Authors Ankita Maiti Karen Pinto Prof. Tamil Priya D Roshni Thangavel
License CC-BY-4.0
Published by : International Journal of Engineering Research & Technology (IJERT)
http://www.ijert.org ISSN: 2278-0181
Vol. 8 Issue 10, October-2019
Comparative Research on Recent Trends,
Designs, and Functionalities of Various
Operating Systems
Roshni Thangavel Ankita Maiti
Computer Science and Engineering (SCOPE) Computer Science and Engineering (SCOPE)
Vellore Institute of Technology Vellore Institute of Technology
Vellore, India Vellore, India
Karen Pinto Prof. Tamil Priya D
Computer Science and Engineering (SCOPE) School Of Information Technology (SITE)
Vellore Institute of Technology Vellore Institute of Technology
Vellore, India Vellore, India
Abstract - This paper presents a comparative survey of three operating systems is presented to facilitate ease of
well known operating systems which are Windows, Linux, and understanding. Within the many different types of operating
Macintosh. The basic criteria for studying them are mostly systems, the four main general types can be categorized into
focusing on the fundamental memory and file management, Real-Time Operating System(RTOS), Single-user single
architecture, security, versatility and other topics. These topics
are being compared in this paper. This research study gives us
task, single-user multi-tasking, and multi-user.
an overview of the main topics and on the various similarities RTOS is used to control control machinery, scientific
and differences in the basic use of operating systems. Every instruments and industrial systems. An RTOS typically has
operating system has its own set of differences in the very little userinterface capability, and no end-user utilities,
composition and structure of the operating system and this since the system will be a "sealed box" when delivered for
study focuses on the underlying strengths and weaknesses of use. [2] These types of systems are amazing at managing its
each operating system. resources so tasks can be performed in a timely manner.
Single-user, single task systems are designed to let one
Keywords: Linux, Windows, Mac, UI, Architecture, File user use the system effectively. It is mainly used for
Management, Security
handheld devices. Single-user, multi-tasking a single user to
perform or run several programs at the same time. This is the
I. INTRODUCTION
type of OS that is most allows commonly used in desktops
The operating system is a software which works as an
and laptops. Windows and Mac OS are examples of this type
interface between a user of a computer and the computer
of OS. [2]Multi-user operating system allows`multiple users
hardware system and also manages and coordinates the use
to use the resources simultaneously in a balanced way. It
of hardware among various applications and users [1]. It is
makes sure there are sufficient resources as to not cause
a collection of software that helps in managing hardware
trouble to any of the active users. Examples of multi-user OS
resources and provides common services for computer
includes UNIX, VMS and mainframe OS.
programs. It is one of the most essential parts of the
Linux OS is a very popular operating system that is being
computer. The five major activities of an operating system
used all over the world for not only personal use, but also
are Process creation, Processing state, Process
used majorly in supercomputers and data centers. It has
synchronization, Process communication and Deadlock
replaced Windows and Mac OS due to its numerous
prevention. Applications require an operating system (OS)
advantages in security and versatility of OS. Anyone can
to perform and the computer itself needs OS to maintain the
use and modify the system to their liking and a large number
security of the system and for creating a GUI/CLI base for
of distributions (distros) run on this kernel.[3]
the user to access and perform tasks on the computer. There
Windows is an operating system which was developed by
are many software functions that depend on OS such as cost
Microsoft and it’s first version came up on November
allocation of processor time, mass storage, printing etc,
20,1985.[4] It is based on the Disk Operating System(DOS)
while hardware functions such as input and output of
which is well known for it’s black screen and command line.
memory allocation system calls etc need the OS as well. In
After the release of Windows 95, Windows started
this paper we look at three different types of OS and all their
dominating the market. This was because Windows 95 was
components and features (Linux, Windows, and Macintosh).
the first one to have Graphical User Interface(GUI) in its
We compare them based on several features like booting
front and DOS in back.This was indeed a revolution for a
process, user interface information, handling system
non-computer person.
resources, file management, device management, security,
Mac operating system was developed by the apple in 1984
versatility, efficiency, architecture, reliability, cost, choice
by the Apple Inc[5]. Macintosh computers used the
etc. After every feature one tabular comparison of three
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http://www.ijert.org ISSN: 2278-0181
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Motorola PowerPC Chip which is set with an advanced
architecture enhanced for graphics and multimedia interface
and usability. Macintosh OSs was strictly GUI
environments, with no command-line option. Since 2005 the
Apple Mac line of computers are Intel-based, but the Mac
OS is only licensed to run on an Apple Mac which is the first
multitasking operating system. Mac OS X, with its UNIX
origins, gives us the option of a character-based interface
Apple Computers is the only manufacturer of Macintosh
computers. Transferring files and applications from old Mac
to a new one is a more efficient process when the computer
is to migrating from one windows PC to another. Apple’s
Mac operating system has some powerful productivity and
multimedia apps that are preinstalled.
TABLE I. COMPARISON OF VARIOUS OS BASIC
FEATURES
Fig. 1. BOOTING PROCESS OF LINUX OS
Linux Windows Mac Os
WINDOWS - Booting process begins when the computer
is turned on, which is called a cold boot. On switching on
the computer, it performs a Power On Self Test(POST)..
Released in 1991 in Released in 1985 It is the oldest out
Finnish University. and was supposed of the three and MBR is looked for in the bootable device. Now boot sector
Mainly designed to be a Graphical was released in and BOOTMGR is located through the MBR. BOOTMGR
for GNU User 1984. From the searches for active partition and reads the BCD file from the
developers. Later it Interface(GUI) on beginning, it was a boot directory on the active partition.Drivers are loaded by
was integrated to top of MS-DOS. Graphical User
Linux. Later with the Interface (GUI). winloader and are set to start at boot and then control is
release of Later in 2005, its transferred to windows kernel. The step by step process is
Windows 95 design and shown below in figure 2.
version all features architecture were
were integrated. changed to Intel
This was kind of a x86 based
revolution in the architecture.[9]
market.
II. LINUX VERSUS WINDOWS VERSUS
MACINTOSH
A. Booting Process
It is the first step that takes place when we switch on a
computer or it is a process to start a computer. It can be done
by both hardware(by pressing start button) and software ( by
command) means.
LINUX - The booting process takes place in six steps. First
Fig. 2. BOOTING PROCESS OF WINDOWS OS
the MBR (Master Boot Record) is executed by the basic
Input/Output system. Then the Grand Unified
Bootloader(GRB) is executed by the MBR. Then the kernel MAC - Here, when the power is switched on, the OF or
gets executed by GRB. Then /sbin /init are executed by EFI code is executed. Then all information about hardware
kernel. After this, runlevel programs are executed by Init and is collected and it is initialized. Now control passes to the
these run level programs are executed from /etc /rc.d /rc*.d boot loader.[2] The kernel is loaded by BOOTX and also OS
as shown in Figure 1 below. badges are drawn if any. Now the execution of the routine
kernel takes place. The root device of the booting system is
identified and at this point Firmware is not accessible any
more. Now the initialization of the I/O kit takes place after
which the kernel starts as seen below in figure 3.
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MAC OS - The graphical user interface and visual theme
of Apple’s Mac OS is “AQUA”. It’s original theme was
‘water’,, with droplet-like components and the concepts of
reflection and translucency were used. Its aim is to
"inculcate colour, depth and complex textures into a visually
appealing interface" in macOS applications.The image
below in Figure 5 shows the different UIs for the three
operating systems and how they compare with each other.
Clearly all three have their own looks and give users a
comfortable user experience.
Fig. 3. BOOTING PROCESS OF MAC OS
TABLE II. COMPARISON OF VARIOUS OS BOOTING
PROCESSES
Fig. 4. USER INTERFACE OF LINUX, MAC, WINDOWS (LEFT TO
RIGHT)
C. Handling System Resources
Monitoring system resources like memory,mass storage,
network access, processor part is a necessary part of
troubleshooting.
LINUX - The ‘TOP’ command in Linux helps in
monitoring programs which is used often by many
administrators to monitor system performance. This
command is used to keep a list of running and active real-
As seen in table 2, all three operating systems have the time processes and this list is updated regularly. It helps to
same POST step in common. This experiment also shows display CPU usage, Memory usage, Swap memory, Cache
that out of the three OS, Mac is the only operating system size, Buffer size, Process pid, User, commands etc. Then the
which does not support BIOS and instead uses BootROM command ‘Vmstat’ shows details about virtual memory,
where it has a boot loader called BootX or Boot.efi. [2] system processes, disks, I/O blocks, interrupts, CPU activity
etc. The command ‘lsof’ is used to display a list of all
B. User Interface Info processes and open files.
A user interface is that part of an operating system that WINDOWS - In Windows, a program makes a request to
allows users to enter and modify information. In other the operating system whenever it needs any hardware
words, it acts as a medium of communication between the resources. Windows then responds to the request by
users and operating system providing the required software. The easiest way to monitor
LINUX - In Linux you have the option to use both GUI resources in Windows is to open the Task Manager window
and CLI. Although CLI seems superior to the GUI, it is not on the Performance Tab as seen in figure 6 below. The
true. CLI can never be used for editing videos and the user shortcut to open this window is Ctrl+Shift+Esc. Here we get
is far more likely to use a graphical audio player to set up to see CPU and memory usage.
playlists for example. Image editing also clearly requires a
graphical user interface.
WINDOWS- The Graphical User Interface(GUI) is an
integral component of Windows, so it is not replaceable.
There is also command shell program(cmd) that can directly
run. The name itself suggests that programs are run in
separate “windows”. Each program is run in a particular
window, that’s why we can have several programs running
at the same time.This is the most popular operating system
for home computers. The latest version of Windows is
Windows 10.[6].
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how a file can be named in terms of the length and character
combinations. It also includes the organizational framework
which is the logical structure of the files on disk, often
arranged in a hierarchical form using directories.
WINDOWS- The job of file management is done by
‘Windows Explorer’ in Windows.[7] It shows a list of files,
folders and storage drives on our computer. For eg- when a
file has to be copied, we open the desired folder which has
the file to be copied or moved and then drag and drop the
file to target folder or drive. Windows explorer can be
opened by the following steps:-
1. Start-> all programs-> accessories-> Windows
explorer.
MAC OS - We use the ‘FINDER’ to organize and manage
our files. Finder, in association with apps like Automator can
help users locate documents, search files, manage folders
and organize them.The shortcut to opening Finder is
Fig. 5. TASK MANAGER FOR WINDOWS OS simultaneously pressing the “Command” and “N” keys.
MacOs has APFS(Apple File System) as its proprietary file
MAC OS - In Mac OS, we have ‘Activity Monitor’ which system. The Apple File System is primarily focused on
shows the processes running on our system. By this we can encryption along with optimized flash and solid-state drive
manage resources and see how we can evaluate Mac’s storage. It uses 64-bit inode numbers. The APFS uses
activity and performance. We can either find it through commands like TRIM for better space management and
‘Spotlight’ or open from the Utilities folder of Application performance. TO ensure Data Integrity for metadata, Apple
as seen in figure 7 below. Activity Monitor shows processes File System uses checksums.
like user apps, system apps used by Mac OS or background The different operating systems are being compared
processes which are invisible. below in Table 3 with different types of file systems.[6]
TABLE III. COMPARING FILE SUPPORT SYSTEMS
(BOLD - DEFAULT FILE SYSTEMS)
File System Windows Linux MAC OS
FAT, exFAT Supported Supported Supported
UDF Supported Supported Supported
ISO 9660 Supported Supported Supported
HFS+ , HFS Supported via Supported Supported
3rd-party
drivers
Fig. 6. ACTIVITY MONITOR IN MAC OS ext2, ext3, Supported via Supported Supported
ext4 3rd-party via 3rd-party
D. File Management drivers apps
File management is one of the most basic but important NTFS Supported Supported Supported
features found in operating system. It manages different Read Only
types of files with various extensions. It can create, update
and delete files
E. Device Management
LINUX - Linux file systems refer to how linux based
It is the act of coordinating between devices of a computer
computers organize, store and track system files. The File
by device drivers and device controllers. It is used in
system is basically a combination of directories or folder that
managing hardware, storage and input and output devices. It
serves as a placeholder for addresses of other files. In other
keeps track of status of all devices connected to a computer.
words, there is no distinction between a file and a directory
LINUX - There are very few devices that are compatible
in Linux file system, because a directory is considered to be
with Linux OS still. However for the hardware devices that
a file having names of other files. Hence, software programs,
are compatible but the ones that are supported work on all
services, texts, images and so forth are all considered files.
versions of linux. Linux is also a very developer friendly OS
In the same way, input and output devices are considered to
that allows developers all around the world to add on to its
be files according to the file system. It also provides the
database. Due to its low cost and ability to easily customize,
namespace which comprises the naming convention as to
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linux is often used in non-mobile telecommunication iv) On the second Customise Settings screen leave Use
networks. Most customer premises equipments and SmartScreen online service to help protect against malicious
embedded systems use linux as well. content and downloads in sites loaded by Windows browsers
WINDOWS - Device management is a Control Panel and Store apps activated as it will enhance security. For the
applet in Windows Os which allows users to view and remaining options click ‘on’ to change them to ‘off’.
control the hardware attached to the computer. It provides a v) Then we have to continue with Windows installation.
way to uniformly notify all apps and system features that MAC OS - MAC operating system is very unique
may affect their operation or access to resources. It also compared to the rest as they are specifically designed for
allows us to update and reinstall drivers for individual Apple devices. There is no third-party developer. As a result,
devices. MAC has a strong shield around it that protects the OS from
MAC OS - Apple devices are not only able to safely access malwares and viruses. Along with this, MAC also supports
network services due to its multi-layered secured foundation the user acknowledgement while executing any files. Apple
but also protect important data. iOS and macOS, through the regularly releases update for Mac OS to enhance the
mobile device management (MDM) solution follow a policy security.
of passcode and password thereby guaranteeing security. By
chance an Apple device falls into the wrong hands, with the G. Versatility
help of a user or an administrator a remote command can be An operating system that is versatile allows the user to run
used to erase all private information. A secure computing multiple programs, and complete different types of work at
platform for Apple devices can be achieved through the the same time. It allows the user to change and modify the
following: system to their liking.
i) Methods are adopted to that prevent the unauthorized LINUX - The biggest advantage when it comes to Linux is
use of devices the ability for the user to change the distribution to the way
ii) Protection of data at rest,when the device is stolen or they are comfortable with, especially on the desktop.[9] The
even lost. OS is easy to use and allows the user to customize to their
iii) Following networking protocols and encrypting data liking and comfortability since the operating system is open
during transmission source. The majority of linux distributions are flexible
iv) Apps run securely without having to compromise its enough to run on many devices (including mobile phones)
platform integrity. and are reliable enough for critical systems. Linux
These capabilities work together to provide a secure distributions come with an advance package management
computing platform. system that allows users complete control of their system.
F. Security WINDOWS- Windows has developed a lot since 1985,
It is the process of implementing mechanisms to protect when it was installed. It supports a wide range of activities.
an OS externally as well as internally. This is mainly done The latest version of Windows 10 has been redesigned to
by ensuring integrity, confidentiality and availability in the protect data from security threats. Windows Hello, an access
operating system. control feature , is a password-free sign-in service that gives
LINUX - Although Linux OS is well known for having users hassle-free access to their devices.[10] Several new
better security than other operating systems, since most security features have been installed like fingerprint, face-
distributions are created with privacy, information security, unlock etc. It also includes Device Guard to safeguard
and anonymity in mind, they are still vulnerable to some intellectual property. Recently, new features like Windows
attacks. Similar to the risks that most computers face, Linux Ink, Windows Edge and Cortana have been installed in
OS is still vulnerable to viruses that can be downloaded from Windows 10. The various versions of Windows 10 are :-
the internet. This can be prevented by basic security i) Windows Pro
including scanning for viruses, using firewalls and setting up ii) Windows home
file permissions.[6] Since linux is also an open source iii) Windows enterprise
platform, new features and security patches are released iv) Windows education [9]
frequently that allows the user to maintain its security. MAC OS - Many Mac users believe that MacOS is easier
WINDOWS- Microsoft Windows is the world’s most to install and update, offers faster updates with less hassle,
popular consumer operating system and this is why it is so and allows applications to be installed and managed with
popular. It is used as a standard in many office greater ease. MacOS also comes with a deep range of
environments. But at the same time, this popularity makes it applications for free, including the music composition tool
a target for malware. Windows is a closed source operating GarageBand, video editing application iMovie, and a
system where the users or security community doesn’t have complete productivity package consisting of Pages (word
access to the source code.[8] So while installing Windows , processing and layout), Numbers (spreadsheet), and
we can select privacy protecting options:- Keynote (presentations).[11] The MacOS Preview app
i) While installing Windows, we have to accept ‘Express provides a wide range of features, including editing PDFs.
settings’ or we can simply click on Customize settings. H. Efficiency
ii) Then on the first Customize settings, we have to turn An efficient Operating system allows the computer system
on all the settings. resources to be used efficiently which increases the
iii) Click on ‘NEXT’ to go to next customize settings processing speed of the computer.
screen.
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LINUX - Linux OS is one of the fastest and most effective
systems that is out in the real world right now. It is especially
useful for older computer that can not support more intense
Operating systems such as Microsoft and Mac. It helps older
computers get back up to speed and gets them running
smoothly again. Compared to Microsoft, Linux OS even
consumes less RAM.[12] Since linux does not come with
extras such as animations and other extra features, Linux
OS can perform well in a system with just 2 GB of RAM
while Windows might require 4GB of RAM. A linux system
can also be made more efficient by disabling the graphical
user interface (GUI). Unlike most other operating systems,
Linux does not require a GUI. Almost everything can be
done using command line interface (CLI). This process
saves CPU cycles and memory.
WINDOWS - As new versions of windows came up,
users started liking them. People liked Windows 7 because
of its easy installation, cash-free nature, fabulous graphics Fig. 7. CONCEPTUAL LINUX ARCHITECTURE
support for HQ games, better UI and also best security.
Recently, after Windows 10 came up, people liked it more
because of its fast nature, reliability, takes responsibility of
our every move . It’s worth every penny because of its
design, features, speed, accuracy, privacy and security. It
contains so many new features. So as a whole every version
of Windows OS has been fully efficient and has satisfied the
users.
MAC OS - OS X Mavericks introduces powerful new
technologies for energy efficiency.Mac Hardware are so
designed to be capable of energy-saving with optimizations
at every level of the operating system, right from the kernel
and application frameworks to the built-in applications you
use every day.[13] Mac OS X is based on Darwin, it which
uses a kernel called XNU which has a hybrid characteristics
and was created by a combination of a 4.3BSD kernel and
the Mach kernel. On the other hand, Windows has its own
Windows NT Kernel. A general overview can say that Mac Fig. 8. CONCRETE ARCHITECTURE OF LINUX OS
OS X uses a more sturdy kernel compared to Windows.
Moreover, Mac experience is about using it right away. As seen in figures 8 and 9, the concrete architecture has
the same subsystems but the dependency relations are very
I. Architecture different. Conceptual architecture has relatively fewer
The interface between a computer’s hardware and its dependencies between top level systems (around 19) while
software is its architecture. The architecture is described by concrete architecture is almost fully connected (almost 37
what the computer’s instructions do, and how they are out of 42 inter subsystem dependencies). [15]
specified. WINDOWS- The several blocks of Windows OS are :-- i)
LINUX - Originally developed for Intel's x86 hardware, Process refers to a running program in execution. ii)
there are ports available for over two dozen CPU types Executable binary: It comprises the initial code and data to
including ARM.[14] The linux OS architecture has one of execute code within process. iii)Private virtual address
the Highest level of abstractions. There are three main levels space: Used as allocating memory for code within process
of architecture including Conceptual, concrete and file on requirement basis. iv) Primary token: This object stores
system. The conceptual architecture as seen in Figure 8, multiple details regarding default security context of process
shows the way the developers think about the linux OS while and used as reference by threads within the process. v)
the concrete architecture as seen in Figure 9 shows the actual Private handle table: Table used for managing executive
architecture of the operating system. objects such as events, semaphores and files. vi) Thread(s)
for process execution. Processes are identified by unique
process id. This ID remains constant till respective kernel
process object exists. Now it’s important to note that every
running instance of same binary will get separate process
and process id. vii)Virtual memory - The OS provides
separate private linear virtual address space to every process
which is used by processes to allocate memory to
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executables, threads, DLL’s etc. [16] This architecture can 4. The topmost layer called Aqua, is the user
be seen below in Figure 10. interface. It provides visual features as well as the
tools to customize the user interface as per the
requirements of the user. This architecture can be
seen below in figure 11. Table 4 below compares the
three different architectures with different
architectures that it supports.[5]
Fig. 9. SIMPLIFIED WINDOWS ARCHITECTURE
MAC operating system developed by Apple Inc. Mac OS
X launched in 2001 is the tenth version of Mac OS. The
multiple layers of Mac OS X are given below:
1. The base layer of the system is the Unix core called
Fig 10. SCHEMATIC DIAGRAM OF MAC OS X
the Darwini.[17] The Darwin core supports features such ARCHITECTURE
as protected memory, preemptive multitasking, automatic
memory management, advanced virtual memory, power TABLE IV. COMPARING ARCHITECTURE SUPPORT
management. etc. It also provides the I/O services for
Architecture Linux Windows MAC OS
Mac OS X and supports hot-swapping and plug-and-play.
2. Next layer is the graphics system which contains x86 Supported Supported Supported
Quartz, OpenGL and QuickTime.
● Quartz is responsible for the 2-D graphics in the x86-64 Supported Supported Supported
graphics subsystem. It provides interface graphics,
PowerPC Supported Not Supported Supported
fonts, renders images etc.
● OpenGL supports the 3-D graphics in the system such ARM Supported Supported via Supported
as transparency, texture mapping, special effects Windows NT
antialiasing, atmospheric effects, etc. As a fact, even
Unix and Windows System uses the same.[18]
J. Reliability
● QuickTime is used in the different digital media such
Reliability of a computer is a measure of how consistently
as video streaming, digital video, audio etc. It also
it performs according to its specifications. It is one of the
supports creative applications such as iMovie, iTunes
main attributes that must be considered when making,
etc.
buying, or using a computer product or component.
3. Then is the application layer which comprises of
LINUX - The majority of Linux variants and versions are
four components, namely Classic, Carbon, Cocoa and
notoriously reliable and can often run for months and years
Java.
without needing to be rebooted. It powers about 99% of the
● The classic environment makes sure that
top 500 supercomputers and they are usually the servers of
applications run smoothly when written for the
many major websites (eg Google, Facebook, etc).
previous versions of the operating system.
WINDOWS- According to statistical data, Windows has
● The carbon environment is used to transfer the
become much more reliable than it used to be.[19] But still
existing applications to carbon application program
Windows suffers from BSOD crashes and Linux can still be
interfaces. This is called carbonising the application.
crashed by simply plugging a peripheral that its does not
● The cocoa environment provides the Mac OS X
recognize so they are not perfectly reliable, despite years of
structure with an object-oriented application
improvement. Both are less reliable to Mac OS.
development environment.
MAC OS - Mac Computers are designed from scratch by
● The Java applications applets are run using the Java
Apple.
environment.
1. The production line is taken care of from the
beginning to the ending.
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2. Apple devices are made incredibly stable as every LINUX - Most Linux distros can be freely downloaded and
component of the device is tested and assembled to legally installed on as many computers as you want. Because
work properly. most distros are open source, you have access to the source
3. Many of the softwares are not compatible with code and can customize Linux to be whatever you want it to
MAC OS which makes it much Reliable And Smooth be; you can even create your own distro if you like. [3] Linux
because it has no Virus.[20] provides more choice in your OS than the other two
K. Cost operating systems. The user gets a freedom of choice within
The cost of an operating system is how much it might cost linux itself when they choose their version of distribution in
the average consumer to buy and use that operating system. Linux OS (Red Hat, SuSE, Mandrake, etc.).[22] Linux OS
LINUX - There is no comparing Windows to Linux when allows you the freedom to choose between the smallest of
it comes to money. Linux is a well known open source things to the most significant features such as the packages
platform while windows and mac are very expensive. Linux you want to be installed on the computer, how the user wants
can be freely distributed freely through books, magazines the hard drive to be partitioned to even the UI that you want
etc, and downloaded freely and legally. Although there are (GUI vs CLI).
linux distributions that the user has to pay for, it is still WINDOWS- Although windows is a very user friendly
normally cheaper than windows. It is free , so anyone can OS, it doesn’t not allow for users to customize the OS as
download it and use it. freely. The only choice users have are the day to day settings
WINDOWS- Windows is not cheaper than Linux. This is of the Computer as well as the choice of applications they
because Linux is not a full operating system. It’s only the choose to interact with. The Windows OS source code is not
kernel, the central part of the operating system, without open source therefore it is not easily customizable by
which computer can’t run programs or use devices such as everyone.
hard disks. Microsoft Windows, on the other hand, is a MAC OS - Mac OS has a very easy to use interface that
proprietary ‘closed’ source software package that has its allows the users to navigate with ease. Like linux, mac is
own kernel and software to present a user interface. Creating also open source now allowing users to customize their OS.
and supporting an Operating System for every modern CPU It allows users to create their own apps with ease and lets
or piece of computer hardware takes considerable effort and them customize their desktop to their liking.[23]
Microsoft therefore charges for this: it’s a business with
employees and shareholders after all. Free and Open Source
Software relies on the efforts of individuals doing this work
for the challenge, fame or glory. It is expensive and its cost
starts from $100.
MAC OS - Apple computers are way too expensive than
some PCs, but are worth the amount when considering the
value we receive for our money.[21] Macs get software
updates on a regular basis which makes them more valuable
and capable over time.Even vintage Macs are kept safe
through bug fixes and patches available on the older versions
of MacOS. Lastly, it’s very hard to argue against its aesthetic
value. Usually users love the way something looks than how
it works. It’s the most expensive compared to Windows and
Linux as the user has to buy a whole Mac system built by
Apple. Figure 11 below compares the average cost of all Fig. 12. WORLDWIDE SERVER OPERATING SYSTEMS MARKET
SHARE
three types of operating system.[6]
Fig. 11. COMPARISON OF PRICES OF THREE DIFFERENT OS
L. Choice
Choice in an operating system allows the user to customize FIGURE 13. COMPARISON ON VARIOUS FACTORS
and change the OS to their liking.
IJERTV8IS100232 www.ijert.org 444
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Published by : International Journal of Engineering Research & Technology (IJERT)
http://www.ijert.org ISSN: 2278-0181
Vol. 8 Issue 10, October-2019
Clearly, Windows is dominant over Linux and Mac Os as [17] W. Chengjun, "The analyses of Operating System structure." pp.
354- 357.
90% of the users prefer Windows as seen in figure 12 and
[18] S. Beyer, R. Taylor, and K. Mayes, "Operating system support for
13.[6] Linux is the least used operating system with 1% of dynamic code loading in sensor networks." pp. 5 pp.-315
users percentage. Mac is quite popular with 7% of user bases [19] L. Hongjuan, and L. Yuqing, "A Design of Trusted Operating
over the world.[24] As Windows has the largest number of System Based on Linux." pp. 4598-4601.
[20] G. Martinovic, J. Balen, and S. Rimac-Drlje, "Impact of the host
people using it, it is most likely to be affected by malware.
operating systems on virtual machine performance." pp. 613-618.
Linux and Mac has the minimum chances to be affected by [21] H.-Y. Zhou, and K.-m. Hou, "LIMOS: A lightweight multi-
malware. threading operating system dedicated to wireless sensor networks."
III. CONCLUSIONS pp. 3051-3054.
[22] W. Liu, X. Li, W. Huang et al., "OSISS: An operating system
Thus operating system acts as an interface between users
integrity surveillance system based on VMM." pp. 546-549.
and computer hardware. In this paper, we have compared [23] S. Cahya, "Designing Operating System Simulator: A Learning
operating systems like Linux, Windows, Mac OS on the Tool." pp. 156-160.
basis of certain features. Result of our comparison is that
none of them are bad. Each one has their own advantages
and disadvantages. Our target is to give an overview to users,
which can help them choose an operating system that fits
their needs.[8]
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