Operating Systems

Operating systems (OSs) do many things: it is the block of software that runs in the memory of a computer which mediates between the hardware below and application(s) above; provides consistent access to various hardware for user programs such as applications and utilities; multiplexes hardware resources between two or more processes, programs, users; provides some common services to all software via an application programming (or protocol) interface (API); allocates memory and storage; schedules tasks.On this page, OSs are arranged in three groups and levels: 1) Top group: issues spanning multiple unrelated OSs. 2) Middle group: types or classes of OS, or OSs for which there are more than one instance of an OS of this name/type, an OS family. 3) Bottom group: specific OSs, individual instances; there is only one OS of this name/type, with its own category, and non-trivial, useful running code (more than a boot loader), and/or a body of worthwhile readings. It cannot be merely a new project with no significant code.

Sub-Categories:

News:

comp.os.misc

comp.os.research

How Stuff Works: Operating Systems - Unbiased enlightening tutorial with impartial description of how OSs work, and many related links.
Rate this
Operating System Sucks-Rules-O-Meter - The web-based operating system quality and approval metric.
Rate this
VMware, Inc. - Virtual Platform Technology: a virtual machine that allows running many OSs at once: BSDs, DOS, Linux, and Windows.
Rate this
Internet Operating System Counter - Statistics on Internet OS use, WWW, FTP, and News servers. Over 940,000 hosts checked in last survey.
Rate this
osOpinion - Commentary written by technology professionals on computer and Internet-related topics.
Rate this
OSNews: Exploring the Future of Computing - Weblog style online magazine on operating systems and computing environments. Daily updates, reader forum with many comments.
Rate this
Acromania: OS - from Ziff-Davis.Net.
Rate this
Convergence International - The non-Wintel user group, supporting Acorn, Amiga, Apple, ARM, Be, NCs, PowerPC, Psion, Unix and other alternative operating systems. Services include a non-Wintel news summary.
Rate this

Web Search for Operating Systems Software Computers - News search for Operating Systems Software Computers - encyclopedia entries for Operating Systems Software Computers