Examples and Uses of Operating Systems

1. MS-DOS (Microsoft Disk Operating System)

This is used with a single computer. It controls the operations of the computer through the use of special commands. It starts at command prompt.

2. CP/M (Control Program for Microcomputers)

This is also used for a single Microcomputer.

3. OS/2 (Operating System/2)

This is used for a single Microcomputer as well.

4. Novell:

This is used in a network environment where many computers are linked together to share resources.

5. Unix:

This is used in a multi-user environment, where one big computer can be used by many people at a time. Unix provides greater control over computer resources than DOS.

6. Linux:

This is also used in a multi-user environment. It is set up on a server in a network system.

7. AOS/DVS (Advanced Operating System with Distributed Virtual Storage)

This is a multi-user operating system.

8. Xenix:

This is a discontinued multi-user and multi-tasking operating system, developed for various microcomputer platforms, licensed by Microsoft from AT&T Corporation in the late 1970s.

9. Macintosh O/S:

The family of Macintosh Operating systems developed by Apple Inc. includes the graphical user interface-based operating systems it has designed for use, with its Macintosh series of personal computers since 1984, as well as the related system software, it once created for compatible third-party systems.

Mac OS X is the name of the operating system that runs on Apple’s Mac computers. it is pre-installed on your Mac, so when you are interacting with your computer, you are getting the experience Apple’s software team has designed.

10. Windows O/S:

This is a text-oriented graphics-based interface, which allows you to give instructions to the computer, by means of a graphic screen which contains representations of objects. Using DOS requires that the user types a specific command, whereas using Windows requires that a user selects specific commands, from a menu-driven user interface.

Windows is an operating system that enables all application packages on your computer, to be active at the same time. It is a Graphical User Interface (GUI) that enables you to run the various applications in your system effectively. GUI is the part of the software that interacts with the user by means of a pull-down menu.

Examples of Windows operating systems are Windows 3.1, Windows 95, Windows 97, Windows 98, Windows NT, Windows ME, Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows 7 Premium, home basic, ultimate, etc. The higher the number, the more sophisticated and more recent (current) the version is.