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f155.n633.z3.fidonet.org!Stephen.Missen
From: Stephen...@f155.n633.z3.fidonet.org (Stephen Missen)
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Newsgroups: k12.ed.comp.literacy
Subject: Operating Systems
Message-ID: <65925.2BC1D36D@puddle.fidonet.org>
Date: Sun, 04 Apr 93 15:35:14 PDT
Organization: FidoNet node 3:633/155 - SECAP BBS, Clayton Vic
Lines: 17
Yeah! Operating systems you say. I need some info on a few of them for
a assignment (YR 11) My problem is that I choose this statement to debate.
"DOS is the most viable Operating System for a IBM computer"
So I need info on anything from UNIX to OS/2. Is PICK still used much!
I know this probably isn't the right Board to be looking on but I gota
start somewhere. Maby you reckon I've biten off more than I can chew but
this sort of stuff is intresting (to me) Already read one book on UNIX
so if you got any help or coments on other OS (operating systems) your
particularly welcome. What exactly do I want to know?
What's OS equivilant to the dos prompt like?
Does it have any standard user interfaces (Windows for instance)? Who
uses it mainly?
Would it be suitable for a normal IBM (say 386-sx or dx)?
Are their lots of software packages written for it?
Does it support Progs. written for other Operating Systems?
ect.
Thanks
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eff!ssd.intel.com!psgrain!puddle!f57.n272.z1.fidonet.org!Drew.Veliath
From: Drew.V...@f57.n272.z1.fidonet.org (Drew Veliath)
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Newsgroups: k12.ed.comp.literacy
Subject: Operating Systems
Message-ID: <66465.2BC69AD9@puddle.fidonet.org>
Date: Thu, 08 Apr 93 17:15:00 PDT
Organization: FidoNet node 1:272/57 - Technisoft BBS, Harriman NY
Lines: 104
SM-> Yeah! Operating systems you say. I need some info on a few of them for
SM-> assignment (YR 11) My problem is that I choose this statement to debate
SM-> "DOS is the most viable Operating System for a IBM computer"
Uh oh. Maybe your defense could be the "most used." DOS is the one
most programs are written for, but it is not the best OS. It is a
singletasking, singleuser operating system with a segmented memory
model. The shell (DOS prompt) is very basic and allows
redirection/piping (taking the output of one program and
redirecting/piping it into another).
SM-> So I need info on anything from UNIX to OS/2. Is PICK still used much!
SM-> know this probably isn't the right Board to be looking on but I gota st
SM-> somewhere. Maby you reckon I've biten off more than I can chew but thi
SM-> sort of stuff is intresting (to me) Already read one book on UNIX so i
SM-> you got any help or coments on other OS (operating systems) your
SM-> particularly welcome. What exactly do I want to know?
The purpose of an operating system is to provide a common source of
resources to a program whether it be memory, time for computation or
storage. A networking (multiuser), multitasking operating system allows
the sharing of these resources at a much higher level than in a
singletasking OS.
UNIX is almost more of a very well thought out concept than a single
complete operating system. Granted it does exist in that form, but it
does so in many versions. Packed in with the OS are a plethora of tools
and utilities, and a compiler or two. Unix was made to be multiuser,
multitasking OS which could run on almost any hardware and be very
portable. Portability is important when running Unix because of the
various hardware it is run on. However, to the inexperienced Unix user,
the power of the OS tends to fall short of its capabilities. It's dos
prompt is "shell," a number of which exist (such as Bourne shell).
Any GUI (graphical user interface) environment in Unix is usually done
through X-Windows, developed at MIT if I remember correctly. Through
this interfaces such as Open Look and Motif have been developed to ease
use.
Unix is a vast operating system and cannot really be compared to
Disk Operating System... It is not [well yet anyway] for your "average
user."
Today, SCO Unix for Intel machines is a complete 32 bit implementation,
which gives it access to a flat memory model instead of a segmented one.
This lets programs run faster due to less overhead of translation.
DOS, is a 16 bit OS, that is only surviving because of it's inherent
simplicity in operation and its platform base. Windows, is currently
not an operating system. What it does is cooperative multitasking over
a singletasking operating system. It is still running on top of DOS,
which has a segmented memory architecture and is singletasking in
design. What you get in effect is a half the multitasking capabilities
you really can with the hardware it is run.
However, Windows NT which is not yet released is supposed to address
these problems.
OS/2, which I am using right now, is like having 90% of the power of
Unix to access your machine while being quite easy to use. It doesn't
have the arcane syntax of most Unix commands (like grep for example)
while being compatible with DOS and Windows programs. It is a
multitasking, multithreaded operating system which means that multiple
programs can run concurrently with *different priority levels* and also
start their own processes (threads). Also its method of multitasking
has been called preemptive, which means that the OS can preempt control
of an application. The GUI of OS/2 is called Presentation Manager.
To put it crudely, the graphical shell in OS/2 is object-oriented, a bit
similiar to a Macintosh but with direct compatibility with "IBM
compatible" stuff. Although OS/2 is multitasking, it is currently
primarily singleuser.
There is more stuff out there... OSs like VMS which mainly run on
mainframes and more...
SM-> What's OS equivilant to the dos prompt like?
SM-> Does it have any standard user interfaces (Windows for instance)? Who u
SM-> it mainly?
A user interface is also a "shell." The DOS prompt in dos is a shell;
Windows 3.1 is a shell; the Workplace Shell in OS/2 is as well...
The purpose of a shell or user interface is to provide a viable means
to harness the capabilities of the hardware. It usually hides the dirty
work of the OS.
SM-> Would it be suitable for a normal IBM (say 386-sx or dx)?
SM-> Are their lots of software packages written for it?
SM-> Does it support Progs. written for other Operating Systems?
SM-> ect.
Portability is a good example here. Unix is an operating system
designed to be portable and run the same program source to run on
machines ranging from Intel 386sx to Crays [recompiled].
I hope this sounded somewhat coherent. <grin>
Drew
+ OLX 2.1 * OS/2, the smooth operator--see what you've been missing.
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uunet!caen!m2xenix!puddle!p0.f2.n272.z1.fidonet.org!Fran.O'gorman
From: Fran.O...@p0.f2.n272.z1.fidonet.org (Fran O'gorman)
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Newsgroups: k12.ed.comp.literacy
Subject: Re: Operating Systems
Message-ID: <66695.2BC9145C@puddle.fidonet.org>
Date: Sun, 11 Apr 93 18:41:20 PDT
Organization: FidoNet node 1:272/2.0 - SENY NEC, Monroe NY
Lines: 25
Hi Drew!
Long time no type to. That was an amazing survey of operating
systems -- impressive and informative-- I didn't know all those
differences in memory managenment between OS/2 Unix and MS-Dos.
Just wanted to mention DR-Dos. I know it's only a clone for
MS-DOS but apparently it's gotten a reasonable percetage of the
marketshare even from those who got MS-Dos with their machines.
Since I see you are very knowledgable about operating systems I
was wondering what you thought of DR-Dos as compared with MS-DOS.
I'm thinking of version 6 (I heard ealier versions had
compatibility problems).
--Fran
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uunet!psgrain!puddle!f57.n272.z1.fidonet.org!Drew.Veliath
From: Drew.V...@f57.n272.z1.fidonet.org (Drew Veliath)
Sender: ufg...@puddle.fidonet.org (newsout1.26)
Newsgroups: k12.ed.comp.literacy
Subject: Operating Systems
Message-ID: <68163.2BD5631C@puddle.fidonet.org>
Date: Tue, 13 Apr 93 20:07:00 PDT
Organization: FidoNet node 1:272/57 - Technisoft BBS, Harriman NY
Lines: 49
FO-> Hi Drew!
Hi Fran!
FO-> Long time no type to. That was an amazing survey of operating
I haven't typed to you in a while--it's a pleasure to again.
FO-> Just wanted to mention DR-Dos. I know it's only a clone for
FO-> MS-DOS but apparently it's gotten a reasonable percetage of the
FO-> marketshare even from those who got MS-Dos with their machines.
Well, now that MS-Dos 6 is out, and contains similiar utilities people
have been inquiring about "upgrading" from Dr-Dos. Microsoft is always
up to tricks--on the box it says you can "upgrade" from OS/2??!!?
--well whatever that means!!
In fact, there was a "saying" from Microsoft that went along the lines
of "MS-Dos isn't done until Dr-Dos doesn't run..." or something like
that--I've forgotten exactly how it went. As long as you get a copy
dated after April '92 then you should be fine.
However, you should know that Digital Research has been acquired by
Novell and Dr-Dos is eventually going to become Novell Dos which will
incorporate built in networking (uh, not that it is multiuser from my
previous analogy ;-* but that you won't need the old net booting "disk"
or sequence, the OS will automatically recognize it a la Macintosh).
Honestly after that I do not know much about the software itself; I've
never used it!
IBM will be coming out with their own Dos 6. The base OS will be the
same as Microsoft's (IBM has access to MS source code until around the
end of this year), but it will be bundled with comparable utilities to
MS-Dos. IBM is optimizing some code to have some operations perform 17%
faster than MS's. It should be out in the summer.
PS I predict OS/2 2.1 will be a controversial release.
I leave you with that. 8*)
Drew
+ OLX 2.1 * > ** This tagline requires no reply **
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m2xenix!puddle!f155.n633.z3.fidonet.org!Stephen.Missen
From: Stephen...@f155.n633.z3.fidonet.org (Stephen Missen)
Sender: ufg...@puddle.fidonet.org (newsout1.26)
Newsgroups: k12.ed.comp.literacy
Subject: Who are you! <grin>
Message-ID: <74622.2C050FF8@puddle.fidonet.org>
Date: Sun, 23 May 93 16:56:52 PDT
Organization: FidoNet node 3:633/155 - SECAP BBS, Clayton Vic
Lines: 12
Hi Drew, just a quick one. About 2 months ago you sent me a reply with some
info. on operating systems, which I needed for a school assignment. Well I've
finished the assignment, and I have quoted you once in it (hope you don't
mind!). What I need to know is a title for you, that I can use where I've
quoted.
Thanks Drew.
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Drew.Veliath
From: Drew.V...@f57.n272.z1.fidonet.org (Drew Veliath)
Sender: ufg...@puddle.fidonet.org (newsout1.26)
Newsgroups: k12.ed.comp.literacy
Subject: Who are you! <grin>
Message-ID: <75115.2C08BDEB@puddle.fidonet.org>
Date: Fri, 28 May 93 06:14:00 PDT
Organization: FidoNet node 1:272/57 - Technisoft BBS, Harriman NY
Lines: 21
SM> Hi Drew, just a quick one. About 2 months ago you sent me a reply with
SM> info. on operating systems, which I needed for a school assignment. Well
SM> I've
SM> finished the assignment, and I have quoted you once in it (hope you don'
SM> mind!). What I need to know is a title for you, that I can use where I'
SM> quoted.
Well Steve, I don't mind at all. Well, if it makes a difference, my
actual name is Andrew (short Drew), and the fall of this year I will be
a student of Computer Engineering. When I gave you the information I
was just a plain student <grin>.
Glad to be of some help,
Drew
* KWQ/2 1.1 *
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Fran.O'gorman
From: Fran.O...@f2.n272.z1.fidonet.org (Fran O'gorman)
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Newsgroups: k12.ed.comp.literacy
Subject: Re: Who are you! <grin>
Message-ID: <75116.2C08BDEC@puddle.fidonet.org>
Date: Sat, 29 May 93 10:11:20 PDT
Organization: FidoNet node 1:272/2 - SENY NEC, Monroe NY
Lines: 23
SM>> Hi Drew, just a quick one. About 2 months ago you sent me a reply with
SM>> info. on operating systems, which I needed for a school assignment. Well
SM>> I've
SM>> finished the assignment, and I have quoted you once in it (hope you don'
SM>> mind!). What I need to know is a title for you, that I can use where I'
SM>> quoted.
DV> Well Steve, I don't mind at all. Well, if it makes a difference,
DV> my actual name is Andrew (short Drew), and the fall of this year I
DV> will be a student of Computer Engineering. When I gave you the
DV> information I was just a plain student <grin>.
Actually you had a responsibility of managing a LAN at school or
something like that so you had a title involving that-- I think
that might be what he needs.
--Fran
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ns1.nodak.edu!psgrain!puddle!f57.n272.z1.fidonet.org!Drew.Veliath
From: Drew.V...@f57.n272.z1.fidonet.org (Drew Veliath)
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Newsgroups: k12.ed.comp.literacy
Subject: Who are you! <grin>
Message-ID: <75577.2C0CC64F@puddle.fidonet.org>
Date: Mon, 31 May 93 08:16:00 PDT
Organization: FidoNet node 1:272/57 - Technisoft BBS, Harriman NY
Lines: 20
FO> DV> Well Steve, I don't mind at all. Well, if it makes a difference,
FO> DV> my actual name is Andrew (short Drew), and the fall of this year I
FO> DV> will be a student of Computer Engineering. When I gave you the
FO> DV> information I was just a plain student <grin>.
FO>
FO> Actually you had a responsibility of managing a LAN at school or
FO> something like that so you had a title involving that-- I think
FO> that might be what he needs.
Steve, if you want you might rather opt to use System Administrator
for a title as Fran suggests.
Drew
* KWQ/2 1.1 *
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