Operating Systems
WINDOWS XP
Windows XP comes in both 32 and 64 bit varieties. The Maximum amount of ram supported is 4gigs. Average retail price is around $165. Release date was RTM: August 24, 2001. File system it supports is FAT(2gig), FAT32(4gig), and NTFS (2 and 4 respectively). You may search in the dos command or through the file searching system.
Features:
Built on the new Windows engine
Enhanced device driver verifier
Dramatically reduced reboot scenarios
Improved code protection
Side-by-side DLL support
Windows File Protection
Windows Installer
Enhanced software restriction policies
Preemptive multitasking architecture
Scalable memory and processor support
Encrypting File System (EFS) with multi-user support
IP Security (IPSec)
Kerberos support
Smart card support
Internet Explorer Add-on Manager
Windows Firewall
Windows Security Center
Attachment Manager
Data Execution Prevention
Windows Firewall Exception List
Windows Firewall Application and Port Restrictions
Fresh visual design
WINDOWS VISTA
Features:
|
Feature |
Home Basic |
Home Premium |
Business |
Enterprise |
Ultimate |
|
All worldwide user interface languages |
|
|
|
Yes |
Yes |
|
Backup of user files to network device |
|
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
|
BitLocker Drive Encryption |
|
|
|
Yes |
Yes |
|
Centralized power management through Group Policy |
|
|
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Client-side caching |
|
|
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Control over installation of device drivers |
|
|
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Complete PC Backup |
|
|
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Complete PC Restore |
|
|
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Desktop deployment tools for managed networks |
|
|
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Encrypting File System (EFS) |
|
|
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Folder Redirection |
|
|
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Group Policy support |
|
|
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Integrated smart card management |
|
|
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Internet Information Server |
|
|
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Join a Window domain |
|
|
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Max. RAM on 32-bit systems |
4 GB |
4 GB |
4 GB |
4 GB |
4 GB |
|
Max. RAM on 64-bit systems |
8 GB |
16 GB |
128+ GB |
128+ GB |
128+ GB |
|
Multiple user interface languages |
|
|
|
Yes |
Yes |
|
Network Access Protection Client Agent |
|
|
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Network Projection |
|
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Offline files and folder support |
|
|
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
|
PC-to-PC Sync |
|
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Pluggable logon authentication architecture |
|
|
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Policy-based quality of service for networking |
|
|
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Presentation Settings |
|
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Remote Desktop |
Client only |
Client only |
Client & host |
Client & host |
Client & host |
|
Rights Management Services Client |
|
|
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Roaming User Profiles |
|
|
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Scheduled backup of user files |
|
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Small Business Resources |
|
|
Yes |
|
Yes |
|
Subsystem for UNIX-based Applications |
|
|
|
Yes |
Yes |
|
Support for Media Center Extenders, including |
|
|
|
|
|
|
System image–based backup and recovery |
|
|
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Themed slide shows |
|
Yes |
|
|
Yes |
|
Two processor support |
|
|
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Virtual PC Express |
|
|
|
Yes |
Yes |
|
Windows Aero |
|
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Windows Anytime Upgrade |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
|
|
|
Windows DVD Maker |
|
Yes |
|
|
Yes |
|
Windows Fax and Scan |
|
|
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Windows Media Center |
|
Yes |
|
|
Yes |
|
Windows Meeting Space |
View only |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Windows Mobility Center |
Partial |
Partial |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Windows Movie Maker |
Yes |
Yes |
|
|
Yes |
|
Windows Movie Maker HD |
|
Yes |
|
|
Yes |
|
Windows ShadowCopy |
|
|
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Windows SideShow |
|
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Windows Tablet PC support |
|
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Wireless network provisioning |
|
|
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Xbox 360 |
|
Yes |
|
|
Yes |
Windows Vista supports both 32 and 64 bit applications and hardware. Maximum amount of ram is again like XP, 4gigs.
The new Vista file system works on the following (ACID) transaction principles:
- Atomicity – In a transaction involving two or more discrete pieces of information, either all of the pieces are committed or none are.
- Consistency – A transaction either creates a new and valid state of data, or if any failure occurs, returns all data to its state before the transaction started.
- Isolation – A transaction in process and not yet committed must remain isolated from any other transaction.
- Durability – Committed data is saved by the system such that, even in the event of a failure and system restart, the data is available in its correct state.
Windows Vista has a search bar built inot its “Start” button on the bottom left, letting you search whatever file with the click of a button. Release date for vista was, RTM: November 8, 2006. Average retail price for Vista, depending on which flavor you got it in is around $300.
Linux Ubuntu
Features:
“Lower hardware requirements – Older systems which crawl with Windows, hum nicely with Linux” – Sorry, but I ran Ubuntu on a P2 450MHz PC and it was anything but humming nicely, same with kubuntu they both slow to a stop under normal usage much slower then if you were running winxp on it (with a few services disabled, as with ubuntu)
“Stability – Linux rarely if ever crashes.” – Oh please, this is possibly the worst one on there, I’ve tried at least 25 different distro’s on different PC’s (So no, it’s not bad configuration) and ALL of them have crashed more then Windows, sure it might not crash whilst not being used (read: servers) but it certainly does under normal desktop usage. Under heavy usage I’ve had a windows system without rebooting for 2+ months, and then only shutdown because of a power cut, but with Linux under heavy usage I’m lucky to get over 3 days. Sure, my old server that never gets touched has been up for over a year, and runs Linux, but it would have been up for the same time if it used windows… because it doesn’t get used.
“Ease of Use” – I’m sure my gran would beg to differ.
“Upgrades (especially with Ubuntu) are a breeze, and you can productively work while they are occuring with no impact on system performance” – Wait a second, didn’t I just finish reading an article about how a update for Ubuntu broke/misconfigured X?
“Choice of Office Suite, Web Browser, email client, rss newsreader, media player, etc. etc. etc.” – …You can’t install other programs on Windows? I wasn’t aware of that.
“LAMP – easily set up servers and database (Apache, MySQL, PHP) making development and testing of web apps quick” – WAMP does that for you at the click of a button (Well, ok, 5 clicks)
“Hardware Support” – Are you kidding me? I have a really enjoyable time setting up my wireless network cards because it has such good support. Granted it has got better, the latest version of SuSE 10.1 detected my external hard drive but then again, so does windows…
Ubuntu supports both 32 and 64 bit. The 2.4 kernel that Ubuntu runs off of can support up to 64 gigs of ram, but maximum in a motherboard is around 8 gigs. Ubuntu supports Ext2, Ext3, and JFS with a maximum file size of atleast 16gigs and a total maximum of 2 terabytes. Ubuntu has desktop search capabilities built into it. But many have commented that the search features are very poor. Ubuntu is run all by command prompt so I assume there is some search functions within that. Ubuntu’s initial release October 20, 2004. Ubuntu does not have a retail price, its free for the public as it is an open source OS.
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.
BeOS was positioned as a platform which could be used by a substantial population of desktop users and a competitor to Microsoft Windows and Linux. However, it was ultimately unable to achieve a significant market share and proved commercially unviable for Be Inc. The company was acquired by Palm Inc. and today BeOS is mainly used and developed by a small population of enthusiasts.
Be Inc. sued [1] Microsoft claiming that Hitachi had been pressured to dissuade them from selling PCs loaded with BeOS, and that Compaq had been pressured not to market an Internet appliance in partnership with Be. BeOS also claimed that Microsoft acted to artificially depress Be Inc’s IPO. The case was eventually settled out of court[2] with no admission of liability on Microsoft’s part.
BeOS has support for 32 bit applications and hardware, and some 64 bit processors, with plans to make 64 bit fully supported. Maximum amount of ram is determined by the limitations on your motherboard, meaning there is no real limit. BeOS uses a file system called BFS which stands for BeOS File System, file size can be up to 1024 kb and 32k lines, with up to 255 characters per line.
Search Capabilities: n BeOS, file systems (even the native BFS) are handled via plug-ins called add-ons. Download a file system add-on, drop it into place, and you have the immediate capability to read (and often write to) alien file systems. Out of the box, every BeOS machine, whether x86 or PowerPC, can read and write BFS, HFS, HFS+, FAT16, and FAT32 volumes. It can also read (but not write to) ext2fs and NTFS. More obscure file system add-ons can be written by developers and posted for others to use. OS X did a great job of reading a FAT32 volume I stuck in my G4 for a while, but as far as I know, does not handle other file systems as elegantly.
BeOS was released in March of 1998 for Intel based systems. The suggested retail price of the BeOS is $99.95.
MAC OS X
Mac OS X (pronounced /mæk oʊ ɛs tɛn/)[3] is a line of computer operating systems developed, marketed, and sold by Apple Inc., and since 2002 has been included with all new Macintosh computer systems. It is the successor to Mac OS 9, the final release of the “classic” Mac OS, which had been Apple’s primary operating system since 1984. Mac OS X, whose “X” represents the Roman numeral for “10″ and is a prominent part of its brand identity, is a Unix-based operating system,[4] built on technologies developed at NeXT between the second half of the 1980s and Apple’s purchase of the company in early 1996. Its sixth and most recent version, Mac OS X v10.5 is certified UNIX 03 while running on Intel processors.
The first version released was Mac OS X Server 1.0 in 1999, and a desktop-oriented version, Mac OS X version 10.0 followed in March 2001. Releases of Mac OS X are named after big cats; for example, Mac OS X v10.5 is usually referred to by Apple and users as “Leopard“. The server edition, Mac OS X Server, is architecturally identical to its desktop counterpart, and includes tools to facilitate management of workgroups of Mac OS X machines, and to provide access to network services. These tools include a mail transfer agent, a Samba server, an LDAP server, a domain name server, and others. It is pre-loaded on Apple’s Xserve server hardware, but can be run on most of Apple’s computer models.
Apple also produces specialized versions of Mac OS X for use on three of its consumer devices; the iPhone OS for the iPhone, and the iPod Touch,[5] and an unnamed version for the Apple TV.[6]
OSX supports both 32 and 64 bit hardware applications. since Leopard is a 64-bit operating system, it can support up to 2^64 bits of data. however, i believe the santa rosa chipset can only support up to 4GB of RAM. 2^64 > 4,000,000,000 bits hence “more than your laptop can support”.
HFS
HFS (Hierarchical File System) was the primary filesystem format used on the Macintosh Plus and later models, until Mac OS 8.1, when HFS was replaced by HFS Plus.
This section briefly describes the various filesystems supported by “stock” Mac OS X.
HFS+
HFS+ is the preferred filesystem on Mac OS X. It supports journaling, quotas, byte-range locking, Finder information in metadata, multiple encodings, hard and symbolic links, aliases, support for hiding file extensions on a per-file basis, etc. HFS+ uses B-Trees heavily for many of its internals. Max OSX supports HFS+ and UFS (Unix File System) and may be up to 255 characters long. Retail price is around $129.99.
