"Iron" - just the "flesh" of the computer. And its spirit, the engine is software, which, in fact, makes the computer's processor heart beat at a monstrous speed, driving digital blood through the iron "veins".
But the programs themselves are quite helpless - they all need some kind of intermediary that would allow them to work with computer hardware. How exactly does the interaction between humans and computers take place?
No matter how many programs there are in a computer, they all need a single PLATFORM. A single, common language in which they can communicate with computer hardware on the one hand and with the user on the other. An assistant who will take off their shoulders the solution of the most common problems.
The first programs were not assembled from ready-made blocks, as they are today, but were written from scratch in the language of “native” machine codes for a given computer. And this was natural, because the first computers were a “thing in itself”, incompatible with other smart machines. Only at the end of the fifties, when computers went into mass production, and their number was no longer in the tens, but in the thousands, the first universal means of communication between man and machine appeared - programming languages. First - "low" ones like assembler, accessible only to a few wizards from programming, and then ...
Then, in the mid-70s, Basic entered the arena, a language of standard text commands that even schoolchildren could work with. And the schoolchildren did not miss their chance - in any case, two half-educated students Bill Gates and Paul Allen went down in history precisely thanks to the version written (and most importantly, sold) by them in Basic for Altair computers. From this seed, real operating systems later hatched - intermediary programs, control programs.
... We often say - "I work with Windows", but we have little idea what this means. After all, the operating system itself (or, more familiarly, just the OS) is a kind of buffer-transmitter between computer hardware and other programs. The OS takes over the signals-commands that other programs send, and "translates" them into a language understandable to the machine. The OS controls all devices connected to the computer, providing access to them to other programs. Finally, the OS - provides a human user with the convenience of working with a computer.
Each OS consists of at least five mandatory parts.
- The first is a "translator" from the program language to the "iron", the language of machine codes.
- The second is specialized programs for controlling various devices that make up the computer. Such programs are called managers. Thanks to them, the operating system learns the shortest path to the "heart" of each device and gets its hands on the "control panel" for all their functions and abilities.
- The third part is interfaces, special modules for performing standard procedures and functions with which application programs interact. There are a lot of such libraries in Windows, and some of them are part of a kind of "creative unions", helping each other in performing certain tasks. The most striking example is DirectX, a set of tools for working with sound, video and other multimedia resources. Games, music and video players all use DirectX, which takes over some of their work. And this is very convenient - otherwise the producers of each program would have to write all the modules from scratch to solve the simplest tasks.
- The fourth part is the “database”, into which the system enters information about all its settings, installed programs, and much more. After all, it is impossible to store such data in the body of the programs themselves - for this it would be necessary to intervene endlessly in their code, which, you see, is simply unacceptable. In the DOS era, each program kept its own "dossier", storing all the necessary information in its configuration files. Windows solved the problem differently, generously giving all programs a single "warehouse" for storing settings - the system registry. The registry also stores all the information necessary for the operation of Windows itself.
- The fifth part is a convenient shell with which the user communicates - . A kind of beautiful wrapper that packs a boring and uninteresting core for the user. Comparison with packaging is also successful because it is what they pay attention to when choosing an operating system - the core, the main part of the OS, is remembered only later.
Today, a graphical interface is an invariable attribute of any operating system. However, the "OSes" of the first generations did not have a graphical, but a text interface, that is, commands were given to the computer not by clicking on the pictogram, but by entering commands from the keyboard. And Windows itself was originally not a full-fledged operating system, but just a “graphic add-on” over the DOS kernel, and entered the age of “age” only ten years ago!
Of course, there are many operating systems in the world - and Windows is far from the best of them. Mac OS, the operating system for Apple computers, is much simpler and more intuitive for users. And numerous operating systems of the Linux family have much more stability, reliability and flexibility in customization, and they cost ten times less ... So, theoretically, you have a choice.
But, most likely, you decide to stop at one of the versions of Windows - because for all its shortcomings, it has long become a recognized standard. And no matter what skeptics say about Windows, today there is simply no better system for the home.
MICROSOFT OPERATING SYSTEMS
The story of Microsoft's rapid rise to fame is well known: in the early 1980s, Bill Gates' company was awarded a contract to develop an operating system for the IBM PC. Belatedly assessing the prospects of the personal computer market, the "Blue Giant" IBM intended to completely capture it with its new PC ...
Everything was clear with the hardware, only the software issue remained unresolved ... Irony of fate: they learned about Microsoft and IBM only thanks to unintentional help. their main antagonist is Apple! When preparing the IBM PC project, its authors took as a model, of course, the Apple II - the most popular computer of that era.
…Having obtained the coveted contract and just a couple of steps away from the IBM office, Gates and Allen immediately bought a ready-made OS from Seattle Computer Product. The 86-DOS program they created was almost completely copied from CP \ M, which suited both IBM and Gates. The latter had only to quickly put his brand name on the purchase, hastily adapt it for the IBM PC - and launch it in a series!
This is how MS-DOS was born, the most popular "first generation" PC operating system that lasted almost twenty years (the last version of DOS was released in 2000). However, you can still see the DOS black screen today in any version of Windows - just go to the Start menu, click on the Run command and type cmd in the line.
Having turned DOS into the de facto standard for IBM-compatible computers, Microsoft for some time calmly cut coupons and corrected errors (fortunately, there were always enough of them in the company's products). However, there were few qualitative improvements in DOS - it was still a single-tasking OS without the slightest hint of a graphical interface. Commands were given to the computer not by clicking on the pictogram, but by using the keyboard.
For example, today, to launch the Microsoft Word text editing program, just click on the icon for this program on the Windows desktop. And earlier, when working in the previous generation OS - DOS, it was necessary to enter a command like
C:\WORD\word.exe c:\doc\mybook.doc
Soon, users got tired of the black screen, single-tasking mode and text "Interface" - especially since Apple has long offered an alternative in the form of a graphical Mac OS operating system. Actually, it was from it that the first version of Windows was copied, which was, however, not a full-fledged operating system, but just a shell for DOS.
The first versions of Windows did not enjoy any noticeable success. Even IBM, which warmed Bill Gates' team, was not interested in the novelty - but Microsoft was invited to participate in the work on the OS / 2 operating system. This graphical OS, unlike Windows, was a REAL operating system. It is characteristic that Gates himself hesitated between these two products for another six years (!) - only in the early 90s was the choice made. From now on, the company has relied only on Windows, leaving the already fully polished and competitive OS / 2 to its fate.
The first successful versions of Windows are 3.1 and 3.11 (with network mode support), which were released in 1992-1993. However, the first time Windows got close to its current shape was only two years later, with the release of the truly revolutionary Windows 95. It was in it that the decisive step was first taken to turn the shell into a full-fledged operating system, although the good old DOS still served as the kernel.
Farewell to her dragged on for five years - only in 1999, Windows ME (Millennium Edition) was born, in which the DOS mode was artificially blocked. However, back in 1993, Microsoft began work on a new line of operating systems built on a fundamentally new core. Its founder was the Windows NT operating system, designed for professionals and corporate users. Although NT's interface wasn't too different from other versions of Windows, it was very different, with more emphasis on stability and reliability, and less on entertainment. For the new OS, a new secure file system NTFS (NT File System) was even developed, which for the time being, Windows versions of the mass line could not work with.
Both variants of Windows evolved in parallel until the end of the century. However, after the release of "people's" Windows ME and "professional" Windows 2000, Microsoft announced the final rejection of the "DOS line".
Windows XP
Humanity had to enter the twenty-first century with a new system that combined the advantages of both of its parents ... Windows XP. This operating system has been around for quite a few years - a record age by software standards. But it still looks very decent - the interface, however, already smells of the Stone Age, but the reliability and stability of XP remains at a height unattainable for other operating systems from Microsoft.
As a result, this operating system turned out to be so successful that, according to the developers, it lingered on the market for a long time. It was expected that after the advent of Vista, the used XP would be scrapped ... But that was not the case! Despite the fact that Microsoft “departed” its offspring back in 2007, even today experienced users first remove Vista from a laptop, and then put XP in it. On netbooks, it has no competitors at all.
Well, what good is XP, we already understood. Stable, streamlined, fast and not too demanding on resources: in order to make her happy, 1 GB of RAM is enough! Therefore, for entry-level laptops, a better system has not yet been invented - another question is whether you can find the necessary drivers for new models ... In a word, if the seller offers you a netbook with Windows XP, you should not wrinkle your nose contemptuously: getting rid of some not too necessary "decorations ”, you will greatly benefit in performance. With RAM up to 2 GB, working with XP will be much more comfortable. But whether it is worth putting XP on new models is an ambiguous question. You can, of course, try, but there is no guarantee that all the hardware will be recognized and will work without a hitch. Usually, webcams and wireless communication modules are declared on strike, for which there are simply no drivers for "old" systems.
Well, the main disadvantage of XP - this system is poorly adapted to work with multi-core processors and new standards of three-dimensional graphics in games. That is, you can put a new video card on XP, and the system will recognize it - but it will not be able to use all its capabilities.
Windows Vista
It is called the biggest failure of Microsoft, and at best - a "dress rehearsal" before the release of Windows 7 True, it would never occur to anyone in the theater to pass off a rehearsal as a real performance, and even more so - to tear the full cost of a ticket from the audience ...
And now, with the release of Windows 7, Vista's short and unfortunate life seems to have really come to an end. But it all started very cool, and there were countless useful innovations in Vista: built-in search, an almost “three-dimensional” A ero interface with pretty wallpapers, and good security mechanisms. Everything was. That's just implemented all these goodies not too well. Take, for example, the system requirements - compared to XP, they have increased at least twice, but even on computers with 2 GB of memory, Vista managed to shamelessly slow down .. No wonder they joke that Vista was developed by Estonian programmers! And the built-in security system (User Account Control) turns even such routine operations as downloading and installing programs into a tedious exam. Of course, all this is done for a good purpose ... only the efforts of programmers were in vain, because most users disable UAC immediately after the first boot of the system.
Of course, Microsoft patched up most of the bugs and holes: after the release of Service Pack 2 in 2009, Vista finally turned into something more or less decent. And yet there is no incentive to install it on computers today.
Windows 7
After the pancake called Windows Vista turned out to be a chubby, cheeky and completely inedible bun, Microsoft had to seriously adjust its plans for the future. But everything seems to have been planned and scheduled for years to come: Vista was supposed to provide developers with a piece of bread with black caviar banned in Russia until 2010-2012, after which the "leader's shirt" was supposed to move on to a new project - Vienna.
The “low start” of Vista confused all the cards: the developers were urgently pulled out of an undeserved vacation and ordered to work in the “rush plus” mode on the new OS. And so this time without hack-work! The first beta version of Windows 7 was shown to the public in early 2009 - and turned out to be surprisingly solid. No revolutionary changes were made to the system - well, do not consider the updated one as such. Taskbar, modified "network center" and a handful of new icons! Yes, support for multi-touch screen control has appeared, but it has not received wide distribution - at least not yet.
Contrary to popular belief, the appetites of the new OS have not become more modest: for comfortable work, the "seven" still requires at least 2 GB of RAM and a dual-core processor - another thing, the system manages this economy much more competently.
In general, having retained all the useful finds of Vista, the "seven" got rid of many of its shortcomings - and for this alone, weary users are already ready to raise it to the shield .. So if you are offered a laptop running the "seven" - feel free to give it preference over competitors.
Home Premium (Home Extended)
Extended (or rather, full-fledged) home version, including additional functions of the Windows Media Center (support for high-definition television - HDTV, recording TV programs and creating DVD), Photo Album, Parental Control and - finally! - 3D Aero interface! Price - about 250 dollars for the "boxed" version, and about 70-80 - for a laptop.
For home users, this version of Windows 7 is the most convenient and profitable. In many ways, also because, along with the regular version of this operating system, designed to be installed on one computer, Microsoft also offers the so-called Family Pack with a license for three computers! And this means that by purchasing only one distribution kit for a relatively small amount of $ 150, you can equip the entire computer in the apartment with a licensed "Windows". True, whether this program will operate in Russia is still unknown.
Ultimate (Maximum)
For the most advanced and demanding individual users. Combines the benefits of the home and business versions, and also contains new modules such as hard disk encryption software (BitLocker). In addition, incredibly useless Extras have been released for Ultimate, such as the Dreamscene animated wallpaper and several games. The price is 350-400 dollars, and it will add about 120-150 dollars to the cost of a laptop.
For corporate users, the Professional and Enterprise editions are intended.
Any of these versions can be installed from the Windows "distribution" DVD: the operating system installation kit is universal. True, getting the Maximum version at the price of the Home version will not work: immediately after installation, Windows will require a key, but it is different for each version.
Each version exists in two more modifications - 32 and 64-bit. Any version can be installed on a modern laptop with an AMD x2 or Intel Core2Duo processor (these processors support both modes). The fundamental difference is only in the amount of supported memory: if the system has more than 2 GB of RAM, install the 64-bit version. Theoretically, 32-bit Vista is capable of supporting up to 4 GB of RAM, but in reality, problems start already at half the amount.
Although the 64-bit system has its drawbacks: it loads the processor more, requires more memory, and besides, there are problems with drivers, especially for old hardware - finding a driver for the 32-bit version is much easier. And many programs refuse to work with 64-bit Vista outright. So on a system with 2-3 gigabytes of RAM, there is no point in setting “64-bit”. Yes, and with 4 GB of "RAM" it is worth once again thinking about what is more important for you - extra 500 MB of memory or speed?
And finally, let's say a few words about the system requirements (REAL, allowing you to work in the operating system really comfortably). To run Windows 7, you MUST have at least a 2 GHz dual-core processor, at least 2 GB of RAM and 17 GB of hard disk space (excluding additional programs). In addition, a DirectX10 capable video card is highly recommended - that is, any released in 2009. Optimum characteristics - processor with a frequency of 3 GHz, 4 GB of RAM.
THE "RIGHT" OPERATING SYSTEM
Despite the growing appetite of the Windows family from year to year, the world is still far from being wholly owned by the flying window operating system. There are not as few OS competitors as it seems to users ... and as much as Microsoft would like it to be.
Here we will briefly describe only the most famous of the alternative operating systems for personal computers. Before there were many, literally dozens. But in a tough fight, almost all of them left the stage: only numerous “OSes” survived and became widespread, originating from the first full-fledged OS - Unix, developed almost half a century ago for “large” computers.
The word UNIX refers not to one operating system (as many beginners mistakenly believe), but to a whole family, the first representatives of which appeared long before Bill Gates could pronounce the word "programming" without hesitation. Already in the early 60s. there were several UNIX systems created for their computers by various companies. Irony of fate: in the late 70s. in the development of one of them - Xenix - the then-unknown Microsoft company took part ... UNIX was created primarily for professionals, and therefore never contained any "frills" such as a convenient graphical interface, and then no one heard about the concept of "multimedia". Something else was important:
- Compatibility (programs written for one UNIX system should also work on another).
- Portability (UNIX could be customized for any computer).
- Customizability (each programmer who worked with the UNIX system could make his own corrections to it, adapting it to a specific computer).
- Stability, stability and more stability!
Until the mid 90s. The "interests" of the creators of Windows and UNIX lay in different planes: numerous variants of UNIX served "large" computers and servers, and Windows worked on "personal computers". And these operating systems developed in completely different directions. Suddenly ... Yes, yes, just suddenly, and for no apparent reason, both families of operating systems simultaneously began to look at each other's possessions. The moment when the two giants, puffing and waddling awkwardly, moved towards each other, is not difficult to guess - 1993. It was this year that Microsoft first decided to encroach on the "server" market by releasing the first version of Windows NT, and yesterday's student Linus Torvalds created a home version, a freely distributed Linux operating system based on a "portable" modification of Minix. Together with it, the grandiose project of the GNU movement (GNU is Not UNIX) and the concept of "open source texts" (Open Source) were born - these words are still inscribed on the banner of supporters of "free software" today. By the way, in addition to Linux, a number of other "free" operating systems also spun off from the powerful UNIX tree - for example, server OS FreeBSD, NetBSD and OpenBSD, the first of which (what a coincidence!) was born in the same 1993.
Linux is no longer just a program. It is a new way, an alternative, a cult, a religion, a way of life (choose the right term yourself). And its main advantage is stability, flexibility and versatility that have not even become a byword. It's enough that Linux is an operating system different from Windows. It doesn't matter whether you pin your hopes on it for a new, better world of free "software" (although the free Linux has long since turned from reality into a myth) or grin skeptically at the mere mention of it. There will be only one mistake - not to take into account the very fact of the existence of an alternative operating system, which is not only not compatible with Windows, but is also built on principles and ideals that are completely different from Microsoft products.
"A student-created Linux operating system challenges the mighty Microsoft and is growing in popularity year after year!" - journalists are tearing themselves up. But this is only one, the outer side of the "Torvalds phenomenon". Much more interesting is the fact that Linus Thorvalds himself, the “most free OS in the world”, managed to make a good career - and still earn good money on his creation! Torvalds himself did not even dream of turning the foundations of the universe upside down. The problem facing the 20-year-old student at the University of Helsinki was much more modest: to get a comfortable and obedient tool for work. A convenient and accessible operating system, which, on the one hand, would provide the user with maximum opportunities for all sorts of "tunings" and optimizations. On the other hand, it would be affordable. There were only two candidates for the role of "manager" for the Torvalds computer - and both, in the opinion of the fastidious student, did not quite meet his expectations.
The first candidate was Windows - still imperfect, but even then a friendly and convenient operating system for home computers. To work with Windows, unlike the OS of the previous generation, any user could, even with a minimum level of training! And most importantly - in four years, the operating system from Microsoft has already managed to settle in at least a third of all computers in the world. The only trouble was that Windows did not at all encourage the creative ambitions of advanced users - it was impossible to make any significant changes to its program code. In addition, the stability of the operating system clearly left much to be desired.
There was, however, another candidate - the UNIX operating system, which had a number of advantages over the creation of Bill Gates. This time-tested operating system, created back in 1969 by Dennis Ritchie and Kenneth Thompson, was distinguished by rare flexibility and accommodating: in order to adapt UNIX to a new computer model, it was enough to slightly modify it without touching the main “kernel”. No less valuable for Torvalds was the fact that the servers of his native university were running one of the versions of UNIX (the "server" version of Windows simply did not exist in those years - the Windows NT project was completed only four years later). Of course, UNIX also had drawbacks: designed specifically for "large" computers, the system was too cumbersome for small "personal computers". In addition, the commercial version was clearly too expensive for Linus ...
Fortunately, UNIX, unlike Windows, had a huge number of modifications: the customizability of this operating system allowed almost every programmer familiar with it to create his own version. One of these "clones" of UNIX was a "light" version called Minix. Unlike its "big brother" Minix differed significantly less "appetite" and could work on almost all types of computers - from large servers to small home Amiga and Atari. Because Minix was written from the ground up, it could be painlessly taken apart without fear of violating license agreements. And most importantly - Minix was available to anyone: a set of floppy disks with a distribution kit for this program was attached to each copy of its author Eddie Tannenbaum's book "Operating Systems: Design and Implementation" ("Operating Systems: Design and Implementation").
Do not think that Linus Torvalds was at that time the only one who was able to appreciate the advantages of Tannenbaum's system - since 1987, Minix has already been installed on several thousand computers. Another thing is noteworthy - unlike his colleagues, Linus was not satisfied with the fact that he finally found a product to his liking. Tannenbaum's success led him to the idea that the trick of creating a new system could be repeated! Indeed - why "tweak" and debug someone else's program when you can develop your own? Like a true northerner, Linus approached his work thoughtfully and responsibly, making a list of requirements that the new operating system must satisfy.
Taking "note" all the successful discoveries of Minix, Linus decided to bring them to perfection: the future OS was originally conceived as compact (occupying a minimum of space in RAM and on the hard drive), multiplatform (that is, capable of running on computers belonging to different "families" ) and maximum flexibility. Unlike the "pig in a poke" proposed by Bill Gates, Torvalds' operating system was supposed to provide experienced users with the ability to modify any part of the code - up to its complete change. So far, there was nothing revolutionary in this whole idea - all the points listed above were implemented back in Minix. But Linus himself perceived his venture more as a hobby. True, he immediately tried to get the most out of the situation - the "home-made" version of UNIX was declared by Linus as a thesis, which gave him the opportunity to spend all his free evenings programming with a clear conscience.
Work continued throughout 1991 - only in the fall, Linus demonstrated to his friends the first version of the new operating system, without too much modesty named after its creator - Linux (the official date of birth of this OS is September 17, 1991). What came out from under the programmer's "pen" of Torvalds was not yet a ready-made operating system - rather, it was the "skeleton" of the future OS, which had yet to acquire the "flesh" of the shell and other "appendages". But this “skeleton” was already quite functional! Here Linus faced a problem - what to do next? At first glance, it seemed that there were two scenarios for the development of events - either Linus, with a calm heart, sends his offspring to the back burner, having found another occupation for himself, or continues to bring his OS to mind with the expectation that in two or three years he will be able to turn it into a full-fledged commercial product. Both options did not promise any rosy prospects: it was a pity to quit, and even the enthusiastic Torvalds could not “raise” the project of a new operating system alone. Organizing your own company and hiring employees to finalize the program was both a utopia and insanity at the same time - the market for commercial operating systems was long ago divided among major players, and there was clearly no place left for miniature Linux in this list ...
And then Linus made a completely unexpected and illogical step, announcing that he would distribute his program for free! And it comes with a complete set of source codes to help programmers improve and improve Linux to their liking. Here it is necessary to make a remark: the principle of free distribution of programs was also not the "know-how" of Torvalds. Eight years before the advent of Linux, it was formulated by another enthusiast - Richard Stallman, the creator of the "free" software movement. In 1983, while working at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (MIT AI Lab). Stallman tried to resist the transfer of the MIT computer park to commercial versions of UNIX. Failing, Richard launched a "software freedom crusade" by articulating his movement in The GNU Project Manifesto (GNU is Not UNIX). “Freedom of software means the right of the user to freely run, copy, distribute, study, modify and improve it…
There are four kinds of freedom for program users: the freedom to run the program for any purpose (freedom 0). The freedom to learn how the program works and adapt it to your needs (freedom 1). Freedom to distribute copies so you can help your friend (freedom 2). The freedom to improve the program and publish your improvements so that the whole community will benefit from it (freedom 3). Access to the source code is a prerequisite." It seemed that Linus acted in full accordance with the "postulates of Stallman", giving his project at the mercy of everyone - GNU supporters could be surprised only by the fact that not a small program, but an entire operating system was put into "free circulation" for the first time!
Unlike the creator of Minix, Torvalds refused even a symbolic reward (in the amount of the cost of the book). At first, Linus' act was perceived solely as youthful maximalism - nothing more. Grateful users greedily grabbed the gifts extended to them - and, praising the generous Torvalds (and marveling at his impracticality in the depths of their souls), they began to play with Linux, as with the Lego constructor. After all, this program was specially created so that it can be taken apart - and reassembled, in accordance with your own tastes and needs! But what at first seemed thoughtless generosity, in fact, was a very coup...
Linus had at his disposal an army of free "beta testers", programmers and idea generators. Having publicly “liberated” the Linux bird (the emblem of Linux is a cheerful and very friendly penguin) and letting it fly into the sky, Torvalds made sure that an invisible but strong thread was tied to its paw. After all, although nominally everyone could make changes to Linux, Linus left the fine-tuning of the main part of the operating system - the “kernel”! Its code was open to everyone, and any programmer could send Linus their comments and suggestions for improvement. However, the decisive word invariably remained with Torvalds: it was he who made decisions on introducing one or another modification to the kernel and implemented all the successful discoveries of his followers.
This continues today - all the numerous versions and modifications of Linux (and there are already several dozen of them) are based on the same kernel. If the choice of the principles of the GNU Manifesto ensured the success and longevity of the Linux project (which now had thousands of enthusiasts in all corners of the world), a small and almost invisible departure from them ensured the future of Linus himself - unlike many of his less fortunate colleagues.
It is clear that Torvalds could not earn billions on Linux. But he managed to competently use the opportunities that gave him the position of the Founding Father and the Chief Authority for "the world's most free operating system." For ten years, Linus, who has become a living legend, was able to make good money on consultations and lectures. The success of Linux drew attention to Torvalds as a programmer - he moved from snowy Finland to sunny California and got a very lucrative job at Transmeta Corporation. And in 2001, a new source of income was formed - like all American celebrities, Linus published a book about his life with a very crafty title - “Just for Fun” ...
Today, Linus Torvalds still oversees the work on the most important part of Linux - the kernel of the operating system: only he has the right to approve certain changes that radically affect the functionality of the system. The rest of the work to improve Linux is done by millions of fans of this OS, which over time has turned from a working tool into a symbol of a new way of life, different from that imposed by Bill Gates and his company.
Of course, in all this splendor there are not only “pluses”. Until recently, in order to work with Linux, you had to at least understand programming. And ideally, rewrite the OS kernel for your machine and sculpt the necessary drivers with your own hands. In addition, against the background of bright Windows and Mac OS, the Linux operating system looked like a gray mouse - everything is simple, modest and ... colorless. Therefore, the only area where Linux was really in demand was networks. Internet users especially fell in love with this OS - until now, most of the Internet web servers are running Linux. And in the local networks of large companies, Linux coped well with the role of administrator. The situation changed radically after the appearance of comfortable shells, which very successfully “painted” this nimble, but gray little sparrow. The combination of the familiar desktop and Windows icons and the power of the Linux kernel immediately attracted the attention of developers and users: in the last two years alone, more programs have been written for Linux than in all previous ones! The final sign of the software industry's liking for Linux was the decision by some of the major game makers to release Linux versions of their "bestsellers"...
In the mid-90s, Linux began to conquer the "home" market, becoming a direct competitor to Windows, for this, manufacturers had to partly abandon the "do it all by yourself" principle and switch to the release of ready-made distributions.
Now installing Linux on a computer has become as simple as Windows: installation and configuration takes place in a fully automatic mode, and along with the operating system, the user receives a set of applications and utilities.
However, the myths about Linux as a “self-assembled” system for especially “handy” programmers are no longer relevant: modern distributions allow you not to resort to the text command mode at all, without which five years ago the life of a “Linuxoid” was simply unthinkable. Automatic configuration and updates via the Internet, a three-dimensional desktop is quite common for Linux users today.
The appearance of the first ready-made distributions is attributed to 1992 - it was then that the famous MCC Interim Linux installation kit was created. After three or four years, Linux fans could choose from a good dozen different distributions, the most famous of which were Red Hat, Mandrake (later Mandriva), Debian, Fedora Core and Slackware.
New distributions are still appearing - so in 2004, the Ubuntu distribution, created in South America, came into fashion. The SUSE distribution created fifteen years ago still remains the standard corporate Linux (by the way, this company even managed to enter into an alliance with Microsoft, and the price of their Linux version is practically the same as Windows). All these sets are localized, so that Russian users can immediately get a completely Russian-language environment at their disposal.
And in the fall of 2009, the Linuxoids got a new player of truly armor-piercing power into their team. The new operating system was introduced by Google, and ChromeOS was based, of course, on the Linux kernel. However, Google, as always, got something of its own: well, who now remembers that the Chrome browser is largely created on the developments of the same Firefox, now even a blind person cannot confuse these two browsers ... Moreover, this development cannot yet be called a full-fledged OS : it is focused mainly on working with network applications, but it will be installed primarily on inexpensive netbooks.
If in terms of appearance, stability and convenience, Linux is at least as good as Windows, then in terms of the set of standard programs it surpasses it many times over: even in the simplest distribution kit you will find HUNDREDS of additional programs, including the OpenOffice office suite, several shell options (GNOME and KDE ), the GIMP graphics editor - and a huge number of other programs, games and utilities! In addition, you can run any Windows programs through a special Wine emulator.
When you buy a commercial Linux distribution for $50-60, you are not really buying an operating system, but a complete set of programs you need (including commercial ones). Compare with $400 Windows Vista, even the minimum set of programs for which can pull a couple of thousand dollars! Not surprisingly, in 2002, Microsoft officially recognized Linux as a competitor to Windows (until now, the corporation has promoted condescending disregard for "homemade").
So far, Linux epidemics are not expected in Russia - thanks to the "pirates", the economic factor does not play such a big role as in "civilized" countries. And therefore, until three-dollar collections of programs for Windows are translated on our shelves, Microsoft still has a chance to retain such an important market for it. And, apparently, the corporation is well aware of this - otherwise, how to explain the fact that so far the fight against piracy in our country is surprisingly mild? Still, if the Russian authorities "tighten the screws", a massive transition to Linux will be inevitable, despite all the shortcomings inherent in this system. But there are still disadvantages...
Even with the handy "shells" like KDE and GNOME that make new versions of Linux (like Mandriva or Ubuntu) look even cooler than the trendy Windows 7, the novice user will have to face many problems when setting up both the OS itself and programs for it. . At one time in Linux it was almost impossible to even play a regular MP3 file: support for "proprietary" formats was unacceptable to open source supporters. Today, there are no problems with video and audio in Linux, but there are much fewer games for this operating system than for Windows. Let's not forget about applications: finding a truly professional package for working with video, sound or 3D graphics for Linux is not so easy. The easiest thing to do is with photography: there is an excellent (and free) GIMP image editor for Linux. However, it falls short of the title of a truly professional product - and how many designers have you seen working in Linux?
Linux is not the only system alternative for your computer. Some alternative operating systems, like Microsoft, are developed by large corporations, but there are also small projects that amateurs work on. I do not recommend that you install them on your work or home computer. If you want to watch them, you can install a virtual machine such as VirtualBox or VMware Player and run the system in them. If you want to install a non-Windows operating system on your computer and actually use it, you should probably choose Linux.
linux
Linux is an open source Unix-like operating system similar to FreeBSD. FreeBSD uses a different kernel, but like Linux uses much of the same software.
Chrome OS by Google is built on the Linux kernel. Chrome OS won't be the universal operating system for your PC like Windows, it's more for specialized laptops known as Chromebooks. However, by dancing with the "tambourine" you can install Chrome OS on your computer.
Steam OS
SteamOS Valve, currently in beta. Technically, another OS built on Linux and including most of the standard Linux software. However, SteamOS is positioned as a new operating system for PC games.
Android also uses the Linux kernel, but pretty much everything else on Android is very different from regular Linux. Originally designed for smartphones, you can now get Android laptops, tablets, and even desktops. There are several solutions for running Android on regular PCs, however it cannot be your "every day" system, but you can always install it in a virtual machine and watch it.
Mac OS X comes preinstalled on an Apple computer. Mac OS X can run normally not only on Apple computers but also on ordinary PCs. It is unnecessary to say anything about her, because. nowadays it is as popular as Windows.
Haiku
BeOS is a capacious PC operating system released in 1998, unfortunately, or fortunately, it could not compete with Microsoft's Windows and was eventually acquired by Palm Inc. eComStation OS/2 is an operating system originally created by Microsoft and IBM. IBM continued the development of the project after Microsoft abandoned it, OS / 2 competed with MS-DOS and later with Windows. In the end, Microsoft won, but there are still old ATMs, personal computers, and other systems using OS/2.
React OS
ReactOS is a free, open source operating system, the architecture of the system was similar to Windows NT. ReactOS uses Wine so the user can run Windows applications on Linux or Mac OS X. The system is not based on the Linux kernel, it is an open source operating system built just like Windows NT.
Syllable is an open source operating system. It is very small "in the Amiga and BeOS tradition, and built using many parts from the GNU and Linux project."
SkyOS
Unlike many of the other "hobby" operating systems above, SkyOS is a commercial operating system. The user initially had to pay for access in order to be able to use versions of SkyOS on their computer. Development on SkyOS ended in 2009, but the last beta version was made available for free download in 2013.
And lastly, you can also install - open source. 
OS - operating system - a set of programs, without which any computer is just a set of metal and plastic parts. The most common operating system is Windows, under which most other programs and applications are created. You will find the OS itself and all related programs in this section and you can download them for free, without registration and any confirmation.
Any operating system already has a set of necessary functions that allow you to perform various work and install additional software at the choice of an individual user. The very presence of an OS facilitates further work with all devices and built-in programs for both a simple user and a developer of new programs.
Such different OS
Currently there are several operating systems:
- - this is a whole series of operating systems, regularly updated and developed by Microsoft specialists. The earliest version was introduced back in 1985 and is currently the most common and popular operating system for a personal computer.
- MacOS - from Apple - was originally created for other products of this company, distributed with them, developed in parallel with Windows. Currently, it can be installed on computers from other manufacturers.
- Linux - distributed by various companies for free, this OS remains a rather exotic choice for a personal computer. This operating system has several variations, some of which are distributed for a fee. Now systems of this version are installed mainly by computer specialists or enthusiasts.
- Android - this operating system is perhaps the most common among various mobile devices: from smartphones and e-readers to smart watches and Google glasses.
Operating system emulators
Emulation. Separately, it is worth highlighting emulator programs that are designed to simulate one operating system in the working environment of another. For example, if you need to install an application running on the Android system on your computer. By installing an emulator, you can "deceive" such a program and work with it on Windows or any other OS. The most common android device emulators are .
Basic and additional OS features
The main functions of any operating system are loading programs, executing their requests, accessing external and internal data input / output devices, RAM, accessing and managing various disks (hard and optical), and organizing the file system. Any OS has a number of additional features:
- distribution of system resources among several processes,
- multitasking - running multiple processes at the same time,
- sharing and synchronizing files,
- protection of the OS itself, personal data and files of the user and other applications,
- differentiation of the rights of several users on one computer.
DOS operating system disk operating system. DOS (Disk Operating System) is the oldest common operating system for PCs. It exists in various versions and implementations. Versions of DOS differ in number and in the number of built-in tools for working with a computer. Newer versions of DOS are backwards compatible with older ones. This means that newer versions "can" everything that older ones "can do", but not vice versa. As a result, programs written for later versions of DOS cannot run under earlier versions, but using the features of later versions of DOS makes the programmer's job much easier. This statement, by the way, is true not only for DOS, but also for most other operating systems. Keep in mind that DOS implementations from different vendors also have slight differences. They are generally unimportant for most programs that do not affect system settings. However, in some cases it is necessary to distinguish between them, and for this, a prefix indicating its manufacturer is attached to the name "DOS". The most common implementations are: PC-DOS, MS-DOS, DR-DOS, Novell DOS, etc. The DOS operating system has a console user interface.
Windows operating system family
This is one of the most popular operating systems for PC today, created by Microsoft. As a historical reference, we note that at first the so-called Windows operating environment was created by the same company, which was essentially a graphical add-on over DOS. However, it contained some "open interfaces", that is, standard graphical tools that could be used when writing other programs. This was quite convenient, and soon there were many applications that used the Windows operating environment. ■ In 1995, Windows evolved into a full-fledged operating system called Windows 95. Then came its "heirs" - Windows 98 and Windows ME. However, all these systems trace their "pedigree" from the DOS operating system. Each new version is backward compatible with earlier versions. The Windows system has a flexible and attractive graphical user interface built into the core of the system itself. In addition, during the existence of the Windows family, a very large number of programs have appeared that work under their control. Although Windows 95/98/ME systems appear to be capable of multitasking, that is, they can run multiple programs simultaneously, we do not recommend abuse of this feature. This is especially true in relation to music, video and graphics programs, since system resources in Windows 95/98/ME are usually distributed among running programs inadequately to their requests. The consequence of this is usually a significant slowdown of the system, up to the impossibility of working in any of the running programs, as well as errors and crashes of some of them. In addition, an error and a “freeze” in one of the programs can often cause the entire system to “freeze”, which means data loss in all programs running at that moment. ■ Since Windows was not very stable, Microsoft started developing a completely new operating system in 1993. This system did not use the DOS kernel - its kernel was rewritten using completely new technologies. From the phrase "new technologies" (New Technologies) the system got its name Windows NT. A graphical user interface was also built into the core of this system. Despite the fact that outwardly Windows and Windows NT were very similar, and they had almost the same names, compatibility between them could not be achieved. Often, programs written for Windows 95 or Windows 98, for example, could not run normally under Windows NT, and vice versa. However, the creation of Windows NT was a big "step forward": this operating system is much more stable than Windows 95/98, it has much better multitasking, etc. In this regard, Microsoft decided to achieve compatibility between the operating systems of both lines , then stop the development of the DOS - Windows 95 - Windows 98 line. It was assumed that Windows 98 would be the last in this series, but not everything turned out to be so simple. ■ In 1999, Windows 2000 was released, continuing the Windows NT line. In this system, great attention was paid to the stability and security of work, however, it was not possible to ensure compatibility with programs for Windows 95/98. ■ In order not to lose the rating among its users, Microsoft decided to release another operating system of the DOS line - Windows 95 - Windows 98. This system was called Windows ME (Millennium Edition). However, it did not receive distribution among users and was recognized as the most unsuccessful creation of Microsoft. This system is characterized by extreme instability in operation and great problems when working with various peripheral devices. ■ At the end of 2001, Microsoft still managed to achieve relative compatibility between the two lines of its operating systems. It discontinued development of the Windows 95/98/ME line and released a new operating system to continue the Windows NT/2000 series. This system was called Windows XP. The system has absorbed the best features of its predecessors. Operating system Linux All operating systems of the Windows family are commercial products and have a fairly high cost. However, there are other solutions besides using commercial operating systems. This is how the Linux OS has become popular recently, the undoubted advantage of which is its freeness. At the same time, the reliability of this system is not inferior to the Windows system, and many users claim that it even exceeds. In addition, if in the old days it was possible to say that Linux is inferior to Windows in terms of ease of use, now the situation has changed. Many users find, for example, the KDE graphical environment that Linux uses as a user interface to be more convenient than the graphical environment of Windows systems, although this is, of course, largely a matter of taste and habit. The Linux OS usually comes in various distributions, all of which are fairly easy to install. These distributions can be downloaded for free from the Internet or purchased for little money on CDs. Unlike a Windows or DOS distribution, which usually contains only the operating system itself and a few simple programs like a calculator and notepad, a Linux distribution traditionally already contains professional office suites, powerful editing tools, and many other programs. Therefore, such distributions usually take up three or more CDs. One of the most common distributions of Linux is the distribution that was previously released by Red Hat, and is now called Fedora Core (FC). At the end of 2003, the Fedora Core 1 distribution was released, which was the "successor" of the Red Hat Linux 9.0 distribution. ■ Another popular Linux distribution is hqcht called Mandrake. Traditionally, it is considered the most user-friendly. This distribution has a very convenient installer, as well as original graphical tools for setting up the operating system. At the time of this writing, the latest version of this distribution is version 10. Several Russian companies release Linux distributions targeted at the Russian user. There are three most popular Russian distributions: ■ Linux XP, which is released by Linux Online. This is the "youngest" of the Russian distributions, the first version of which was released in early 2004. Despite its "youth", it quickly gained popularity. The distribution includes many useful programs and well-implemented support for the Russian language; ■ ASP Linux is a Russian distribution with a fairly long and successful history. Earlier distribution kits of this company were called Black Cat Linux. They have always been characterized by the absence of problems with the Russian language, as well as a good selection of default settings, which allows even an unprepared user to start working almost immediately, without wasting time on additional system settings. In March 2004, ASP Linux 9.2 was released; ■ ALT Linux is another Russian distribution that at the time of its birth was based on the Mandrake Linux distribution. As for the "progenitor", it is characterized by a large number of convenient graphical utilities for setting up the system. In any case, the distribution is only a convenient "tool" for the user to quickly get started on the Linux operating system. Various graphical environments can be used as a graphical user interface in Linux OS. As a rule, users prefer to work in KDE or Gnome graphical environments. More experienced users can work with Linux from the "terminal" - the command line interface. Working on the command line is somewhat reminiscent of working in DOS, but the set of possible commands in Linux is much larger, and the command line interpreter itself offers more flexible options. Multitasking is very well organized in Linux OS. Here the user can run as many parallel processes as he likes, and they will operate without interfering with each other. If one of the processes generates an error or "hangs", it can be forcefully terminated, and this will not affect other processes in any way. Other operating systems The operating system OS/2 WARP (colloquially "half axis"), which was created and maintained by IBM, has long been considered one of the best operating systems with a graphical user interface. It had a fairly user-friendly interface, good multitasking, and stability. For example, as in Linux, a bug in one program here, as a rule, was unable to stop the system. In addition, there were built-in tools for running programs written for DOS and Windows. However, despite all the advantages, OS / 2 WARP did not become as widespread as Windows and Linux, and in the late 90s, IBM stopped development and support of OS / 2 WARP. The UNIX operating system is a commercial system that was once the "prototype" of the Linux system and has much in common with it. However, Linux is much more developed today, so home computer users practically do not use the UNIX system in their work. Sometimes it can be found, for example, on servers. The FreeBSD operating system is a free product. It resembles Linux, but the work in it is organized a little differently. FreeBSD is more commonly used with a command line interface, although it can also run a graphical environment such as KDE. Note that FreeBSD users usually "out of principle" prefer another environment - Vanilla, which is optimized specifically for this operating system. On a FreeBSD system, you can also run programs designed for the Linux OS if you first install a special compatibility module into it. In general, however, FreeBSD is much more difficult to set up and configure than Linux or Windows, and is therefore much less commonly used. The BeOS operating system was created specifically to run various multimedia applications under its control: programs for multi-channel mixing of music, non-linear video editing, etc. At first it was a commercial product that was produced by a company under the short name Be. A new hardware platform was even developed for this system, but after a short time it was decided to develop the BeOS operating system for the already existing PC hardware platform. In 1996, a version of this system called BeOS 5.0 Personal Edition was released, which was supplied free of charge. In parallel, a paid version of BeOS 5.0 Professional Edition appeared. Then the development of this OS was suspended due to its low popularity. However, in 2003 it turned out that the developments were sold to another company and a new version of this operating system called Zeta is planned to be released. The QNX operating system is a very expensive commercial product, but there are also free "home" versions of it. This system is a real-time operating system (RTOS), i.e., its response time when executing applications is negligible compared to the transmission time of user commands. QNX is very compact - it takes up little disk space and does not require much space to work. However, today it is not very convenient to use, especially for untrained users. Therefore, it is extremely rare to find it on home computers, and very few applications have been released for it. Sun's Solaris operating system is generally not intended for home computer users. The manufacturer of this commercial product targets it for use on large servers. Operating system LindowsOS. In fact, it can hardly be called a separate OS, rather it is Linux with slightly modified settings, a large number of original graphical system configuration utilities and included in the distribution tools for launching some programs written for Windows. However, these tools are often included in regular non-commercial distributions of the Linux OS. In addition, Lindows OS uses the original installer. Unlike Linux, Lindows OS is a commercial product, although it costs much less than, for example, Windows. The listed operating systems do not complete the list of operating systems that exist today. We briefly talked about them so that the user knows that his beloved Windows or Linux is not the only possible solution, and in the process of exchanging information with other users (even if using the same PC hardware platform), completely different situations can occur. .Most likely, you have Windows installed on your computer. This operating system may seem free, but it's not. Manufacturers must pay Microsoft for a license to ship Windows computers, and you must buy a copy if you want to install Windows yourself.
There are many operating systems that are actually free. Most of them are quite famous. The most popular is Linux, and if you regularly read the news about computer technology, this name is unlikely to be unfamiliar to you. Keep reading this article, and by the time you get to the end of this list, Linux will feel completely normal. Here are ten other free operating systems that most of us have never heard of.
1 FreeBSD
If you are using a free operating system that is not Linux, then it is probably based on BSD. FreeBSD is just one of several UNIX-like operating systems. Others include NetBSD, OpenBSD, and PC-BSD. Whichever you use, most of the experience is similar to what you'll find on Linux. Free and open source software that is available on one can generally work on the other.
Even if you're not a fan of free software, you can use parts of FreeBSD without realizing it. Due to the permissive license of the project, some of the code made its way to Apple macOS, Sony PlayStation 4 and Juniper routers.
2. ReactOS
Most free operating systems are alternatives to Windows. ReactOS, in a sense, aims to be Windows. The goal is to provide users with the means to run Windows software without having to purchase an operating system from Microsoft.
ReactOS is a free and open source operating system, so it cannot use any real Windows code. The project has partially implemented many of the Windows APIs, and it collaborates with the Wine project to run programs, applications, and software.
3 FreeDOS
Did you use computers when DOS was the only option? Do you have good memories of MS-DOS?
FreeDOS allows you to relive this bygone era. OS barebones gives you the means to run older DOS programs on more modern hardware or inside a virtual machine. Or you can just use it to run old games.
4. Haiku (Haiku or Hokku)
Haiku draws inspiration from BeOS. BeOS was a graphical operating system developed by Be Inc to run on the BeBox back in 1995. The operating system was stuck for five years before the last update came out in 2000.
BeOS may not have been a household name, but it attracted some users, and some wanted the operating system to live long enough to create their own open source version. The goal is for software written for BeOS to run on Haiku, kind of like what ReactOS wants to do with Windows. All things considered, the haiku team might have an easier time.
5. Illumos
Oracle is used to support an operating system called Solaris. It was originally closed, but the project was opened in 2008. Oracle discontinued OpenSolaris in 2010 and returned to its own model with Solaris 11 in 2011.
6.Syllable
Syllable is based on AtheOS, an AmigaOS clone that was abandoned at the turn of the century. As for AmigaOS, it's still alive despite being born in the 80s for a line of computers long considered ancient.
Syllable is aimed at home office users with a user-friendly interface and native applications, including a Webkit-based web browser and email client. The thing is, he can only do this on a computer with 32 MB of RAM (although at least 64 MB is recommended for browsing). A complete installation should take up about 250 MB of hard drive space.
7. Research operating system AROS
While Syllable is based on an AmigaOS clone, AROS takes a different approach. It actually puts its binary compatibility with AmigaOS at the API level. This is similar to how ReactOS is Windows-centric and Haiku is BeOS-centric.
You may be wondering if the AmigaOS is worth all the attention. Did I mention that AmigaOS is still here? It's not free either. Someone out there is still willing to pay for an operating system that most people have never heard of. AROS offers a way to use some of the AmigaOS software without having to pay money. Plus, it's open source, which can leave you feeling safe.
8.MenuetOS
That's what MenuetOS is - it's small enough to fit on one floppy disk. These were flash drives from the 90s and they only offered up to 1.44MB of storage. Given that many Linux distributions have trouble with a 700MB CD, booting from a floppy is difficult these days.
MenuetOS is written entirely in 32-bit assembly language and is designed to run with minimal overhead, although it supports up to 32GB of RAM.
9. DexOS
Do all desktop operating systems feel the same? Here's one that takes a different approach. Revitalizing DexOS will feel less like using a computer in a keyboard class and more like playing on a mainstream game console.
Launching apps on DexOS is vaguely like inserting a disc into an old Dreamcast. The experience feels more authentic if you actually play the game. And another cool thing? This free OS is also small enough to fit on a floppy disk.
10 Visopsys
Like DexOS, Visopsys is a one-man hobby project. Install it if you want to see what just one person can create.
A visual operating system (admittedly the name can be applied to any OS with a desktop environment) has been in development since 1997. It is not based on any pre-existing OS. This does not mean that the project does not use existing code. Here you will find common GNU tools and icons that may be familiar to KDE Plasma users.
Will you use any of these free operating systems?
Most of them are not. Haiku developers do not work full-time. Developer Visopsys explicitly says that their OS is not as feature-packed as Linux, or perhaps a fairer comparison, Syllable. DexOS is more of an experiment than anything else.
However, there are many people who prefer FreeBSD over Linux. illumos may not be famous, even among FOSS enthusiasts, but it has its uses. And didn't I mention using FreeDOS to play all the old DOS games?
Are there systems on this list that you would like to use? Do you know of another unknown free operating system that is not on this list? Let us know about it in the comments!
