique commands, this interface is often more
difficult to learn because of the need to
memorize dozens of different commands.
However, a command line operating system can
be a very valuable resource and should not be
ignored.
5. CLI GUI
Ease of use Because of the memorization and familiarity needed to
operate a command line interface new users find it
much more difficult to successfully navigate and
operate a command line interface.
Although new users may have a difficult at time
learning to use the mouse to operate and use a GUI
most users pick up this interface much easier when
compared to a command line interface.
Control Users have much more control of their file system and
operating system in a command line interface. For
example, users can easily copy a specific type of file
from one location to another with a one-line
command.
Although a GUI offers plenty of control of a file system
and operating system often advanced users or users
who need to do specific tasks may need to resort to a
command line to complete a particular task.
Multitasking Although many command line environments are
capable of multitasking they do not offer the same
ease and ability to view multiple things at once on one
screen.
Windows that enable a user to easily view, control, and
manipulate multiple things at once
Appearance CLIs usually do not change in their appearance which in
turn means once a user got familiar with the
Interface/Command there is no need get familiarized
every now and then the CLI appearance changes again.
GUIs for particular programs tend to change often —
mostly with every major release version. Thus a user
has to invest time over and over again each time the
GUI changes in order to become familiar again.
Speed Because command line users only need to use their
keyboards to navigate a command line interface and
often only need to execute a few lines to perform a
task an advanced command line interface user is
mostly able to get something done much faster then an
advanced GUI user.
A GUI may be easier to use because of the mouse,
however using a mouse and/or keyboard to navigate
and control your operating system for many things is
going to be much slower then someone who is working
in a command line environment.
Resources A computer that is only using the command line takes a
lot less of the computers resources. Also, with CLIs
there is no need to install a graphical layer at all onto a
computer system which saves a lot of resources e.g.
storage space.
A GUI will require a lot more system resources because
of each of the elements that need to be loaded such as
icons, fonts, etc. In addition video drivers, mouse
drivers, and other drivers that need to be loaded will
also take additional resources.
6. Operating systems
What is an Operating System?
The Operating system (OS) is the most important program that runs on a computer.
Every general-purpose computer must have an operating system to run other
programs. Operating systems perform basic tasks, such as recognizing input from the
keyboard, sending output to the display screen, keeping track of files and directories
on the disk, and controlling peripheral devices such as disk drives and printers. For
larger systems, the operating plays a even more important role, it ensures that
programs and users running at the same time to do not interfere with each other. The
operating system is also responsible for security, ensuring that unauthorized users do
not access the system.
