Operating System

Microsoft Windows

 

 

Windows XP is a line of operating systems produced by Microsoft for use on personal computers running x86 and IA-64 processors, including home and business desktops, notebook computers, and media centers. It is the successor to both Windows 2000 Professional and Windows Me, and is the first consumer-oriented operating system produced by Microsoft to be built on the Windows NT kernel and architecture. Windows XP was first released on 25 October 2001, and over 400 million copies were in use in January 2006, according to an estimate in that month by an IDC analyst. It is succeeded by Windows Vista, which was released to volume license customers on 8 November 2006, and worldwide to the general public on 30 January 2007. Direct OEM and retail sales of Windows XP ceased on 30 June 2008, although it is still possible to obtain Windows XP from System Builders (smaller OEMs who sell assembled computers) until 31 July 2009 or by purchasing Windows Vista Ultimate or Business and then downgrading to Windows XP.

 

Brief Specs:

• Windows XP 64-bit
• Widows XP supports 4GB RAM
• $187.99
• first released on 25 October 2001

Windows Vista is the successor to Windows XP. It contains many changes and new features, including an updated graphical user interface and visual style dubbed Windows Aero, improved searching features, new multimedia creation tools such as Windows DVD Maker, and redesigned networking, audio, print, and display sub-systems. Vista also aims to increase the level of communication between machines on a home network, using peer-to-peer technology to simplify sharing files and digital media between computers and devices. Windows Vista includes version 3.0 of the .NET Framework, which aims to make it significantly easier for software developers to write applications than with the traditional Windows API.

Brief Specs:

• 32-bit or 64-bit
• Windows Vista supports 4 GB-16GB of RAM
• $174.99 – $250.00
• first released on 30 November 2007

Ubuntu

 

 

Ubuntu is a community developed linux-based operating system that is perfect for laptops, desktops and servers. It contains all the applications you need – a web browser, presentation, document and spreadsheet software, instant messaging and much more. Its latest version in January 2009 is ubuntu 8.10.

Ubuntu 8.10 Desktop Edition delivers the features you need for an increasingly mobile digital life, including 3G wireless support and guest sessions that lets users temporarily share computers without compromising security. Ubuntu 8.10 Server Edition consolidates its support for virtualization with an integrated Virtual Machine builder, and brings with it a fully-supported Java stack and support for per-user directory encryption.

Brief Specs:

• Supports 32 bit or 64-bit
• Supports 4GB of RAM
• $20 Ubuntu 8.10 desktop edition
• first released on 30 October 2008

 

BeOS

BeOS was an operating system for personal computers which began development by Be Inc. in 1991. It was first written to run on BeBox hardware. BeOS was optimized for digital media work and was written to take advantage of modern hardware facilities such as symmetric multiprocessing by utilizing modular I/O bandwidth, pervasive multithreading, preemptive multitasking and a custom 64-bit journaling file system known as BFS. The BeOS GUI was developed on the principles of clarity and a clean, uncluttered design. The API was written in C++ for ease of programming. It has POSIX compatibility and access to a command line interface through Bash, although internally it is not a Unix-derived operating system.

Brief Specs:

• 64-bit graphical user interface
• $99.95

Mac OS X

Mac OS X version 10.5 “Leopard” is the sixth major release of Mac OS X, Apple’s desktop and server operating system for Macintosh computers, and the successor to Mac OS X v10.4 “Tiger”. Leopard was released on 26 October 2007, and is available in two variants: a desktop version suitable for personal computers, and a server version, Mac OS X Server. Apple offers a reduced-cost upgrade to people who purchased new Apple computers after 1 October 2007 that do not already have Mac OS X v10.5 pre-installed or a Leopard upgrade DVD included. Steve Jobs stated at Macworld 2008 that over 20% of Macs use Leopard as their operating system. Leopard will be superseded by Mac OS X v10.6 “Snow Leopard”.

According to Apple, Leopard contains over 300 changes and enhancements, covering core operating system components as well as included applications and developer tools. Leopard introduces a significantly revised desktop, with a redesigned Dock, Stacks, a semitransparent menu bar, and an updated Finder that incorporates the Cover Flow visual navigation interface first seen in iTunes. Other notable features include support for writing 64-bit graphical user interface applications, an automated backup utility called Time Machine, support for Spotlight searches across multiple machines, and the inclusion of Front Row and Photo Booth, which were previously included with only some Mac models.

Brief Specs:

• 64-bit graphical user interface
• 4gb + RAM
• $109.00 to $129.99
• April 13th 2007