Quiz 6 - Operating Systems and Utility Programs

1.Define system software and identify the two types of system software.

System software is computer software designed to operate the computer hardware and to provide a platform for running application software.

Two Types of Software System 
An operating system (OS) is a set of programs containing instructions that work together to coordinate all the activities among computer hardware resources.A utility program is a type of system software that allows a user to perform maintenance-type tasks

 2.Briefly describe various server operating systems: Windows Server, UNIX,Linux, Solaris, and NetWare.

Windows Server is a brand name for a group of server operating systems released by Microsoft Corporation. All are part of Microsoft Servers. 

Unix (officially trademarked as UNIX, sometimes also written as Unix) is a multitasking, multi-user computer operating system. The Unix operating system was first developed in assembly language, but by 1973 had been almost entirely recoded in C, greatly facilitating its further development and porting to other hardware.    

Linux can be installed on a wide variety of computer hardware, ranging from mobile phones, tablet computers, routers and video game consoles, to desktop computers, mainframes and supercomputers. Linux is a leading server operating system, and runs the 10 fastest supercomputers in the world. Typically Linux is packaged in a format known as a Linux distribution for desktop and server use. 
 
Solaris is a Unix operating system originally developed by Sun Microsystems. It superseded their earlier SunOS in 1993. Oracle Solaris, as it is now known, has been owned by Oracle Corporation since Oracle's acquisition of Sun in January 2010. Solaris is known for its scalability, especially on SPARC systems, and for originating many innovative features such as DTrace, ZFS and Time Slider. Solaris is registered as compliant with the Single Unix Specification.

NetWare is a network operating system developed by Novell, Inc. It initially used cooperative multitasking to run various services on a personal computer, with network protocols based on the archetypal Xerox Network Systems stack.

 3.Summarize the features of several embedded operating systems: Windows Embedded CE, Windows Mobile, Palm OS, iPhone OS, BlackBerry, Google Android, Embedded Linux, and Symbian OS.

Windows Embedded CE is optimized for devices that have minimal storage—a Windows CE kernel may run in under a megabyte of memory. Devices are often configured without disk storage, and may be configured as a “closed” system that does not allow for end-user extension (for instance, it can be burned into ROM). Windows CE conforms to the definition of a real-time operating system, with a deterministic interrupt latency. From version 3 and onward, the system supports 256 priority levels and uses priority inheritance for dealing with priority inversion. The fundamental unit of execution is the thread. This helps to simplify the interface and improve execution time.

Windows Mobile for Pocket PC have these standard features:

• Today screen shows the current date, owner information, upcoming appointments, e-mail messages, and tasks. (Home screen in later WM6.5 builds)
• The taskbar shows the current time and the audio volume.
• Office Mobile, a suite of Mobile versions of Microsoft Office applications, including Outlook Mobile.
• Internet Explorer Mobile, an Internet browser developed by Microsoft for Pocket PC and Handheld PC that comes loaded by default with Windows Mobile and Windows CE for Handheld PC.
• Windows Media Player for Windows Mobile.
• Client for PPTP VPNs.
• Internet Connection Sharing (ICS), which in mobile phones allows the phone to make its Internet connection available to computers via USB and Bluetooth.
• File system similar to that of Windows 9x/Windows NT, with support for many of the same file types.
• Ability to multitask.

Palm OS Garnet has the following features:

• Simple, single-tasking environment to allow launching of full screen applications with a basic, common GUI set
• Monochrome or color screens with resolutions up to 480x320 pixel
• Handwriting recognition input system called Graffiti 2
• HotSync technology for data synchronization with desktop computers
• Sound playback and record capabilities
• Simple security model: Device can be locked by password, arbitrary application records can be made private
• TCP/IP network access
• Serial port/USB, infrared, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connections
• Expansion memory card support
• Defined standard data format for personal information management applications to store calendar, address, task and note entries, accessible by third-party applications.

iPhone OS features the following:
Home screen
The home screen (rendered by "SpringBoard") displays application icons and a dock at the bottom of the screen where users can pin their most frequently used apps. The home screen appears whenever the user switches on the device or presses the "Home" button (a physical button on the device). The screen has a status bar across the top to display data, such as time, battery level, and signal strength. The rest of the screen is devoted to the current application.
Folders
With iOS 4 came the introduction of a simple foldering system. When applications are in "wiggle mode", any two can be dragged on top of each other to create a folder, and from then on, any other 10 "apps" can be added to the folder using the same procedure (maximum folders can handle is 12 on iPhone and iPod touch and 20 on iPad). A title for the folder is automatically selected by the type of applications inside, but the name can also be edited by the user.

Notifications screen 

In the iOS 5 update, the notifications feature has been revamped. Notifications now collate in a window which can be dragged down from the top of the screen (in a similar fashion to the Android OS).

Included applications

The iOS home screen contains these default "apps". Some of these applications are hidden by default and accessed by the user through the Settings app or another method—for instance, Nike+iPod is activated through the Settings app. All of the utilities, such as voice memos, clock, calculator, and compass are in one folder called "Utilities" in 4.0. Many of the included applications are designed to share data (e.g., a phone number can be selected from an email and saved as a contact or dialed for a phone call).
The iPod touch retains the same applications that are present by default on the iPhone, with the exception of the Phone, Messages, Compass and Camera (prior to the 4th generation) apps. The "iPod" App present on the iPhone is split into two apps on the iPod Touch: Music, and Videos. The bottom row of applications is also used to delineate the iPod touch's main purposes: Music, Videos, Safari, and App Store (Dock Layout was changed in 3.1 Update). For the 4th Generation iPod touch, it includes FaceTime and Camera, and the dock layout had changed to Music, Mail, Safari, Video. As of iOS 5.0 (to be released to the public in fall 2011), "iMessage" will be available on all iOS devices running iOS 5.
 
Multitasking
Before iOS 4, multitasking was limited to a selection of the applications Apple included on the devices. Apple worried that running multiple third-party applications simultaneously would drain batteries too quickly. Starting with iOS 4, on 3rd-generation and newer iOS devices, multitasking is supported through seven background APIs:

1. Background audio
2. Voice over IP
3. Background location
4. Push notifications
5. Local notifications
6. Task finishing
7. Fast app switching

Switching applications 

Double-pressing the home button activates the application switcher. A scrollable dock-like interface appears from the bottom, moving the contents of the screen up. Choosing an icon switches to an application. To the far left are icons which function as music controls, and a rotation lock. Holding the icons briefly makes them wiggle (similarly to the homescreen) and allows the user to quit the applications.

Game Center 

Game Center is an online multiplayer "social gaming network" released by Apple. It allows users to "invite friends to play a game, start a multiplayer game through matchmaking, track their achievements, and compare their high scores on a leader board."

BlackBerry OS is a proprietary mobile operating system, developed by Research In Motion for its BlackBerry line of smartphone handheld devices. The operating system provides multitasking and supports specialized input devices that have been adopted by RIM for use in its handhelds, particularly the trackwheel, trackball, and most recently, the trackpad and touchscreen. The BlackBerry platform is perhaps best known for its native support for corporate email, through MIDP 1.0 and, more recently, a subset of MIDP 2.0, which allows complete wireless activation and synchronization with Microsoft Exchange, Lotus Domino, or Novell GroupWise email, calendar, tasks, notes, and contacts, when used with BlackBerry Enterprise Server. The operating system also supports WAP 1.2. Updates to the operating system may be automatically available from wireless carriers that support the BlackBerry over the air software loading (OTASL) service.

Google Android features the following:

Handset layouts	The platform is adaptable to larger, VGA, 2D graphics library, 3D graphics library based on OpenGL ES 2.0 specifications, and traditional smartphone layouts.
Storage	SQLite, a lightweight relational database, is used for data storage purposes
Connectivity	Android supports connectivity technologies including GSM/EDGE, IDEN, CDMA, EV-DO, UMTS, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi (no connections through Proxy server and no Ad hoc wireless network), LTE, NFC and WiMAX.
Messaging	SMS and MMS are available forms of messaging, including threaded text messaging and now Android Cloud To Device Messaging Framework(C2DM) is also a part of Android Push Messaging service.
Multiple language support	Android supports multiple human languages. The number of languages more than doubled for the platform 2.3 Gingerbread. Android lacks font rendering of several languages even after official announcements of added support (e.g. Hindi).
Web browser	The web browser available in Android is based on the open-source WebKit layout engine, coupled with Chrome's V8 JavaScript engine. The browser scores a 93/100 on the Acid3 Test.
Java support	While most Android applications are written in Java, there is no Java Virtual Machine in the platform and Java byte code is not executed. Java classes are compiled into Dalvik executables and run on Dalvik, a specialized virtual machine designed specifically for Android and optimized for battery-powered mobile devices with limited memory and CPU. J2ME support can be provided via third-party applications.
Media support	Android supports the following audio/video/still media formats: WebM, H.263, H.264 (in 3GP or MP4 container), MPEG-4 SP, AMR, AMR-WB (in 3GP container), AAC, HE-AAC (in MP4 or 3GP container), MP3, MIDI, Ogg Vorbis, FLAC, WAV, JPEG, PNG, GIF (though earlier versions do not support animated GIFs), BMP.
Streaming media support	RTP/RTSP streaming (3GPP PSS, ISMA), HTML progressive download (HTML5 <video> tag). Adobe Flash Streaming (RTMP) and HTTP Dynamic Streaming are supported by the Flash plugin. Apple HTTP Live Streaming is supported by RealPlayer for Mobile, and by the operating system in Android 3.0 (Honeycomb). Microsoft Smooth Streaming is planned to be supported through the awaited port of Silverlight plugin to Android.
Additional hardware support	Android can use video/still cameras, touchscreens, GPS, accelerometers, gyroscopes, magnetometers, dedicated gaming controls, proximity and pressure sensors, thermometers, accelerated 2D bit blits (with hardware orientation, scaling, pixel format conversion) and accelerated 3D graphics.
Multi-touch	Android has native support for multi-touch which was initially made available in handsets such as the HTC Hero. The feature was originally disabled at the kernel level (possibly to avoid infringing Apple's patents on touch-screen technology at the time). Google has since released an update for the Nexus One and the Motorola Droid which enables multi-touch natively.
Bluetooth	Supports A2DP, AVRCP, sending files (OPP), accessing the phone book (PBAP), voice dialing and sending contacts between phones. Keyboard, mouse and joystick (HID) support is available through manufacturer customizations and third-party applications. Full HID support is planned for Android 3.0 (Honeycomb).
Video calling	Android does not support native video calling, but some handsets have a customized version of the operating system that supports it, either via the UMTS network (like the Samsung Galaxy S) or over IP. Video calling through Google Talk is available in Android 2.3.4 and later.
Multitasking	Multitasking of applications is available.
Voice based features	Google search through voice has been available since initial release. Voice actions for calling, texting, navigation, etc. are supported on Android 2.2 onwards.
Tethering	Android supports tethering, which allows a phone to be used as a wireless/wired hotspot. Before Android 2.2 this was supported by third-party applications or manufacturer customizations.
Screen capture	Android does not support screenshot capture as of 2011. This is supported by manufacturer and third-party customizations.