Windows 3x Operating System

Windows 3x Operating System

When Microsoft first released their Windows operating system, it was named Windows 3.0. Subsequent versions were named after this original version as in Windows 3.1, Windows 3.2, etc. The entire family of the Windows operating system based on that original version is referred to as Windows 3x.

Windows 3.0 was released in 1990 and was hailed as the next big version of the operating system. It would soon take the computer world by storm and be hailed as what every computer user needed to effectively and easily operate a computer system. The Windows 3x family of operating systems would be the basis for many new and exciting developments in the world of operating systems.

With the release of Windows 3.0, virtual memory and loadable virtual device drivers were present in the operating system which allowed the system to share arbitrary devices between multi-tasked DOS Windows. Because of this, Windows applications could then run in 16-bit protected mode and gave them access to several megabytes of memory. It also removed the obligation to participate in the software virtual memory scheme.

The applications still ran inside the same address space where the segmented memory provided a degree of protection and multi-tasked cooperatively. For Windows 3.0, Microsoft also rewrote critical operation from “C” into “assembly” making this release faster and less memory-hungry than its predecessors.

With the introduction of 32-bit Windows for Workgroups 3.11, the family of Windows 3x operating system could finally stop relying on DOS for file management. The most important novelty of this version of Windows was the possibility of running 32-bit multi-threaded preemptively multi-tasked graphical program. However, the necessity of keeping compatibility with 16-bit programs meant the GUI components were still 16-bit only and not fully re-entrant which resulted in reduced performance and stability.

Nevertheless, the Windows 3x family of operating systems was still one of the most innovative designs for an operating system seen to date. Even though in 1990, operating system technology was still evolving, Windows 3x operating systems were technologically advanced way over their competition.

This version of Windows would introduce the graphical user interface making it easier for anyone to operate a computer system. Point and click technology would soon become the norm, but it all started with the Windows 3x operating system. The computer world, at the time, hadn’t seen anything like Windows 3x, but they would sure see more with the advent of technology.

Operating systems have evolved over the years, but the Windows 3x family of operating systems set the groundwork for the operating systems we know today. Constant updating and improving gave us the capability to use our computers in new and exciting ways. And it all started in 1990.

64-Bit Operating System

64-Bit Operating System

The 64-bit operating system is one that is capable of storing information in memory that is at least 64 bits or 8 bytes wide. They are also based on registers, address buses, or data buses of that same size. A bus is a subsystem that transfers data or power between computer components inside a computer or between computers. The bus is controlled by a device driver similar to those that control outside peripherals like a mouse or printer.

64-bit CPUs have existed in super computers since the 1960’s and work stations and servers since the 1990’s. While this architecture has been around for awhile, 64-bit operating systems are relatively new concepts in the computer world. Windows XP, Windows Vista, and Mac OS X Tiger are all 64-bit operating systems.

The advantages to 64-bit operating systems are far-reaching. They are more powerful and more reliable than the 32-bit systems. The 64-bit operating system can address more memory directly without using complex indexing or register-addressing schemes. Because internal memory is several orders of magnitude faster than storage, combining a 64-bit processing architecture with more RAM lets a processor pull more data into memory and operate on it directly, increasing performance manifold.
A 64-bit file system also can improve disk management. Rather than having to take a large disk, such as a 9 GB storage module, and segmenting it into 32-bit addressable chunks (2 GB each), you can address the entire disk. That can help, for example, both in database performance and the performance of the operating system itself.
64-bit operating systems are great for user who need to access very large data stores. The system is valuable in industries such as CAD (computer aided drafting), science and engineering, human resources, and financial modeling. Users working with these computer-intensive applications will probably see immediate improvement with 64-bit machines over 32-bit machines running at the same clock rate and with similar memory configurations.

There is a simple analogy that can help explain the difference between a 32-bit operating system and a 64-bit operating system. A 32-bit addressing environment can keep track of the name and address of every person who has lived in the United States since 1997. A 64-bit environment can keep track of the name and address of every person who has every lived in the world from the beginning of time. That’s a powerful system!

The advent of the 64-bit operating system is technology that has been sorely needed for some time. Users notice a marked improvement in performance, storage, and much more with these new, powerful 64-bit operating systems.

Operating System Design

Operating System Design

With the popularity of free software, computer “geeks” all over the world have begun to think about operating system design. Because the free operating systems that are currently online allow changes and redistribution, some enterprising individuals to begin thinking about designing their own operating system based on the freeware. So, how do you go about coming up with your own operating system design? First, you need to understand the components of an operating system.
Most operating system designs involve a software component called the kernel, which is responsible for hardware abstraction and resource management. The kernel is present at all times to all applications running on the system, and defines a special mechanism, known as a system call, by which applications can make requests of it. Most of the architectural decisions in operating system design concern exactly what role the kernel should play in the operating system architecture.
Modern processors include the capability to change privilege levels for different tasks. Lower privilege levels are denied the ability to directly access some or all hardware resources. This way, for example, applications cannot directly read from the hard drive. This is very important when the operating system must guarantee security, since an application that could read from the disk without the kernel becoming involved could bypass access control to files on that disk.
The kernel in the operating system is very important to the design of the operating system. Most operating systems utilize the monolithic kernel. In this design, the abstraction and resource management code of the operating system is all placed into the operating system kernel, which is mapped into each process.

There are a lot of other components that go into operating system design that you will have to think about if you want to undertake this type of project. While the kernel is certainly the most important component of an operating system, you will also have to address the following:

* System booting
* Devices and device drivers
* Processes
* Memory management
* File systems
* Networks
* User interface
* Real time
* Software compatibility
* Fault tolerance

However, when designing an operating system, your most important task has to be security. You want to be sure that your operating system design is security. If you want your operating system design to take the world by storm, you must provide the people who will be using it a sense of security that will insure their system won’t be breached.

In this exciting technological time, it is possible to design your own operating system if you’re not happy with the choices you currently have. Just pay attention to the various components all operating systems must have and then use your imagination to design an operating system you can be proud of!