What has been the evolution of Windows?
In the 1980s, taking its cue from the popularity of Mac’s easy-to-use GUI, Microsoft began working on Windows to make DOS more user-friendly. Also a proprietary system, Microsoft Windows is the most common operating system for desktop and portable PCs. Early attempts (Windows 1.0, 2.0, 3.0) did not catch on. However, in 1992, Windows 3.X emerged as the preferred system among PC users. (Technically, Windows 3.X wasn’t a full operating system; it was simply a layer or
“shell” over DOS.)
EARLY VERSIONS OF WINDOWS: WINDOWS 95, 98, &
ME Windows 3.X evolved into the Windows 95 oper- ating system, which was succeeded by Windows 98 and Windows Me. Among other improvements over their predecessors, Windows 95, 98, and Me (for Mil- lennium Edition), which are still used in many homes and businesses, adhere to a standard called Universal Plug and Play, which is supposed to let a variety of electronics seamlessly network with each other. Plug and Play is defined as the ability of a computer to automatically configure a new hardware component that is added to it.
WINDOWS XP Microsoft Windows XP, introduced in 2001, combined ele- ments of Windows networking software and Windows Me with a new GUI. It has improved stability and increased driver and hardware support.
It also features built-in instant messaging; centralized shopping managers to help you keep track of your favorite online stores and products; and music, video, and photography managers. Windows XP comes in many versions:
Windows Starter Edition is for new computer users in developing countries;
Windows XP Home Edition is for typical home users; Windows XP Profes- sional Edition is for businesses of all sizes and for home users who need to do more than get email, browse the internet, and do word processing; Windows XP Tablet PC Edition is for business notebook computers that support data entry via a special pen used to write on the display screen (
•
See Panel 3.15 .);Windows XP Embedded is for embedded systems in portable devices and con- sumer electronics.
WINDOWS XP MEDIA CENTER EDITION/TV PACK 2008 In late 2004, Microsoft released Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005, a media-oriented operating system that supports DVD burning, high-definition television (HDTV), TV tun- ers, cable TV, and satellite TV and that provides a refreshed user interface.
A key feature is support for wireless technology and in particular Media Cen- ter Extender, a technology that lets users wirelessly connect up to five TVs and some portable devices to the Media Center PC.
Windows XP Media Center Edition is a premium version of Windows XP, designed to make the PC or the TV the media and entertainment hub of the home. Windows TV Pack 2008 is for Vista (see below). In addition to Mac Apps
To see the wide variety of appli- cations available to download for the Mac, go to:
www.apple.com/downloads/
macosx/
Bill Gates. The founder of Microsoft has been identified with every PC operating system since the 1980 DOS.
Software 141 performing traditional PC tasks, the system can serve music, pictures, video,
and live television to portable devices, stereos, and TVs while also enforcing digital rights set by content owners. Users can access a Windows XP Media Center PC—a combination of special Windows OS and hardware that includes a TV tuner, remote control, and other multimedia equipment—with a remote control through a special user interface on their TV.
WINDOWS VISTA Windows Vista was introduced to consumers in January 2007 (
•
See Panel 3.16 .) It is the equivalent of Windows version 12—preceded by 1.0, 2.0, 3.0, 3.1, NT, 95, NT 4.0, 98, 2000, ME, XP. To create Vista, Microsoft supposedly rebuilt Windows from scratch, and it does indeed have a dazzling interface, glitzier graphics, and improved security tools. However, so much computing power was required to run it that many people found their new PCs ran more slowly than their older, less powerful XP machines. 6 Vista was also criticized for software and hardware incompatibility issues with office suites and some printers, digital cameras, and other devices. So, many businesses decided that, given the downturn in the economy, they wouldn’t be upgradingpanel 3.15
Windows XP ( left ) and Windows Tablet PC
Survival Tip
XP Service Packs 1, 2, & 3
In late 2002, Microsoft updated XP to a “second edition” by supplying a down- loadable service pack (an update) called Windows XP Service Pack 1 (SP1). In 2004, Microsoft released Service Pack 2 (SP2). In 2008, Service Pack 3(SP 3) was released, which includes Packs 1 and 2, as well as some additional updates, particularly involving security. These service pack updates, and subsequent smaller updates, improve the OS’s performance and strengthen security. However, they can cause compatibility problems with existing appli- cations on a user’s computer.
So, if you are considering updating your version of XP, research compatibility and backup issues on the internet before going to Microsoft’s website to download these updates and/or Service Packs.
panel 3.16
Vista desktop screen showing a computer’s various storage locations
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from XP to Vista, because they saw no value in it and because it required buy- ing more powerful PCs and new software.
To spur Vista sales, Microsoft announced it would stop selling Windows XP in June 2008—a move that launched a storm of protest. Microsoft thereupon softened its initial posture and said it would continue to make XP available and would provide extended customer support and fix bugs for XP until 2014.
However, in spite of this change, Vista did not sell well, so Microsoft moved on to Windows 7, or Windows 2009.
WINDOWS 7 Windows 7 (or Windows 2009), the newest version of Microsoft Windows was released in October 2009. The new operating system includes iPhone-like touch-screen applications called Microsoft Surface, an alternative to the computer mouse. Thus, you can manipulate objects on the screen with your hands, such as enlarge and shrink photos or navigate a city map by strok- ing the screen. (
•
See Panel 3.17 .) Windows 7 is less power-hungry than Vista, boots up more quickly than previous Windows systems, and has improved networking and security features.As does XP, Windows 7 comes in various versions:
•
Starter•
Home Basic•
Home Premium•
Professional•
Enterprise (for multi-user businesses)•
Ultimate (for retail businesses)Vista and XP users can upgrade to Windows 7, but with some difficulty and some cost. (See more info! on the next page.). There are many detailed issues involved with upgrading/changing an operating system. If you are a Windows user and are considering an upgrade, go to Microsoft’s support site ( www.
support.microsoft.com ) to find out what options are open to you.
A problem for any version of Windows, however, is that it builds off the same core architecture that represents more than 20 years of legacies. Some believe
For more on how Media Centers work, go to:
www.microsoft.com/
windows/windows-vista/
features/media-center.aspx http://on10.net/blogs/
maxpowerhouse7/
CES-2009-Windows- Media-Center-on-Windows- 7-with-Touch/
Survival Tip
OEM
If you buy a computer with Windows (or any other operat- ing system) already installed, the OS is called an OEM (origi- nal equipment manufacturer) version. If you buy your OS off the shelf, it is called a retail version. These two versions are almost identical, except an OEM version will install only on the specific machine for which it was intended. A retail version will install on any compatible machine. If you have an OEM version, you have to call the computer manufacturer, not the OS pro- ducer, for technical support.
Because a retail version is not specifically tailored for your particular computer, Microsoft recommends that, before you buy a retail version of an OS, you run a compatibility check at its website ( http://support.
microsoft.com ).
Aerial view of Microsoft’s Redmond, Washington, main corporate campus, which spreads over several square miles of the Seattle suburb.
Software 143
panel 3.17
Windows 7 screen displays
( top ) Flip screen (can be rotated); ( middle ) touch screen (hands-on inter- activity); ( bottom ) per- sonalizing Windows 7
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that Microsoft needs to do what Apple did when it introduced its Mac OS X in 2001: start over from scratch. Although this risked alienating some Macintosh users, since it forced them to buy new versions of their existing Mac applica- tions software, it also made the system less vulnerable to crashes. “A monolithic operating system like Windows perpetuates an obsolete design,” said one critic.
“We don’t need to load up our machines with bloated layers we won’t use.” 7
Network Operating Systems: NetWare, Windows NT Server, Unix, & Linux
How would I distinguish among the several network OSs?
The operating systems described so far were principally designed for use with stand-alone desktop and laptop machines. Now let’s consider the important operating systems designed to work with sizeable networks—NetWare, Win- dows NT Server, Unix/Solaris, and Linux.
NOVELL’S NETWARE NetWare has long been a popular network operat- ing system for coordinating microcomputer-based local area networks (LANs) throughout a company or a campus. LANs allow PCs to share pro- grams, data files, and printers and other devices. A network OS is usually located on a main server (see Chapter 1), which controls the connectivity of connected smaller networks and individual computers. Novell, the maker of NetWare, thrived as corporate data managers realized that networks of PCs could exchange information more cheaply than the previous generation of mainframes and midrange computers. The biggest challenge to NetWare has been the Windows’ versions of NT and Server. However, Novell is continuing to improve its networking OS with its new version, Open Enterprise Server, which combines Netware with the benefits of a more recently popular operat- ing system, Linux (discussed shortly).
WINDOWS NT & NT SERVER Windows desktop operating systems (95/98/Me/
XP/Vista/7) can be used to link PCs in small networks in homes and offices.
However, something more powerful was needed to run the huge networks linking a variety of computers—PCs, workstations, mainframes—used by many companies, universities, and other organizations, which previously were served principally by Unix and NetWare operating systems. Microsoft Win- dows NT (the NT stands for “New Technology”) and now called Windows Server 2008, is the company’s multitasking operating system designed to run on network servers in businesses of all sizes. It allows multiple users to share resources such as data, programs, and printers and to build web appli- cations and connect to the internet.
The Windows NT/Server networking OS comes in various versions, and some of its functions are built into XP, Vista, and Windows 7.
UNIX, SOLARIS, & BSD Unix (pronounced “ you -nicks”) was developed at AT&T’s Bell Laboratories in 1969 as an operating system for minicomputers. By the 1980s, AT&T entered into partnership with Sun Microsystems to develop a standardized version of Unix for sale to industry. Today Unix is a proprietary multitasking operating system for multiple users that has built-in net- working capability and versions that can run on all kinds of computers.
(
•
See Panel 3.18 .) It is used mostly on mainframes, workstations, and servers, rather than on PCs. Government agencies, universities, research institutions, large corporations, and banks all use Unix for everything from designing air- plane parts to currency trading. Because it is particularly stable and reliable, Unix is also used for website management and runs the backbone of the inter- net. The developers of the internet built their communications system around Unix because it has the ability to keep large systems (with hundreds of proces- sors) churning out transactions day in and day out for years without fail.XP versus Vista and 7
To compare Windows XP to Windows Vista and Windows 7, try:
www.microsoft.com www.pcmag.com
http://news.softpedia.com/
newsImage/Windows-7-vs- Vista-SP1-vs-XP-SP3- Feature-Comparison-3.jpg/
Survival Tip
New Installation
Every time you install or rein- stall Windows XP, Vista, or 7 you will have to get Microsoft’s permission to activate it. You can do this over the internet or via the phone.
Upgrading to Windows 7 For a step-by step guide to upgrade to Windows 7:
www.blogsdna.com/3217/step- by-step-guide-to-upgrade- windows-xp-to-windows-7.
htm
Or you can buy software to do it for you:
www.laplink.com/pcmover/
pcmoverupgradeassistant.
html
Software 145
N
ervous about spam, spyware, phishing, viruses, and other threats to your computer? That’s cer- tainly been the case for many Windows PC users.“Microsoft has paid so little attention to secu- rity over the years,” says distinguished technology writer Walter Mossberg, “that consumers who use Windows have been forced to spend more and more of their time and money fending off” these invasive demons. 8
In late 2004, the software giant rolled out a major, free operating system upgrade called Service Pack 2, or SP2.
Among other things, this was supposed to reduce the risk to Microsoft’s Internet Explorer web browser of online attacks that had frustrated users and slowed businesses. However, the company conceded that SP2 interfered with about 50 known programs, including corporate products and a few games. And a couple of months later, Microsoft issued sev- eral “security advisories” urging consumers and businesses to patch 21 new flaws in Windows software products. In Feb- ruary 2005 it said that it was upgrading its Internet Explorer against malicious software and expected to include security defenses in its new operating system, Vista. Service Pack 3 (2008) was supposed to “cure” some more Windows secu- rity ills, but many users remain critical of Windows’ vulner- ability to viruses and the like.
Microsoft’s Service Packs versus Patches
As we have mentioned, a service pack (sometimes called a
“service release”) is a collection of files for various updates, software bug fixes, and security improvements. A patch (sometimes called a “hotfix”) is an update that occurs between service packs; most patches are built to correct security vulnerabilities. Service packs are planned, or stra- tegic, releases. Patches are unplanned, interim solutions.
A new service pack is supposed to “roll up” all previous service packs and patches. Microsoft recommends installing
PRACTICAL ACTION
Get a PC or Get a Mac? Security Issues
both packs and patches as they become available but also checking the online bulletin accompanying every new patch to see what vulnerability risks it poses to
your particular hardware and software configuration.
It would appear, however, that the pack-and-patch approach to security for Microsoft products will be with us for a long time. “We don’t feel like we’ve ever crossed the finish line,” says Windows’ lead product manager. “We have to keep outrunning the bad guys.” 9
Switch to Mac?
Perhaps because Apple Macintosh has a smaller percentage of the market share for microcomputers, it seems to have eluded most of the attention of the hackers and virus writ- ers. Similarly, for whatever reasons, Linux-based computers hardly get infected or invaded at all.
Big-business users, it’s suggested, have too much money invested in Windows machines to think of switching to Macin- toshes; the costs of making the change would be astronomical.
Individual users, however, might wish to give it some thought.
What if you already have Microsoft Office files, such as Microsoft Word or Microsoft Excel, on a PC and want to move them to a Mac? In that case, you’ll need the current version of Microsoft Office for the Mac, which will handle the PC version, and a Mac with an Intel processor. Apple’s OS X also comes with a program called Mail and a word processor called Text Edit that will deal with Microsoft Word documents that come to you online. You can also get a Macintosh ver- sion of Internet Explorer, which is, in fact, considered safer than the Windows versions.
Check out www.macvswindows.com/index.php?title ⫽ Main_Page, or do keyword searches for “Mac vs. Windows”
and “Mac vs. PC.”
panel 3.18
Unix screen
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Chapter 3
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Versions of Unix: SunMicrosystems’ Solaris is a version of Unix that is popular for handling large e-commerce servers and large websites.
Another interesting variant is BSD, free software derived from Unix. BSD began in the 1970s in the computer science department of the University of California, Berkeley, when students and staff began to develop their own derivative of Unix, known as the Berkeley Software Distribution, or BSD.
There are now three variations, which are distributed online and on CD. Other Unix variations are made by Hewlett-Packard (HP-UX) and IBM (AIX).
•
Unix interface—command or shell? Like MS-DOS, Unix Some Common Unix Commands^h, [backspace] erase previously typed character
^u erase entire line of input typed so far
cp copy files
whoami who is logged on to this terminal
mkdir make new directory
mv change name of directory
mail read/send email
gzip, gunzip compress, recompress a file
lpr send file to printer
wc count characters, words, and lines in a file head show first few lines of a file
tail show last few lines of a file find find files that match certain criteria
panel 3.19
Linux screen ( inset )
uses a command-line interface (but the commands are different for each system). Some companies market Unix systems with graphical interface shells that make Unix easier to use.
LINUX It began in 1991 when programmer Linus Torvalds, a graduate stu- dent in Finland, posted his free Linux operating system on the internet. Linux (pronounced “ linn -uks”) is the rising star of network software. Linux is a free (nonproprietary) version of Unix, and its continual improvements result from the efforts of tens of thousands of volunteer programmers. (
•
See
Panel 3.19 .) Whereas Windows NT/Server is Microsoft’s proprietary product, Linux is open-source software —meaning any programmer can download it from the internet for free and modify it with suggested improvements.
The only qualification is that changes can’t be copyrighted; they must be made available to all and remain in the public domain. From these beginnings, Linux has attained cultlike status. “What makes Linux different is that it’s part of the internet culture,” says an IBM general manager. “It’s essentially being built by a community.” 10
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Linux and China: In 2000, the People’s Republic of China announcedthat it was adopting Linux as a national standard for operating systems because it feared being dominated by the OS of a company of a foreign power—namely, Microsoft. In 2005, Red Flag Software Company, Ltd., the leading developer of Linux software in China, joined the Open Source Development Labs, a global consortium dedicated to accelerating the adoption of Linux in the business world. In 2007, OSDL and the Free Standards Group merged to form The Linux Foundation ( http://osdl.org/en/Main_Page ), narrowing their respective focuses to that of promoting Linux in competition with Microsoft Windows.
•
The permutations of Linux: If Linux belongs to everyone, how docompanies such as Red Hat Software—a company that bases its business on Linux—make money? Their strategy is to give away the software but then sell services and support. Red Hat, for example, makes available an inexpensive application software package that offers word processing, spreadsheets, email support, and the like for users of its PC OS version. It also offers more powerful versions of its Linux OS for small and medium- size businesses, along with applications, networking capabilities, and support services.
•
Google Chrome: In late 2008, Google launched its Chrome internetbrowser. Based on Linux, this browser is intended for people who do most of their computer activities on the web. However, most of the operating systems that computers run on were designed in an era when there was no web; so in July 2009, Google introduced the Chrome OS. This operating system is a lightweight, open-source Linux-based system with a new windowing arrangement that has initially been targeted at netbooks. The user interface is minimal, and internet connection is fast and secure.
As with the Chrome browser, this OS has been created for people who spend most of their computer time on the web. Chrome does not support Microsoft Office, which will limit its usability in business, educational, and professional environments, but it does support OpenOffice, Google email, Google Docs, and cloud computing. The full version of Chrome OS was supposed to become available in 2010.
Dell Computers now offers a Linux-based operating system, Ubuntu (the Zulu word for “humanity”), on some of its products. Some companies, such as Ibex, make dual-boot PCs that can switch back and forth between Windows and Linux by rebooting. Win4Lin, Inc., a leading supplier of specialized operating systems that run on Linux, has released Win4Lin Desktop 5, which runs Windows and Windows applications on Linux.
More recently, several varieties of Linux have been introduced to run on the low-end kind of computers known as netbooks. They include Ubuntu, Hewlett-Packard’s Mi (which is based on Ubuntu), and Intel Corp.’s Mobilin. 11
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Linux in the future: Because it was originally built for use on theinternet, Linux is more reliable than Windows for online applications.
Hence, it is better suited to run websites and e-commerce software. Its real growth, however, may come as it reaches outward to other applications and, possibly, replaces Windows in many situations. IBM, Red Hat, Motorola Computing, Panasonic, Sony, and many other companies have formed the nonprofit, vendor-neutral Embedded Linux Consortium, which now, as part of The Linux Foundation, is working to make Linux a top operating system of choice for developers designing embedded systems, as we discuss next.
The three major microcomputer operating systems are compared in the box on the next page. (
•
See Panel 3.20 .)China’s Red Flag
To learn more about China’s Red Flag Software Company, go to:
www.redflag-linux.com/egyhq.
html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
Red_Flag_Linux
Linux versus Windows
Do you think Linux will over- take Windows? Will more users switch to Mac OS X? To research Linux, go to:
www.kernel.org
http://news.softpedia.com/
cat/Linux/
www.lwn.net For Mac OS, go to:
www.macosrumors.com http://news.softpedia.com/
cat/Apple/, www.macrumors.
com
For Windows, go to:
www.winsupersite.com www.neowin.net www.winbeta.org
http://news.softpedia.com/
cat/Microsoft/
For general OS matters, go to:
www.betanews.com www.osnews.com