Operating Systems for Computers

Operating systems for computers are what a brain is for humans. A computer is nothing without an operating system. In the following article we will explore the various operating systems available...

An Operating System is the most crucial component of a computer or any device that performs computing functions like a mobile phones, PDAs, gaming consoles, e-book readers, and all the other smart devices that make our lives easier. The computer operating system decides how the computer software and hardware interact with each other. A part of the operating system is the graphic user interface (GUI) which lets the user use or command the application programs hosted on the operating system. There are different types of operating systems for computers available today. Below, we will discuss the various operating systems for computers and their types.

Types of Operating Systems for Computers

Like any other piece of technology, operating systems have developed and improved by a great deal over time. This development also led to the evolution of the different types of operating systems based on various factors like user demand, application, etc. Following are the four most prominent types of operating systems for computers.

Real Time Operating Systems
Obviously, these are used for real time applications like industrial machines, robotic arms, manufacturing, laboratory instruments. They are only used by the operators so they have a limited user interface. The significant component of a real time operating system is to perform the same function in the same time repetitively. So managing the resources is the important task of a real time operating system.

Single and Multiple User Operating Systems
A single user operating system allows a single user to use the computer at a time. A windows operating system is a good example of a single user operating system. A multiple user OS allows many users to operate a computer simultaneously. A Unix operating system would be an apt example of a multi-user operating system.

Single and Multi-tasking Operating Systems
Some industrial computers are required to run only one program all the time. Such computers use the single tasking operating system. On the other hand, the desktop computers we use at home for hundreds of different purposes employ the multi-tasking operating system. Microsoft Windows is an example of such an operating system.

Embedded Operating Systems
These are the operating systems that are meant to run on mobile phones, PDAs and other small devices. They have to handle small number of hardware and memory locations. But the modern embedded operating systems have become smarter and faster. The Google Android OS is an example of an embedded operating system.

Operating Systems for Computers List

Microsoft Operating Systems

• MS-DOS
• Windows 1.0
• Windows 2.0
• Windows 2.03
• Windows 3.0
• Windows 3.1
• Windows NT
• Windows 95
• Windows 98
• Windows 98 Second Edition
• Windows 2000
• Windows Me
• Windows XP
• Windows XP Media Center
• Windows Server 2003
• Windows Server 2003 R2
• Windows Vista
• Windows 7

Linux Operating Systems

• Caldera Linux
• Corel Linux
• Debian Linux
• Kondara Linux
• Red Hat Linux
• Mandrake Linux
• Slackware Linux
• SuSE Linux
• Turbolinux
• Vector Linux
• Ubuntu

Solaris Operating Systems

• BeleniX
• Nexenta
• OSUnix
• Open Solaris
• Schilli

Apple Macintosh Operating Systems

• Apple DOS
• UCSD Pascal
• ProDOS
• GS/OS
• For Apple III - SOS (Sophisticated Operating System)
• For Apple Lisa - Lisa OS
• For Apple Newton - Newton OS
• Mac System Software 1
• Mac System Software 2
• Mac System Software 3
• Mac System Software 4
• Mac System Software 5
• Mac System 6
• Mac System 7 (code name 'Big Bang')
• Mac OS 8
• Mac OS 9
• Mac OSX

The Linux operating systems from the above list of operating systems for computers are some of the best open source operating systems for computers. It is hard to say which of these are the best operating systems for computers as all of them were designed for different purposes and applications. Also, here I have given only some fundamentals of operating systems the actual thing is a lot more complex.

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