Introduction According to Net Market Share UNIX/Linux, Mac, and Windows collectively own 99.29% of the total desktop operating system market share (NetMarketShare, 2013). These operating systems run our home and work computers. Server versions of these operating systems run Internet web pages, corporate databases and file servers. Mobile versions of these operating systems run our personal smart phones and tablets. Soon, we may see a Linux-based ecosystem in vehicles. What is known as Automotive Grade Linux, a sub group of the Linux Foundation, “is providing a common operating system and application programming interfaces (APIs). With this, car manufacturers can focus on delivering applications and not worry about operating system infrastructure,” (Vaughan-Nichols, 2013). As we integrate these operating systems more and more into our daily lives it is important to understand the fundamental aspects that make these operating systems tick. The purpose of this document is to compare and contrast essential aspects of each operating system. The intended audience of this document can be defined as anyone interested in learning how each operating system handles the following components:
Memory Management
Process Management
File Management
Security
This document not only aims to be informative but to also assist the audience in understanding the differences of each at their core.
Memory Management
To ensure that a computing system is operating optimally it is vital that effective memory management is implemented. This task, memory management, is handled dynamically by the operating system to accommodate the multiple processes that occur within the system. To accomplish this, there are five requirements that should be met.
The five memory management requirements include relocation, protection, sharing, logical organization, and physical organization. Relocation is the method by which the operating system and processor
References: Apple, Inc.. (2013). Memory usage performance guidelines. Retrieved from https://developer.apple.com/library/mac/#documentation/Performance/Conceptual/ManagingMemory/Articles/AboutMemory.html#//apple_ref/doc/uid/20001880-BCICIHAB NetMarketShare. (2013). Desktop Operating System Market Share. Retrieved from http://www.netmarketshare.com/operating-system-market-share.aspx?qprid=10&qpcustomd=0 Stallings, W. (2012). Operating systems: Internals and design principles (7th ed.). Boston, MA: Prentice Hall. Vaughan-Nichols, S J. (2013). 2014: The year of the Linux car? Retrieved from http://www.zdnet.com/2014-the-year-of-the-linux-car-7000014091/