P2: Operating System Worksheet
An operating system is the most required software written deep within the root of the computer. The operating system is used to communicate between Hardware and User, this allows commands to be executed by the user, following a simple process of ‘input > process > output’. The most well-known operating systems for use with Computers are Windows and Mac OS X. Operating systems are not only used within computers but also mobile phones, for example; IOS and Android.
Without an operating system the computer is rendered useless, for there will be no way for the user to communicate with the hardware of the computer. It also allows the user to communicate with the software that has been installed. The operating system monitors the hardware e.g - the temperature, This then communicates with the fan and increases the speed to increase the airflow and cool down the hardware.
The operating system is responsible for registering external hardware, for example, registering that a USB has been plugged in. This could be from registering and monitoring things like Speakers, to Microphones and cameras., Furthermore the operating system recognises when and where allocation is needed, this could be a simple task as activating the computer fan to spin faster in order to cool down the internals of the computer.
File management is also controlled by the operating system, for example, the operating system creates an interactive user environment were by the user can control where the files are and whether they are under a subsection or not, the most basic subsection (sub dictionary) is ‘My Documents’. Here many people store their files for a more organized and easy to access workplace.
Connecting to Wi-Fi or connecting to the internet using a Ethernet Cable are all managed by the operating system. The operating system speaks to the components installed the computer and sends them codes of binary to request them to do certain jobs, for example,when you click on network management, the operating system sends code to the wireless card for it to activate and start searching for wi-fi signals, then code is sent back and forth, when sent back to the user it is transformed into something visual and interactive. Of course, this is dependant on what operating system you are using, some operating system still operate using code. instead of a fully visual interface (Unix)
Without an operating system the computer is rendered useless, for there will be no way for the user to communicate with the hardware of the computer. It also allows the user to communicate with the software that has been installed. The operating system monitors the hardware e.g - the temperature, This then communicates with the fan and increases the speed to increase the airflow and cool down the hardware.
The operating system is responsible for registering external hardware, for example, registering that a USB has been plugged in. This could be from registering and monitoring things like Speakers, to Microphones and cameras., Furthermore the operating system recognises when and where allocation is needed, this could be a simple task as activating the computer fan to spin faster in order to cool down the internals of the computer.
File management is also controlled by the operating system, for example, the operating system creates an interactive user environment were by the user can control where the files are and whether they are under a subsection or not, the most basic subsection (sub dictionary) is ‘My Documents’. Here many people store their files for a more organized and easy to access workplace.
Connecting to Wi-Fi or connecting to the internet using a Ethernet Cable are all managed by the operating system. The operating system speaks to the components installed the computer and sends them codes of binary to request them to do certain jobs, for example,when you click on network management, the operating system sends code to the wireless card for it to activate and start searching for wi-fi signals, then code is sent back and forth, when sent back to the user it is transformed into something visual and interactive. Of course, this is dependant on what operating system you are using, some operating system still operate using code. instead of a fully visual interface (Unix)
M1: Comparing two different operating systems
Many people argue that macs are superior to windows, however others argue the opposite. In order to fully explore the advantages and disadvantages of the operating systems we must look in detail about its features and the aspects that make it what it is and Its most iconic features; for a mac, this would be not needing an anti-virus software, this is because the OS already comes with an anti-virus/malware detector called gatekeeper, however this is not to say that it impenetrable by viruses and malware. Moving to windows, the most iconic feature of windows must be the compatibility of software and games. Its true to say there is a greater number of applications being made available to OS X, which is slowly breaking this barrier, but another significant point is the pricing of the apple products. Macs which comes with OS X pre-installed come in a range from £800 to £1500, where as a windows computer can be bought for around £150, but every upgrade of OS costs, for example to upgrade to windows 7 it would cost: almost £100.
The other iconic feature is the look of the operating system, both are very different with the Apple OS having a dock on the bottom where all apps are held with none to little amounts of desktop space being used by apps or software. This therefore entices the user to use the space on the desktop for things that matter such as, documents, picture, music etc. Windows 8 uses a very complicated system where by there are two desktops, because of this many users have complained and switched back to windows 7. Major companies that use windows have stuck by with windows 7 as they claimed that windows 8 is not a operating system that should be used on computers but rather for a phone or a tablet.
When using an operating system in a school environment, you must consider many things, such as; Safety, Accessibility, Network Management, etc. MAC OS X does offer many of these things, however, it does not offer them to the range and scale that Windows does. In a school, you need access to a wide range of software especially in creative or interactive lessons. This is when mac starts showing flaws as it is unable to access software that is installed onto a network. Windows utilizes network management much better than OS X, In windows you can create a database of users with different passwords and usernames that can be accessed from any computer that is running on the network. Therefore, the best operating system to use in a school environment is Windows.
When selecting which version of Windows the school should use the school should consider many aspects seeing as it is a big organisation with multiple users and different permission levels. Windows 8 Pro, has many useful tools that may be required such as; the ability to request remote assistance on the computer, having group policy on which IT administrators can control the user accounts and it has a full disk encryption feature, called BitLocker. I believe that these three main features are very useful for the school and seeing as Windows 8 Pro comes in at a price of £99, its the lowest price point compared to other versions. Having the ability to control the accounts that are on the server will give the administrators full control over the accounts and will enable them to better implement and make sure that everyone is abiding by the set policies, the same is made available in Windows 7 making it the optimal system in a school environment.