Week 3 reading notes

Machtelt Garrels. “Introduction to Linux: A Hands on Guide”
(http://tldp.org/LDP/intro-linux/html/chap_01.html)

In the old days, every computer had a different operating system. Software for one didn’t work on another. Garrels writes, “In 1969, a team of developers in the Bell Labs laboratories started working on a solution for the software problem, to address these compatibility issues. They developed a new operating system, which was simple and elegant, written in the C programming language instead of in assembly code, [and] able to recycle code. The Bell Labs developers named their project "UNIX.””

Linux later became an implementation of UNIX, as Garrels writes, “Linus is a full UNIX clone, fit for use on workstations as well as on middle-range and high-end servers.”

There were a few things I found confusing. At times the writer mentioned some terms that were never explained, like he expected us to know what they were already. For example, what is comp.os.minix? And what exactly is POSIX? It never said. It said it’s a standard for UNIX but nothing more. It also said UNIX was gradually being called Linux, but why, exactly, if it’s essentially the same thing?

I know next to nothing about Linux, but from what I learned in this reading, it sounds like a more effective and usable operating system than Windows or Mac, as long as you understand how to use it and how it works. I would be hesitant about trying it myself, though, since it said that though progress is being made, it is not very user-friendly for beginners.

“What is Mac OS X?” By Amit Singh
(http://osxbook.com/book/bonus/ancient/whatismacosx//)

Having never owned a Mac, I found this article to be even more confusing than the Linux one. Since I’ve used them seldom and don’t really know anything about Macs, the names of all the programs are just names to me, and don’t really mean anything else. Maybe it’s because I’m used to Windows, but the whole Mac operating system just seems twice as complicated for me to understand. Open Firmware and Bootloader especially seemed tremendously complicated. I understand that they can be powerful tools, but I think you need to be an expert in order to be able to run them effectively.

However, I was pleasantly surprised to learn that Mach, which XNU was based on, originated as a research project at Carnegie Mellon University in the mid-80s.

Paul Thurott “An Update on the Windows Roadmap”
(http://community.winsupersite.com/blogs/paul/archive/2008/06/27/an-update-on-the-windows-roadmap.aspx)

I honestly don’t understand all the backlash Windows Vista has received lately. I recently got a Dell laptop with Vista, and so far it has given me no problems. Maybe it’s because I’m not a techie and don’t get exactly how differently Windows systems work from each other, but I’ve never found Vista to be particularly hard to use.

To sort of touch on the Windows vs. Mac debate, since our family got our first computer in 2001 (yes, we were latecomers!) that had Windows ME, none of us have ever had problems with any of our computers that were Windows’ fault. There were a couple crashes, but no unrecoverable memory loss. I have several friends who have worked with all sorts of computers for years, and according to them, if you have a Windows machine that continually crashes, it’s something you are doing wrong, and it’s not the program’s fault. I believe that as long as you use it smartly (not shutting down random services without knowing their function, running anti-virus programs that are configured to work the best for each particular machine, and configuring firewalls to match) a Windows PC will run reliably for years. That’s not to say I don’t like Macs or think that they are unreliable, but I think it’s a complete myth to say that they never screw up or crash. From what I understand, they can crash just as often as PCs and are beyond annoying to deal with when something goes wrong. And when something goes wrong, it’s bad.