Operating Systems

Some would define an operating system as the software necessary to activate and communicate with hardware. Many others would also expect an operating system to at least be able to create files and organize them on some storage medium. Microsoft would extend the definition of an operating system to include the software required to enable the user to do cool things like surf the internet. The fact that they have had to defend this definition in the US Supreme Court shows just what a contentious issue the definition of an operating system is.

In compiling this section, we have adopted a working definition of an operating system as "whatever the user thinks is running when the machine has finished booting up". As a precise technical statement, it leaves a lot to be desired, but one of the nightmares of software distribution is that it is nigh impossible to define and cater for a generic target environment. The pages in this section are intended to provide some idea of the different platforms for which you might find yourself writing software.

Related links on the internet

The Operating System Resource Center

You can't get much more 'under the hood' than this. A site that details the software and hardware considerations involved in developing an operating system. Find out about bootloaders, partition tables, executable file formats and much, much more.

OSData.com

Technical comparison of several flavours of Windows, Linux, Mac OS and others. Covers issues such as hardware support, reliablility, installation, security, speed and ease of use.

Paul Thurrott's SuperSite for Windows

Up to the minute information on the latest and future incarnations of the Microsoft Windows operating system.

DistroWatch

Linux distributions are many and varied. This site helps you choose the one to suit your needs by comparing the features of Linux distributions large and small.

FreeDOS

A mature and stable project which seeks to provide a free version of DOS that has a kernel compatible with MS-DOS 3.3 and which is capable of running MS-DOS 6.22 software. At time of writing, this OS is still in beta, but has already achieved much of its stated aim.

Linux How To

The categorized list of 'How To' documentation from the Linux Documentation Project website. Setting up a typical Linux system demands far more technical knowledge than, say, installing Windows. These pages help get you through the minefield.

MSDN Online

Microsoft's repository of development knowledge. A vast library coupled with a large downloads section featuring many free products.

The OS Files

Brief outlines and links relating to several x86 based operating systems including MS-DOS, OS/2 and several flavours of Windows and Linux.