3 Basic Types of Computer Operating Systems
Before a computer system can function, it must first have an operating system. Without it, your computer would be totally useless as it could not execute the basic commands to turn on the computer system. The computer operating system is what binds the computer hardware, computer software, as well as the application programs that you wish to run on your computer. This is the reason why you should be aware and be familiar of the different types and kinds of computer operating system that are available. So, in this article, we will introduce you to the 3 basic types of computer operating systems that you should be aware of.
Computer Operating System #1: Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is one of the most popular computer operating systems of today’s generation. The first version of this computer operating system was initially launched on November 1985. They called the software program Windows 1.0. However, based on the experts, the Windows 1.0 is not a fully operational computer operating system but rather just an extension of the MS-DOS. Windows 2.0 was then released on December 1987 and made significant improvements to the computer operating system. The user interface as well as the memory management of the computer operating system was significantly improved. Multi-tasking of DOS program started to be allowed in this Microsoft Windows version.
Windows 3.0 was then released 3 years later in 1990. One decade later, Microsoft decided to release the millennial edition or the Windows 2000. After that, Windows XP was released a year later in 2001. Then 5 years later, Windows Vista was introduced that led to a series of major improvements to the computer operating system. Windows 7 was then publicly launched at the last quarter of 2009. As of this moment, the support for the earlier versions of Microsoft Windows has already been discontinued.
The company decided to launch Windows 8 in October 2012. It paved the way for additional enhancements such as integrations to some of the social media platforms. On top of that, integration with best cloud storage providers such as OneDrive which Microsoft actually owns has also been introduced. Moreover, it was in 2014 when Windows 10 has been rolled out commercially for public use. As of this moment, Microsoft Windows holds 87% of the total market share for the computer operating systems being used.
Computer Operating System #2: MacOS
MacOS is one of the most popular computer operating systems worldwide next to Microsoft Windows. As a matter of fact, MacOS currently holds approximately 10% of the total market share for computer operating systems being used by both laptops and desktop computers. MacOS was first released to the market in 2001. MacOS X 10. 0 version was called Cheetah and was released on March of 2001. Later that year, on September 2001, Apple Inc. decided to roll out MacOS X 10.1 which was called Puma. It actually added some useful features such as the popular DVD playback technology.
In August 2012, Apple Inc. launched MacOS X 10.2 which the company claims to have more than 150 aspects of upgrades and improvements. It is in this version of this computer operating system wherein the iChat instant messaging application program of MacOS was first introduced. Mac OS X 10.2 was later called Jaguar. In October 2003, Mac OS X 10.3 was rolled out for public used. This particular version embedded the Safari web browser on Apple devices. In subsequent years, further developments to the computer operating system has been made. As a matter of fact, in October 2019, macOS 10.15 (Catalina) was launched.
However, you should be aware that as early as 1984, Apple Inc. had actually created an earlier version of the computer operating system which the company called classic Mac OS. Apple Inc. has actually taken inspiration from the Unix computer system which Steve Jobs and his team created after he left his own company.
Computer Operating System #3: Linux
Linux is the 3rd most popular computer operating system that have been widely used next to Microsoft Windows and MacOS. As a matter of fact, it currently holds approximately 2.06% of the total market share of computer operating system usage in desktop computers and laptops globally. It was first released in 1991 by a software developer named Linus Torvalds. Linux is known for having subsystems such as the Ubuntu, Debian, as well as Fedora. While it is the 3rd most popular computer operating system, the gap in the market share of Linux to Windows is still very huge.