Personal computer and workstation operating systems tutorial

Abstract

This thesis is a review and analysis of personal computer and workstation operating systems. The emphasis is placed on UNIX, MS DOS, MS windows and OS/2 operating systems. UNIX is cover under the U.S. Government POSIX standard, which dictates its use when practical. MS DOS is the most used operating system worldwide. OS/2 was developed to combat some of the shortcomings of MS DOS. Each operating system which is discussed has a design philosophy that fulfills specific user's needs. UNIX was designed for many users sharing a computer system. MS DOS, MS Windows and OS/2 are designed as single user computer systems. All of these operating systems are in use at the Naval Postgraduate School. All of the operating systems are discussed with regard to their: history of development, process management, file system, input and output system, user interface, network capabilities, and advantages and disadvantages. UNIX has a section devoted to the POSIX standard and MS DOS has a section devoted to Windows 3. 1. Apple Corporation's System 7 is mentioned throughout the text, but is not covered in detail. Personal Computer and Workstation Operating Systems: