Introduction
During this learning module, you will be learning about Mobile, Desktop and Server System Software
known as Operating systems. You will also learn about various types of software that allow the endusers to perform their daily tasks. These include proprietary and Non-Proprietary (open-source)
operating systems and the multiple methods used to install and configure the OS on Mobile Devices,
Portable Devices, Desktops, and Servers.
Non-Proprietary or Open-Source is software where the developer has made the source code
available for anyone to inspect, change, modify or share this code. Communities of developers
typically contribute to the development and improvement of the software, such as security and
functionality improvements. OSS (Open-Source Software) includes Operating Systems such as
Ubuntu, Fedora, NetFreeBSD and software applications like Mozilla Firefox, Foxit Reader,
LibreOffice, etc. These are licenced and are mostly, but not always, free to use.
Proprietary software is software where the source code is hidden and cannot be modified, shared or
changed. The developer controls the software and charges a licence fee to use their software. These
include Microsoft Windows, Office, Apple OS, and many others.
Before you select and install any operating system, generally referred to as "the OS", you first need
to know its intended use and the hardware requirements for the OS, which could be a Standalone,
Network, Mobile or Virtual System. It is also possible to combine different systems, such as a server
used to run other operating systems in a virtual environment.
The intended use will then determine the system requirements such as RAM, CPU & Storage. You
can then select the type of OS to install, allowing it to perform this role, be it a server, a gaming PC,
or an office workstation.
An Introduction to Operating Systems
What is an Operating System?
In general, the OS is system software on a computing device used to manage the computer's
hardware resources, utilities, and any user applications that are run on the computer.
The OS performs task management to allow multiple applications to run at once. It also provides
services such as the user interface for input and output using a keyboard, video, and mouse and
provides file management and network access.
Operating systems usually include built-in user applications and utilities such as Web Browsers and
Text Editors and allow users to install third-party software.
The OS also manages the computer's hardware, input and output devices, software utilities and
applications and communicates with peripherals using Drivers.
Operating systems can be categorised into two main types: standalone and network systems.
A standalone operating system Platform is where the operating system is installed on a desktop,
notebook, or portable computer. It allows a single user to obtain services and includes Microsoft
Windows, Apple MAC OS, and Linux OS. The standalone system does not require any other services
and operates independently. Linux comes in various guises, known as "Distro", which come under
the distributors' brand; one of the most popular Distro is Ubuntu.
A network operating system Platform (also called network OS or NOS) is an operating system that
supports and manages a network. These operating systems provide network-based functionality for
the network-connected devices and allow for centralised management of users, groups, computers,
and other network services; we will explore some of these in your practical learning sessions.
•
•
•
•
Microsoft Windows Server
UNIX & Linux Server
MAC OS X Server and macOS Server
Novel Netware (now discontinued but used IPX protocols)
Different operating system platforms
Multitasking OS such as Windows shares the processor/s time across multiple applications. This
happens so fast that they all appear to be running simultaneously.
Multi-user OS allows for multiple user accounts, and the OS will manage individual user rights and
permissions when they log on. These do need to be configured on each separate device.
Server operating systems can handle multiple requests from multiple users simultaneously and
allow people to use different computers on the network at the same time. The servers all centrally
manage this and are typically used for a computer that provides services over a network supporting
multiple users simultaneously. Typical Server operating systems include Windows, macOS and Linux.
Distributed OS allows you to combine the processing power of multiple computers across the
network, and these can then work as one on a single task. You can think of these similarly to the Raid
software you experimented with, where it takes multiple HDDs, and these then appear as one HDD
to the user. A distributed OS manages and controls the computers and coordinates the many tasks
across the many processors. These then appear as one computer to the user, as if they were only
using one system. You would use them for cluster computing, scientific computing systems, routing
algorithms, the World Wide Web, and online shopping. Distributed operating systems include
Windows Server OS, Linux Apache Server, and more specialised systems like Solaris and MachOS.
You may have purchased something from an online store and added it to your basket, and the OS
will use one server for the basket and another for when you are searching for items. This balances
the load on the servers, and as more users log onto the site, more servers will automatically join the
system.
Embedded OS some devices use well-known brands of OS which have reduced functionality, such as
Windows embedded, allowing the device manufacturers the freedom to choose which capabilities
they require and want as part of their devices. Windows Embedded ended in 2019, being replaced
with Windows 10 IoT. So many devices have a processor, washing machines, dishwashers, and TVs.
Cars have multiple processors, from the engine management system to the stereo. Embedded
operating systems run on dedicated hardware. There is no need for additional support to be built in
as this will unlikely change but can be updated. This allows them to run with maximum efficiency
while keeping power consumption low and requiring little in the way of memory. You can learn more
about the Internet of things (IoT) in these articles: