A COMPARISON OF OS/2 AND LINUX   Term Paper ID:34837 Click to get this paper

Essay Subject: Compares and contrasts OS and Linux including key features popularity in the market and ...... More...

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Paper Abstract: Compares and contrasts OS/2 and Linux operating systems, including key features, popularity in the market and future potential. Importance of the operating system; how each one works. Paper Introduction: A Comparison of OS and Linux Operating Systems in General All computers have operating systems whether they are personalcomputers handheld devices or large supercomputers The operating systemdetermines how other programs run the file structure of the system howdata is stored and processed and even how peripherals are connected to thesystem The operating system of a computer is the program that usersrarely notice It is always running and defines the very way in whichusers interact with their system When computers were the near-exclusive Text of the Paper: The entire text of the paper is shown below. However, the text is somewhat scrambled. We want to give you as much information as we possibly can about our papers and essays, but we cannot give them away for free. In the text below you will find that while disordered, many of the phrases are essentially intact. From this text you will be able to get a solid sense of the writing style, the concepts addressed, and the sources used in the research paper. This research compares andcontrasts OS/2 and Linux, including their future potential. Advances in operating systems continue to be made, and today,Microsoft Windows dominates the personal computer market, with Applemachines running a proprietary operating system. A Comparison of OS/2 and Linux Operating Systems in General All computers have operating systems, whether they are personalcomputers, handheld devices, or large supercomputers. However, this approach requires extra record keeping on the partof Linux, and also requires a fast mapper to track where information isstored at any point in time (Grube 5). Works CitedDiCarlo, Lisa. By using batch processing, theuser is able to continue real-time processing while so-called housekeepingtasks can run in batch mode. Retrieved from the Internet 19 Nov 2 3: http://www.nexus.odessa.ua/linux/linux-vs-os2.html/.Waldron, Ted. OS/2 remained a proprietary systemwith development occurring only at IBM, and today, IBM has announced plansto integrate OS/2 Warp 4 into its new WebSphere offering ("OS/2 Warp" 1). "Linux Memory Management." Retrieved from the Internet 19 Nov 2 3: http://www.cs.pursue.edu/homes/li/ cs69 Z/Outline/vmm.pdf.Gwin, Peter. "Outside Operator." Building Design (Sep 19, 2 3): 22-23.Moutanez, Nancy. UnlikeWindows or OS/2, Linux is an open system with development occurring aroundthe world from various contributors--both professional and amateur (Gwin18). "Why You Won't Be Getting a Linux PC." Forbes.com (Jun 17, 2 3): 1. Linux hasthe more interesting future, perhaps, because it represents not just aninteresting operating system, but also because it represents a new businessmodel. Linux Journal (Mar 1994): n.p. When computers were the near-exclusive domain of scientists andengineers, most computer users were familiar with the structure andcharacteristics of their operating systems, which varied from manufacturerto manufacturer. Today, it is still estimated that Windows controls 9 percent of the market (DiCarlo 1) Future Potential OS/2 will be integrated into WebSphere and support by IBM for thelegacy product will eventually be eliminated. Today, Linux interfacesoften resemble interfaces that Windows or OS/2 users would recognize(Kiertzner 22). WebSphere will likely drawcorporate customers and may even develop a loyal customer base. Environment Linux and OS/2 both support multi-tasking and multi-user environments,and have since early in their development (Thompson 1). Red Hat may have found a workable solution to this issue, butit is not clear that Linux will be more successful at gaining market shareagainst Windows than was OS/2. This similarity enhances the familiaritythat early users of Linux experienced with the operating system and helpedadoption of the operating system (Moutanez 1). In Linux, memory management incorporates automatic storage allocationand the swapping of data between main memory and secondary storage. OS/2addressed that issue, but Microsoft continued development on Windows andthe two companies quickly parted ways. Components OS/2 typically uses a 16-bit command interpreter, although 32-bitutilities are available on the market ("OS/2 High" 1). Today,OS/2 has a dedicated and loyal customer base, and IBM is integrating OS/2into its new platform, but it is no longer considered a viable product.Linux has different issues in gaining market share, most notably, that itvariations of it are available for free. Specifically, SMP works in environments where thereare multiple processors running by ensuring that the various processorshave the information necessary, and the traffic management required, toprevent data collision (Waldron 1). "Linux Information." SF: U of SF, 1999. Themove to OS/2 was brought about by a need for multi-tasking; that is, forcomputers to be able to perform more than one function at a time. Multi-tasking isimportant since it provides the ability for the computer to work on morethan one task at one time; during the earliest days of computers, they hadto complete one task before another could be started. Features of the Two Systems Where OS/2 grew out of a DOS environment and at least initially boresome resemblance to its Microsoft roots, Linux resembles the Unix operatingsystem on an internal level. Some analysts have cited thesimilarities between the position of Linux now and the position of OS/2 tenyears ago, when it was positioned as a superior product to Windows. Comparison of and Contrasts between OS/2 and Linux OS/2 was the result of a short-lived partnership between Microsoft andIBM in which the two companies sought to create a standard operating systemto succeed PC-DOS, which was, in turn, based on Microsoft's MS-DOS. Windows NT and OS/2". Responsibilities OS/2 memory management comes in part from its integration of symmetricmulti-processing (SMP). Thismeans that the application only tracks logical memory space and Linux isfree to maintain different levels of physical memory space. Batch v. Linux also supports batch processing.Today, batch processes tend to be highly specialized applications that arecharacterized by highly repetitive tasks. Companies such as Red Hat areattempting to standardize Linux development and offer the benefits ofdocumentation and support that are not available with freeware. However,Linux is often run on machines that run other operating systems, as well,including Windows. "OS/2's Symmetrical Multiprocessing Demystified." EDM/2 7(Sep 1999): n.p. However, proponents of Linux favor its free distribution, butcompanies that want to continue to develop Linux will need to fund thatdevelopment. "Linux vs. Retrieved from the Internet 19 Nov 2 3: http://www.edm2.com/ 5 9/smp2.html. "Learning to Love Linux." Europe (Jul-Aug 1999): 18-19.Kiertzner, Henrik. As personal computers gained a wider audience ofnonscientific users, and as technology advanced to third- and fourth-generation programming languages that require less specialized knowledge,the relationship between the end user and the operating system has grownless direct. The 32-bitutilities provide greater flexibility and power to the OS/2 system sincethe command interpreter is a central part of the operating system itself.The Linux command interpreter is based on the Bourne shell, commonly usedin other computing environments. Current Usage in the Market Much media attention has been given to Linux in recent years as it hasbeen positioned as an alternative to Windows. However, two otheroperating systems, OS/2 and Linux also maintain a small market share, andOS/2 has a joint history with Windows. Although Linux was initially considered anesoteric operating system that was designed for advanced users who weretechnically able to work closely with an operating system, it has evolvedto the point that it is easy to install and use. Multi-userenvironments have become increasingly important as networks--even homenetworks--have become commonplace and the client-server environment hasreplaced the standalone personal computer at home and in the office. Some companies have emerged that are moving to the forefront in Linuxdevelopment, including Red Hat, but Linux remains a largely open system.This is a fundamental and key difference between Linux and OS/2 as well asall other operating systems with any significant level of market share. Under batch processing,no addition input is sought or required from the user; instead, processesrun without user interaction. The operating system of a computer is the program that usersrarely notice. Real-Time Although OS/2 was developed specifically to address the issue of multi-tasking, it continues to support batch processing. It is always running, and defines the very way in whichusers interact with their system. The operating systemdetermines how other programs run, the file structure of the system, howdata is stored and processed, and even how peripherals are connected to thesystem. Linux also has a relationship to Microsoft, but the developer of Linux--Linus Torvalds--created the operating system as a response to Windows andto lessen the dependence of the computing world on Microsoft. Retrieved from the Internet 19 Nov 2 3: http://www.cs.usfca.edu/resources/in_info1a.html."OS/2 High-Level Utilities." Retrieved from the Internet 19 Nov 2 3: http://www.wpusa.dynip.com/files2/FWUTILS/."OS/2 Warp." IBM, Inc., 2 3. Retrieved from the Internet 19 Nov 2 3: http://www-3.ibm.com/software/os/warp/strategy/.Thompson, Bernie. Applications that do not rely on custom devicedrivers or kernel-level code sequences can make use of SMP, which greatlyenhances processing. In addition,programs cannot access memory allocated to other processes; this minimizesthe likelihood of one program's crashing affecting the operation of otherprograms. Retrieved from the Internet 19 Nov 2 3: http://www.forbes.com/2 3/ 6/17/cx_ld_ 617/ linux_print.html.Grube, Craig M. 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