The Evolution of Operating Systems by Anthony Moore

The Evolution of Operating Systems IXDS5503 Media History and Theory Professor: Jason Occhipinti

Anthony Moore - May

2015

http://blog.gethuawei.com/mobile-os/

Unix

1969 Prior to the invention of Unix in 1965, computers were big and came with an expensive price tag of well over $100,000. Computer programmers were tasked with taking their programs to “the counter” where an operator would pick them up, upload them and execute the code. The results would be returned within hours up to days. The developers of Unix Ken Thompson and Dennis Ritchie sought to make access to the computer simpler. In essence, Unix was conceived out of frustration. Convinced that they could develop an operating system that could allow multiple users to have direct access to a single computer, the two innovators began work on the operating system. The beginnings of the operating system is steeped in the Multics Operating System, an operating system that could “barely support three simultaneous users.” (Salus, 1994) Faced with the expense of a computer to develop on, the two innovators located a DEC PDP-7 computer that was not in use but convinced Bell Telephone Labs (BTL) to purchase another computer for their project. Unix's development at this point proceeded under several basic philosophical principles: Write programs to do one thing and do it well; write programs so they will work together; and write programs to handle text streams. These properties constitute a universal interface. (Salus, 1994) Adhering to BTL’s guidelines there was no support for Unix, no bug fixes and not credit to the developers. This position of BTL created a tight-knit group of Unix users that collaborated on the operating system. Unix was the first portable operating system developed collaboratively became the first true open system. Salus, P. H. (1994). Unix at 25. Byte.com, 19(10), 75. Wirth, N. (2008). A Brief History of Software Engineering. IEEE Annals of the History of Computing, 30(3), 32-39. Image Source: http://www.logotypes101.com/free_vector_logo/90322/Unix

CP/M

1974 With the rise of microprocessors, CP/M was the first operating system to make use of these new chips. Timesharing on computers, card punch machines were to become a thing of the past as the new CP/M allowed the power of a single computer to be dedicated to a single engineer. CP/Mâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s single file management system was also capable of reading and writing from floppy disks. Disks could easily be changed out by the user eliminating the long waits associated with data processing centers. CP/M was developed Gary Kildall for Digital Research. This operating system was the fundamental disk operating system for Microsoft, IBM and Apple and laid the foundations for the popular operating system DOS of these soon-to-be corporate giants. CP/M brought about a new philosophy in operating system design. To accommodate the multiple platforms that it would run on, Kildall separated the OS into two distinct parts. First there was the part of the system that was to handle the I/O of data to the disk. Secondly, Kildall designed variant portion of the I/O written in assemble. What this design allowed for was the ability for engineers to adapt their own I/O drivers to the CP/M operating system. This simple design paved the way for the fixed and higher capacity hard disk drives of microcomputers. Kildall, G. (1982). CP/M: A FAMILY OF 8- AND 16-BIT COMPUTER OPERATING SYSTEMS. Education, 102(3), 211. Image Source: http://www.z80.eu/otrona.html

Berkeley Software Distribution (BSD)

1977

In the early 1970â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s, AT&T released the UNIX source code to several colleges and universities, allowing them to begin changing, adapting and improving that code as they pleased. That decision has led to the development of every major free and open source software operating system today, not least of which are the systems based on the Berkeley Software Distribution (BSD). [1] The version of UNIX developed at the University of California at Berkeley, is known for its stability and security. Because of its reliability, BSD paved the way for proprietary operating systems as the Mac OS X, NeXTSTEP and SunOS. While not as well-known as Linux, Windows or OS X, versions of BSD became the foundations of major Internet sites such as Yahoo! and also powered highly reliable embedded systems such as the IBM InterJet Internet appliance and Maxtorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s network storage servers. One version of BSD, NetBSD, had the distinction of being the most portable operating system in the world, running on more than 64 different central processing units and hundreds of brands and models of computers. [2] [1] Negus, C., & Caen, F. (2008). BSD UNIX Toolbox : 1000+ Commands for FreeBSD, OpenBSD, and NetBSD Power Users. Indianapolis, IN: Wiley Pub. [2] Glass, B. (2001). OS Alternatives. PC Magazine, 20(20), 89. Image Source: http://cartooncrushes.forumotion.com/t58-berkeley-software-distribution

IBM PC-DOS and MS-DOS

1977

Apple’s DOS 3.1

1978

In 1975 Apple released the Apple II computer replacing its predecessor the Apple I which lasted less than a year on the market. The Apple I was packaged with a monitor, keyboard and a cassette tape and was capable of executing only 56 instructions. The operating system paled in comparison to UNIX which was in its 6th edition. The Apple II was designed by Steve Wozniak to attract a larger audience and he began to see the need for a better storage than cassette and had a disk operating system or DOS developed. Paul Laughton hacked out the code behind Apple’s first DOS and in 1978 released the first version as DOS 3.1. The reason that the version number was 3.1 instead of 1.0 was because Laughton incremented a counter every time the source code was recompiled. Having a disk operating system instead of the cassette allowed Apple to package the first spreadsheet application named VisiCalc with their computer. The success of VisiCalc allowed for Apple to sell a “fully-loaded machine” and gave business people a reason to spend the money to buy a computer. Laughton states that VisiCalc was “the thing that [made] microcomputers take off.” This would not have been possible without Apple’s DOS 3.1 Singh, A. (2006). Mac OS X Internals: Addison-Wesley Professional. Terdiman, Daniel (2013-04-03). “The untold story behind Apple’s $13,000 operating system”. CNET. Retrieved April 4, 2013. Image source: http://www.hastac.org/forums/alan-turing-first-digital-humanist

SunOS

1982 SunOS was developed by Sun Microsystems and was a customized version of BSD UNIX and was used as the primary operating system for their hardware. In 1982, a group of Unix hackers from Berkeley founded Sun Microsystems on the belief that Unix running on relatively inexpensive 68000-based hardware would prove a winning combination for a wide variety of applications. They were right, and their vision set the pattern for an entire industry. While still priced out of reach of most individuals, workstations were cheap for corporations and universities; networks of them (one to a user) rapidly replaced the older VAXes and other timesharing systems. [1] One of the major contributions of the SunOS operating system to the computing industry was its network file system (NFS.) The network file system allowed users at their computer to access and manage files on another computer on the network as if it were stored locally on their machine. Future releases of SunOS provided a GUI Interface (OpenLook GUI), x11/NeWS (Network extensible Window System) provided cooperative multitasking), virtual memory subsystem and shared libraries. After leaving its imprint on technology, Sun Microsystems abandoned the BSD base component of their software in 1992 and shifted direction toward strictly UNIX based OS repackaged as Solaris. [1] DiBona, C., Ockman, S., & Stone, M. (1999). Open Sources : Voices From the Open Source Revolution. Beijing: Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Reilly. Lewis, Pierre (1994). A very brief look at UNIX history. Retrieved April 11, 2015. Image Source: http://www.quora.com/SunOS

GNU

1983 GNU, which stands for GNU’s Not Unix, was an operating system developed by Richard Stallman. Stallman was an anti-establishment individual that thought that software should be free. From a post in 1983 announcing his intent to develop the GNU OS Stallman states “I consider that the golden rule requires that if I like a program I must share it with other people who like it.” [1] The GNU OS was to be a competitor of the UNIX operating system. The initial releases of GNU were developed to enhance UNIX with the capabilities to run UNIX programs, and contained a runtime environment for C programs, an editor, compiler, a spreadsheet and hundreds of other things. The significant aspect about this operating system was the fact that it was open source. This was the motivation behind Stallman’s creation. To him it was important that developers could 1) run the program as they wished, 2) study the source code and change it, 3) redistribute exact copies and 4) distribute copies of modified versions. The free software licensing began by Stallman with GNU generated enough enthusiasm to ultimately bring about other free operating systems and products such as Linux and OpenOffice and provided a framework for collaborative development. [1] Stallman, Richard (September 27, 1983). “new UNIX implementation”. Newsgroup: net. unix-wizards. Retrieved April 11, 2015. (https://groups.google.com/forum/#!msg/net.unixwizards/8twfRPM79u0/1xlglzrWrU0J) Marshall, Rosalie (2008-11-17). “Q&A: Richard Stallman, founder of the GNU Project and the Free Software Foundation”. AU: PC & Tech Authority. Retrieved April 11, 2015. Image Source: http://logancij.com/speakers/

Mac OS System 1

1984

Mac OS System 1 is the very first version of the Macintosh system software, released for the Macintosh 128K and Macintosh 512K. System 1 was first operating system that brought a GUI interface and a mouse to the desktop, and was more intuitive to use over the text based operating systems such as DOS. System 1 had no color and could only run one application at a time although the Apple menu allowed users to open other applications without having to close others. The OS included the Desktop, windows, the menu bar (a staple of the Mac OS in subsequent releases), icons; it included folders although users could not create folders of their own, documents, applications and the Trash icon for disposing of unwanted files. System 1.1 released just months after 1.0 and came with Finder which allowed its users a way to conveniently navigate the file system and provided users with a way to easily create files, folders and sub-folders. Mesa, Andy. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Early Mac OSâ&#x20AC;?. The Apple Museum. Retrieved 3-7-2015 Image Source: http://r-101.blogspot.com/2006/08/evolution-of-desktops.html

Windows 1.0

1985

Windows 1.0 launched during the time of the Comdex trade show in Las Vegas in November 1985. Microsoft was recommending a minimum of 256KB of RAM, or 512KB of RAM and a hard drive for running multiple applications or when running it on top of DOS 3.0 or higher. PC Magazine’s first review, in February 1986, pointed out that “Windows strains the limits of current hardware.” [1] This initial installment of the Windows operating system proved to be rather disappointing to many PC users at the time as it was slow and was too demanding on system resources. Initially called Interface Manager, the first version of Windows had a large number of utilities and accessories, most of which remain in Windows today, including the Calendar, Notepad, Terminal, Calculator, Clock, Windows Paint, Control Panel, and the Reversi game. The menus had moved to the top of the screen, and the windows couldn’t overlap; instead, they could be stacked as tiles, so one was next to another. [2] Most PC users chose to stick with DOS as Windows 1.0 had no major programs that would run on it. But to Microsoft the future of GUI was clear. Windows 3.0, which was introduced in 1990, was the first major release of this operating system that would entice the DOS community to abandon their textbased OS and move to the GUI. While not entirely successful on its on, the release of Windows 1.0, Microsoft positioned itself and remained aggressive to dominate the desktop operating system market place for years to come. [1] Miller, M. J., Metz, C., Machrone, B., Willmott, D., Gottesman, B. Z., Anthony, A., & Chang, S. (2005). EARLY YEARS. (cover story). PC Magazine, 24(19/20), 120. [2] Miller (2005) Fitzpatrick, A. (2014). It Took Microsoft 3 Tries Before Windows Was Successful. Time.Com, N.PAG. Image Source: http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/history#T1=era1

DOS 4.0

1986

Developed at a time when GUI interfaces were beginning to catch on, DOS 4.0 became the first true preemptive multitasking operating system for desktop computers capable of using the power of the new 80386 processors. It had the ability to switch screens dynamically and its memory manager provided the foundation for Microsoft Windows memory management. In addition to the multitasking capabilities DOS 4.0 offered other advances over its predecessor DOS 3.x such as shared memory, semaphores, advanced memory management (although the OS was still confined to the 640K core memory limit), a session manager, imports, exports and a new executable format which allowed for the multitasking features. [1] IBM’s version of this DOS also allowed users to create files bigger than 32 megabytes, in fact it had no size limit on files at all. Hard drives larger than 32Meg no longer had to be partitioned in order to access. This feature alone made this version of DOS stand out to casual users over the previous versions of DOS. [1] Vernon Brooks. “Information about the little known multitasking MS-DOS 4.0”. PC DOS Retro. Larry Osterman. “Did you know that OS/2 wasn’t Microsoft’s first non Unix multi-tasking operating system?”. MSDN Blogs. IBM DOS, InfoWorld, Jul 18, 1988, p. 77 Image Source: https://theosperiment.wordpress.com/2010/01/13/case-study-1-ms-dos/

GEOS

1986 Berkeley Softworks developed the Graphical Environment Operating System to run on a Commodore 64 computer and packaged a word processor and paint program along with it. The appeal of GEOS lied in its ability to cut and paste text, drag and drop capabilities, point and click applications, support for joysticks and of course its GUI interface that resembled the Macintosh by Apple Later, GEOS (as manufactured by GeoWorks) attempted to stake claim in the GUI interface world that found itself in a situation where Windows was quite simply not a good fit. Many found that Windows was to demanding on computer resources at that time. GEOS’s minimum hardware requirements were indeed minimal. It operated on any PC-compatible computer system, including hard diskequipped XTs with 512K of RAM, a mouse, and a monochrome or color graphics monitor. The presence of expanded or extended memory sped up disk-intensive operations. Since Geo Works Ensemble (the collection of programs and utilities GeoWorks released to introduce the GEOS operating system to the PC world) adhered to a standard known as Motif its display screens comply with the Open Software Foundation’s suggested standards for graphic interfaces. When later compared with the Windows 3.0 interface, Motif’s interface looks crisper, clearer. What GeoWorks had hoped would make a dent in the Windows marketplace was their innovative solutions for desktop computers. There were nine GEOS-specific programs including a word processor, a file manager, two telecommunications modules, and a draw program. These applications run in GEOS windows. The windows could be resized, minimized (collapsed to an icon), maximized (expanded to full screen), or moved by dragging the title bar with the mouse. Millman, H. (1991). Compute choice. Compute!, 13(4), 30. Zimmermann, Bo. The CommodoreGEOS FAQ v1.5.0. Retrieved April 14, 2015. Image Source: http://commodore.ca/history/company/turks_geos.htm

OS/2 1.1

1988

Operating System/2 or simply, OS/2 was IBM’s attempt to get into the GUI market for desktop computers. Up to this time the majority of IBM PC’s ran entirely on DOS. Windows was in its early phases and had not gained the popularity of that DOS had. Not only did OS/2 come with a graphical interface for its users but it also packed quite a punch for processing on the 80286 PC. Quite simply DOS could not take advantage of these new microprocessors. OS/2 allowed users to continue to use their favorite DOS programs but running in protected mode for applications built specifically for OS/2, users could for the first time multitask running multiple programs at the same time. In addition to its multitasking features, OS/2 broke through the 640k RAM memory barrier forced by DOS allowing users to access 16MB of RAM and up to 1G of virtual memory shared on the hard drive space of the computer. This meant that as applications began to fill up the 16MB of RAM that OS/2 would begin paging that memory to the user’s hard drive freeing up more of RAM while cycling less used allocated RAM to the hard drive. Kinne, H. C. (1987). IBM’s PS/2 And a New OS/2: What’s In An Acronym? Industrial Management, 29(5), 6 Image Source: http://www.webdesignerdepot.com/2009/03/operating-system-interface-design-between-1981-2009

1988 NeXT or NeXTSTEP is UNIX based operating system with a graphical user interface (GUI.) The operating system was developed by the company NeXT Computer founded by Steve Jobs after he left Apple in 1985. Jobs had envisioned the computers running NeXTSTEP to be used at universities for research. The first generation computer was bundled with the Object-C language and runtime environment. The Object-C language made programming on the NeXTSTEP operating system easier than other OSes at the time and paved the way for groundbreaking games such as Wolfenstein 3D, Doom and Quake to be developed in the early 1990’s. The graphics of the OS brought more clarity to the user and larger, more colorful icons made for a an improved user experience. The computer that came packaged with NeXTSTEP, the NeXT Cube, came with a price tag trending toward $10,000 which was too expensive for the average consumer and eventually caused NeXT Computer to stop selling hardware and focus on the OS itself. When Jobs returned to Apple in 1996, NeXT was bought out by Apple and combined the NeXTSTEP with the Mac OS to produce Apple’s next generation of operating systems; the Mac OS X. “MCI used NeXT software to power its revolutionary Friends and Family networking referral campaign, which other rivals couldn’t match for years.” Retrieved Mar 16, 2015. (http://www. roughlydrafted.com/RD/RDM.Tech.Q1.07/141B0B5A-C8DE-49D2-BFDF-DB75E44A3285.html) Ford, Kevin (2008). “What’s with all the NeXT names?”.www.kevra.org. Retrieved Mar 16, 2015. (http://www.kevra.org/TheBestOfNext/DifferentNeXTSpellings/DifferentNeXTSpellings.html) Image Source: http://www.webdesignerdepot.com/2009/03/operating-system-interface-designbetween-1981-2009/

Windows 3.0

1990

Windows 3.0 was Microsoft’s most successful release of a GUI operating system of that time and even rivaled the GUI interface of Apple’s McIntosh computer systems. Microsoft successfully upgraded the user interface to make it not only more appealing to the consumer but more manageable as well. From a technical standpoint Windows 3.0 could operate in 3 modes: 1) real mode – which allowed the operating system to run on 8086 processors with a 640K limit, 2) standard mode – meant for the 80286 processor allowed access to 16Meg of memory through its extended memory system or XMS and 3) enhanced mode which was designed take advantage of the power of 80386 processors, the first 32 bit processor. In enhanced mode, Windows 3.0 allowed for the paging of memory to the hard drive. What this meant for the user was the multiple applications could be ran simultaneously while the OS would page memory from RAM to the hard drive and back again as the computer needed it. Packaged with several applications such as Paintbrush, Games and Desktop control (wallpaper, icons, screensavers and etc.), Windows 3.0 introduced a File Manager that allowed users to easily manage their files on the computer by simple drag and drop options. Also included was a Program Manager that allowed users to organize their programs in groups which provided a more convenient way to access programs as users could place them where it was convenient to them. Venditto, G., Simon, B., & Murphy, P. (2005). Tips, Tricks, and Hints for Windows 3.0. PC Magazine, 24(19/20), 114. “Microsoft Windows 3.0”. Old Computer Museum. Old Computer Museum. http://www.oldcomputermuseum.com/os/windows_3.0.html “Windows 3.0”. ToastyTech. ToastyTech. http://toastytech.com/guis/win30.html Image Source: http://www.guidebookgallery.org/screenshots/win30

Linux

1991 Linux came onto the scene in 1991 when it was developed by a Finnish student at the University of Helsinki named Linus Torvalds. Linus worked on the OS as a hobby because of the limitations of the Minix operating system was using at the time. Minix was not able to take advantage of the newer and increasingly cheaper 80386 microprocessors that were on the market. Linus wrote the device drivers and disk I/O operations then released the first version of Linux .01. What gave Linux its boost was Linus’ willingness to distribute the source code of the operating system as open source allowing for programmers around the world to contribute to his new operating system. From a post Linus writes: a Hello everybody out there using minix I’m doing a (free) operating system (just a hobby, won’t be big and professional like gnu) for 386(486) AT clones. This has been brewing since april, and is starting to get ready. I’d like any feedback on things people like/dislike in minix, as my OS resembles it somewhat (same physical layout of the file-system (due to practical reasons) among other things). I’ve currently ported bash(1.08) and gcc(1.40), and things seem to work. This implies that I’ll get something practical within a few months, and I’d like to know what features most people would want. Any suggestions are welcome, but I won’t promise I’ll implement them :-) Linus (torv...@kruuna.helsinki.fi) PS. Yes - it’s free of any minix code, and it has a multi-threaded fs. It is NOT protable (uses 386 task switching etc), and it probably never will support anything other than AT-harddisks, as that’s all I have :-(. [1]

As a result of input from others, at the end of 1991 Linux 0.11 was released as a fully functional Unixlike operating system. Since any programmer in the world could contribute to Linux the operating system quickly caught on. The combination of its Unix based power and eventual GUI interface made it a popular operating system and by 1988 the number of companies using Linux as their operating systems climbed to 27%. While the notion of open source operating systems was nothing new, the success of Linux showcases what can be accomplished when software is made available in a collaborative environment. [1] Torvalds, Linus Benedict (August 1991).”comp.os.minix”. Retrieved March 21, 2015. Brandel, M. (1999). Linus Launches Linux. Computerworld, 33(43), 78. Image Source http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linux

Windows NT

1993

Windows NT was a computer operating system designed by Microsoft that allowed the company to become a major player in the server architecture industry. Up until this time a large portion of networks ran Unix based operating systems or Novellâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Netware. Unlike Unix and Netware, Microsoft brought with NT the GUI interface that it had developed for desktop PCs, i.e. Windows 3.x. The GUI interface of NT provided the ease of navigation that was inherent in a GUI interface as opposed to the text-based operating systems. Powered by its 32 bit design, Windows NT was capable of handling sophisticated network software that went well beyond the power of Windows 3.1. Memory management was a highlight of Windows NT as PC enthusiast saw the end of the 640K memory barrier and the memory managers which had previously existed to help computers manage memory beyond this barrier. Sophisticated multitasking was capable for its time which saw 2 gigabytes of memory dedicated for application resources. NT also supported multi-processors which gave a significant increase in performance as more than one microprocessor could be used in a distributed environment. Donston, D. (2005). 20 YEARS OF WINDOWS. eWeek, 22(45), 43. Feldman, L. (1993). Windows NT. (cover story) (Vol. 15, pp. 6): Ziff Davis, Inc. Image Source: http://research.microsoft.com/en-us/um/people/gbell/Digital/timeline/1993-2.htm

OS/2 Warp

1994

The release of OS/2 Warp by IBM was a marketing strategy to gain user support before the highly anticipated release of Microsoft’s Windows 95. This was to be IBM’s biggest threat to win over loyal Windows users and become a major competitor with Microsoft in the desktop PC industry. The strategy however, did not pay off for IBM as the release of Windows 95 proved to be too much for Big Blue. Aside, from the inability of being able to remain competitive with Microsoft, OS/2 was a powerful operating system that actually did things better than the Microsoft counterpart. Since Windows based applications had not yet experienced the widespread development, DOS applications still had a strong presence in the PC world particularly with the gaming industry. These resource hungry applications demanded the framework of a DOS based operating system and OS/2 delivered. OS/2 allowed DOS applications to be configured individually with their own unique DOS session. This meant that if the application needed 32Meg of memory then the DOS session could be configured to handle it. These types of applications struggled to run under DOS let alone Windows 3.x but for OS/2 it was not a problem. In addition to being able to run DOS applications, OS/2 also ran Windows 3.x applications. The preemptive multitasking, efficient memory management and support for popular devices OS/2 was truly an OS capable to challenge Microsoft. However, IBM’s OS/2 never gained the following to sustain the corporation’s push to share in the OS marketplace and in 2006 brought to an end its support of the operating system. Timothy F. Sipples (20 February 1995). OS/2 Warp Frequently Asked Questions List Retrieved March 26, 2015. (http://www.mit.edu/activities/os2/faq/os2faq0103.html) “OS/2 Warp History”. Archived from the original on January 27, 2013. Retrieved March 26, 2015. (http://web.archive.org/web/20130127122310/http://www.os2bbs.com/os2news/OS2Warp.html) Image Source: http://landley.net/history/mirror/os2/history/os221/index.html

Datalight ROM-DOS

1994

In the midst of the OS war where Apple, IBM and Microsoft jockeyed to gain an edge in the desktop OS market, the first smartphone was introduced. Put quite simply, a smartphone is a phone with its own operating system. IBM Simon was first introduced in 1992 but it wasn’t until 1994 that it was made available to the consumer. The OS used on Simon was called Datalight ROM-DOS and featured a touchscreen QWERTY keyboard, x86 compatible CPU and 1MB of read-only memory (ROM.) It was packaged with 11 applications that included a calendar, to-do list, calculator, address book, appointment scheduler, world time clock. Along with these applications, the OS was the first release of predictive text input for portable devices and provided memory upgrades through PCMCIA memory cards. Owners could upgrade the OS with more applications using the PCMCIA interface that came with the device. File compression software from Stacker was used to compress the files in order to optimize storage and the user interface layer of the OS was referred to as Navigator. International Business, T. (2012). Smartphone Evolution: From IBM Simon To Samsung Galaxy S3: Y. Simon Says “Here’s How!” - Users Manual (PDF). IBM. 1994. Part Number 83G9872. (http://research. microsoft.com/en-us/um/people/bibuxton/buxtoncollection/a/pdf/Simon%20User%20Manuals.pdf) IBM Simon. (n.d.). Retrieved March 15, 2015 (http://www.netlibrary.net/articles/ibm_ simon#Operating_system_and_applications) Image Source: http://read.images.worldlibrary.net/articles/images/thumb/9/9e/IBM_Simon_Personal_ Communicator.png/175px-IBM_Simon_Personal_Communicator.png

Windows 95

1995

Windows 95 was a late comer to the OS scene when it came to true 32 bit operating systems. OS/2 Warp, Windows NT and Mac OS had all landed operating systems on the market capable of preemptive multitasking. What Windows 95 did do for the computer world is become the most popular operating system of its time selling over a million copies in the first four days on the market and pushed the resource limits of existing desktop computer systems. About a quarter of the people who installed Windows 95 on their existing systems upgraded their hardware (RAM, hard disk, or both) first. Others went for a major computer face-lift, replacing enough of the old parts to cost them almost as much as a new system. Some users gave up on patching an old PC and bought a whole new one just to get the new operating system. “It would have been too much trouble to upgrade our old system,” says Sandy Hall of Reno, Nevada, “so we decided to go the whole way and get 16MB of memory, 28.8 modem, the works. We bought a Compaq Presario with Windows 95 preinstalled.” [1] While Windows 95 taxed computer resources there were several things the operating system did very well. Windows 95 was better than any previous PC operating system at being able to detect and configure automatically existing hardware options, and it embodied the new Plug and Play code that enabled a new generation of PC peripherals to be as easy to install as, well, Macintosh peripherals. Setting up a network connection was much simplified, with Windows 95 providing Netware support that is easier to configure and use than Novell’s own. Microsoft threw in a number of fairly robust productivity applications, such as fax and electronic messaging, dial-up access and networking, as well as viewers and players for a variety of file types, multimedia sound and video. To entice the game developers, the operating system affords enhanced on-screen graphic rendering.[2] [1] Li-Ron, Y., & McEvoy, A. (1996). Close encounters with Windows 95. (cover story). PC World, 14(4), 139. [2] Cline, C. E. (1995). Windows 95 hits the streets running: A report on our first six months. Seybold Report On Desktop Publishing, 10(1), 3. Gorman, R. F. (2008). Great Events From History. Pasadena, Calif: Salem Press. McCracken, H., & Singh, T. (1996). Windows 95 versus Windows NT versus Warp versus Mac. PC World, 14(2), 144. Image Source: http://www.guidebookgallery.org/screenshots/win95

Palm OS

1996

Technologically speaking the world was changing and the internet was the force at the center of these changes. 1994 saw the first operating system (Datalight) for mobile phones, but IBMâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Simon was simply not convenient enough to carry. As data became more accessible, it was just a matter of time before the evolution of the operating systems was to go mobile. Enter the PDA (Personal Digital Assistant.) A PDA was also known as handheld PC and soon began to become the preferred PC for individuals on the go. The Palm OS, manufactured by Palm Inc., was an operating system behind Palm Pilot and later became popular on devices from other manufacturers. The operating system allowed its users to manage their contact lists, schedules, to-do lists and email. As with anything, the earlier versions of the Palm OS seem primitive now with its monochrome screen support, sync features for the contacts and email but the OS evolved to provide improved color screens, real-time connectivity to the internet and networks. The Palm OS helped to lay a foundation for the operating systems that made this sort of mobility an expectation rather than a luxury. PalmSource Spins Out From Palm, Inc., PalmSource press release, October 28, 2003. Palm Pilot Roots Retrieved March 26, 2015 (http://lowendmac.com/orchard/08th/palm-pilot-roots.htm) PDT operating system ready. (1996). Automatic I.D. News, 12(7), 10. Image Source: http://lowendmac.com/orchard/08th/palm-pilot-roots.htm

Windows CE

1996

In 1996 Microsoft released a scaled down version of Windows 95 known as Windows CE. Windows CE was designed to be a mobile operating system for PDAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s and, eventually smartphones whose interface was all-to-familiar with a growing Windows 95 user base. Windows CE was first introduced and the mobile devices made by manufacturers such as NEC, HP and Casio. It profiled an LCD touch screen with four grayscale color, a stylus to simulate the point and click feel of a mouse, and required at least 2 MB of RAM and 4 MB or ROM. It was capable of making use of the 32 bit processors unlike Datalight ROM-DOS which was built on 16 bit technology. The 32 bit architecture made it possible to run multiple programs at the same time on a mobile device. CE was also internet ready which made access to the internet resources possible. Also showcased by CE was its ability to allow portability for Microsoftâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Office suite of applications. Users of application such as Word and Excel could now travel with their documents accessing them from anywhere in the world. Brown, B., & Brown, M. (2000). A Pocketful of PC. PC Magazine, 19(11), 32. Rouse, Margaret, Windows CE definition (http://searchwindowsserver.techtarget.com/definition/ Windows-CE) Tilley, Chris, The History of Windows CE Humble Beginnings (http://www.hpcfactor.com/support/ windowsce/) Image Source: http://www.hep.phy.cam.ac.uk/vnc_docs/cevncviewer.html

Blackberry

1999

At the time that the Blackberry, by Research in Motion (RIM), was introduced it was the first device with two-way email that allowed the user to send and receive email on their corporate servers. While the Palm VII OS from Palm Inc. offered similar wireless e-mail connectivity, corporate users deployed BlackBerry in large numbers when it came out in January of 1999. Investment bank Credit Suisse First Boston deployed thousands, of BlackBerrys while First Boston Credit handed out 350 units to employees just to pilot the new device which subsequently connected to the company’s Microsoft Exchange Server to access email, contacts and appointments on personal calendars. [1] While beating out future mobile OSes such as iOS and Android, Blackberry was able to gain a significant hold in the mobile market. The device that brought true mobility to users around the world saw just as much popularity in Europe as it did in the U.S. While the Blackberry and it’s OS had its heyday, in the end the iOS and Android OSes proved to be too much and soon overtook the market. [1] Deckmyn, D. (2000). Thousands of Orders Roll In For Handheld E-Mail Devices. Computerworld, 34(1), 13. Brewin, B. (2000). Wireless BlackBerry Service Winning Over Customers. Computerworld, 34(13), 75. Smith, B. (2000). Data: They’re Jammin’ Across Europe. Wireless Week, 6(4), 1. Image Source: http://crackberry.com/evolution-blackberry-pictures

Mac OS X Server

1999

After Steve Jobs left Apple in 1985 to form his new company NeXT, he and the company began to work on a new operating system called NeXTSTEP. Upon his return to Apple more than a decade later, Apple began to go to work on creating a new server operating system. Microsoft, IBM and Linux were clearly dominating the market in server technology so Apple came onto the market with OS X Server. Mac OS X Server was merging of technologies of NeXTSTEP and the Mac OS. Built on the foundation of Unix the operating system, Mac OS X Server provided the classic network file and print sharing and a web server capable of streaming multimedia content over Apple base networks. Borrowing from the success of Linux, Apple became the first major OS manufacturing company to release its code to the public making it open source. By doing so, Apple allowed developers from all over the world access to the code. The code name for this the first release of OS X Server was Darwin; named so by Steve Jobs because “it’s about evolution.” [1] [1] Walsh, J. (1999). Apple goes open source. Infoworld, 21(12), 40. Pace, M. (1999). Mac OS X Server delivers. Infoworld, 21(18), 39. New Mac Web Server. (1999). Multimedia Schools, 6(3), 15. Image Source: http://toastytech.com/guis/osxsv.html

MS Pocket PC

2000

In 1996, Palm introduced the Palm OS which was the popular OS on PDA devices and in 2000 the operating system resided on 75% of all hand-held devices. In the same year, Microsoft tried to rev up its presence in the mobile industry by replacing Microsoft CE with the Microsoft Pocket PC. To launch its campaign against Palm, Microsoft for the first time mentions Palm in their advertising campaign: “Can your palm do this?... Not unless you’re holding a Pocket PC.” [1] This direct attack against the industry leading Palm Computing launched Microsoft headfirst into the mobile industry. The Pocket PC OS featured email, MP3 digital music through Windows Media player and aligned itself with major gaming companies to provide games for the mobile OS. Microsoft touted the OS as being capable of displaying high-resolution color graphics, large memories and packaged with MS Reader. Microsoft released MS Reader to provide a sharply focused typeface that readers were accustomed to with printed paper. To provide incentive for this Microsoft partnered with Barnes and Noble to provide a wide variety of e-books for users. The MS Pocket PC operating system provide the foundation for Microsoft to continue growth in the mobile device OS arena. In 2003 Microsoft renamed its OS to Windows Mobile. While packaged with such innovated technologies such as digital music and e-readers, Microsoft would never offer much of a challenge to later mobile device OSes such as Android and iOS. [1] Wasserman, T. (2000). MS Plots Palmier Days for Revamped CE. Brandweek, 41(16), 6. Microsoft Unveils Pocket PC, MS Reader. (2000). Publishers Weekly, 247(17), 20. Image Source: http://www.pcmag.com/encyclopedia/term/49428/pocket-pc

Symbian

2001

In June of 2001, Nokia issued a fairly standard press release stating Nokia’s 9210 Communicator is now shipping. While there was nothing extraordinary about this particular release, it had significance for one of Nokia’s partners, Symbian. The 9210 contains Symbian’s open-architecture wireless operating system, the elusive 16 MBytes of code the U.K. software developer had been writing for three years. The 9210 launch heralded the first release of the Symbian OS in a commercial product. It also meant that Symbian had managed to pull away from Microsoft -- at least temporarily. Prior to the release of Symbian, Microsoft had turned up the intensity on its own year-old wireless OS project, Stinger, prompting speculation that Microsoft might beat Symbian to market despite the U.K. firm’s sizable development lead. [1] Symbian’s Generic Technology components provided services used in all the reference designs -data management, communications, graphics, multimedia, security, application engines, messaging engine, browser engines for WAP and HTML, Java run-time environment and support for data synchronization and worldwide locales. This plethora of technology offered manufacturers and carriers the option of providing mobile devices that are highly personal and varied. That individuality is exactly what Symbian is focused on. [2] While Microsoft was dominating the desktop industry and was working to break into mobile technology, it was the Symbian OS which dominated the mobile OS market capturing 75% of the market and remained unchallenged until Google’s release of Android and the rise of iOS. [1] Fitchard, K. (2001). Round 1 goes to Symbian. Telephony, 240(26), 18. [2] Chaffee, M. (2001). Operating Platforms. Wireless Review, 18(2), 14. Conti, J. P. (2008). The Androids are coming. Engineering & Technology (17509637), 3(9), 72-75. doi:10.1049/et:20080912 Image Source: http://pdadb.net/index.php?m=specs&id=887&view=1&c=nokia_9210i_communicator

Mac OS X

2001

This year, both Microsoft and Apple brought out new computer operating systems, Windows XP and Macintosh OS X. OS X runs on Unix, a different platform from what was used before. As a result, there was not much application software available. Many of the 1,000 titles were demo versions or small, specialized applications. Major programs, such as Microsoft Office and QuarkXPress, were promised for the future. For those wanting to run their older programs Apple provided a way to run in Classic mode. [1] The underlying architecture of Mac OS X is Unixâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Darwin open-source core, which integrated BSD Unix and the Mach 3.0 kernel. This was the first time that a Unix-based operating system was being marketed as a popular desktop system for consumers--Linux and its plethora of interfaces notwithstanding. Finally, Mac users had an operating system that included pre-emptive multitasking with multi-threaded processes, protected memory space and symmetric multiprocessing support. [2] Many Mac users suggested that Apple released OS X before it was time as it was not met with the enthusiasm that users had hoped. In its initial release OS X it was buggy, slow and did not support basic functionality such as CD-ROM writing, SCSI support and DVD playback. But with 10,000 developers working on 20,000 OS X applications from companies such as IBM, Microsoft, Macromedia, Palm, MYOB, Sun and Symantec this new OS from Apple was poised to garner the support it needed to make it the OS of the future for Apple. [1] XP and OS X. (2001). Consumer Reports, 66(10), 59. [2] Bethoney, H. (2001). Core OS differences from Apple. (cover story). Eweek, 18(13), 1. Janet, H. (n.d). Apple and the OS X factor. Australian, The, David, F. (n.d). OS X hits the heights. Australian, The, Image Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Jaguar_on_G4.png

Windows XP

2001

Windows XP was an operating system that formed a happy union from existing Microsoft technologies. From Windows NT and 2000, it inherited a secure, stable core. From Windows 9x and Me, it inherited compatibility with hardware and software, as well as tools for working with digital images, video, and audio. And in either of its two flavors, Home Edition or Professional, it was a great match for the latest PCs with their faster processors, capacious hard drives, and speedy CD burners. [1] The changes in XP that really matter was not obvious and, in many cases, invisible. XP was important because, simply, it worked a lot better than Windows 95, 98, or Me. Since Microsoft released Windows NT 4.0 in 1996, and especially since Windows 2000 came out, consumers had been second-class citizens. True, NT and, to a lesser extent, 2000 required a technician to install and configure. These business-oriented operating systems were fussy about software and even pickier about what hardware you could use. But they worked without the crashes and mysterious glitches that had always plagued consumer versions of Windows. Microsoft had been struggling for several years to retain the stability of NT while making it easier to use and getting it to work with a much broader range of hardware and software, including arcade-style games. [2] Windows XP didn’t boast exciting new features or radical changes, but it was nonetheless a pivotal moment in Microsoft’s history. It was Microsoft’s first mass-market operating system in the Windows NT family. It was also Microsoft’s first consumer operating system that offered true protected memory, preemptive multitasking, multiprocessor support, and multiuser security. [3] [1] Spanbauer, S. (2001). Windows XP Inside & Out. (cover story). PC World, 19(11), 92. [2] Wildstrom, S. H. (2001). WINDOWS XP: IT’S A KEEPER. Businessweek, (3754), 23-24. [3] Bright, Peter. “Ten Years of Windows XP: How Longevity Became a Curse”. Retrieved April 21, 2015. Image Source: http://tgigeeks.net/windows.html

Windows Server 2003

2003

Microsoft built Windows Server 2003 for dependability. It improves on many technologies introduced in Windows 2000 Server, such as support for smart cards, bandwidth throttling, and Plug and Play support. New technologies, such as the common language runtime, strengthen security to help safeguard networks from malicious or poorly designed code. In addition, improvements to Internet Information Services (IIS) 6.0, public key infrastructure (PKI), and Kerberos made it easier to secure Windows Server 2003. The Microsoft Active Directory directory service ran faster and was more robust over unreliable wide area network connections, thanks to more efficient synchronization, replication, and credential caching in branch office domain controllers. [1] When looking at the advances in Windows Server 2003, Microsoft took a greater interest in the importance of storage. The operating system’s impressive list of new or improved features covered a wide spectrum. Beyond better performance, Microsoft suggested that the NT File System was faster than in previous releases and that it delivered better file and volume management, and much-needed extended support for networked storage. [2] Because of the popularity of Server 2003 and it’s security, it became a popular OS for businesses and their networks. Microsoft plans to discontinue support of this OS in July of 2015; but as of March 2015 61% of businesses were still running Windows Server 2003. (Merriman) [1] Honeycutt, J. (2003). Introducing Microsoft Windows Server 2003. Redmond, Wash: Microsoft Press. [2] Apicella, M. (2003). Windows Server 2003 Gets Storage Boost. Infoworld, 25(18), 36. Merriman, Chris. “Windows Server 2003 is Still running 61 percent of Businesses”. March 18, 2015. Retrieved April 22, 2015. Image Source: http://www.guidebookgallery.org/screenshots/winserv2003web

Max OS X Server 10.4 Tiger

2005

According to Apples Senior VP, Tiger Server continued Apple’s blazing pace of innovation and is the best release of Mac OS X Server yet. “With no client access fees and over 100 open source projects combined with Apple’s legendary ease of use, Tiger Server is the clear choice for all Mac and PC workgroups and an ideal alternative to Windows and Linux servers.” [1] Tiger server was Apple’s first server that brought the power of 64-bit computing to mainstream servers. Among Tiger’s features Tiger was included a brand new video conferencing iChat Server designed for organizations that needed to keep internal communication private. iChat Server integrated within an organization’s existing directory services, used SSL/TSL encryption to ensure privacy, worked with Apple’s popular iChat conferencing software in Tiger and was compatible with open source Jabber clients available on Windows, Linux and popular PDAs. [2] Of all of Tiger’s features, the marquee feature was Spotlight. Spotlight wasn’t an application, but a service fully integrated into Tiger, exposed to developers, and shared by all Tiger applications. It performed rapid searches based on content and metadata. Spotlight drilled into 14 different document types, including Apple’s e-mail and address book databases, and it understood not only their encoded content, but also the invisible key/value metadata that applications attach to files. [3] [1] APPLE LAUNCHES MAC OS X SERVER “TIGER” VERSION 10.4. (2005). Mainframe Computing, 18(6), N.PAG. [2] Mainframe Computing [3] Yager, T. (2005). Tiger, Tiger Burning Bright. Infoworld, 27(23), 22. Ian, C. (n.d). Mac OS X Tiger. Australian, The Image Source: http://www.brothersoft.com/mac-os-x-tiger-189823.html

Apple iOS

2007

When Apple made the iPhone, it didn’t throw together some cheap-o bare-bones firmware. It took OS X, its full-featured desktop operating system, and somehow squished it down to fit inside the iPhone’s elegant glass-and-stainless-steel case. That makes the iPhone more than just a gadget. It’s a genuine handheld, walk-around computer, the first device that really deserves the name. One of the big trends of 2007 was the idea that computing doesn’t belong just in cyberspace, it needs to happen here, in the real world, where actual stuff happens. The iPhone gets applications like Google Maps out onto the street, where we really need them. [1] Being a legitimate portable computer that runs the Mac OS X operating system, the iPone includes the Apple Safari Web browser with Google and Yahoo search engines built in. It includes an IMAP compatible e-mail client, and a bunch of widgets (such as one that gets the weather). It communicates over Wi-Fi, Enhanced Data for Global Evolution (enhanced GSM cell phone service) and Bluetooth, and uses the GSM cell phone technology and other wireless at the same time. [2] It is a rare occasion that a device dominates the market as Apple’s iPhone did when it entered the marketplace. In the opinion of most it was the best designed smart phone ever released. The iOS made the device mobile yet still packed the power to do most of the tasks that previously required a desktop computer to perform. In the following years Apple’s competitors fought back by releasing models that offered improvements over the iPhone which brought even more power to the consumer. The significance of the iPhone and the iOS cannot be overlooked as a technological game changer. [1] Grossman, L. (2007). Invention of the Year: The iPhone. (Cover story). Time, 170(20), 60-62. [2] Bradner, S. (2007). IPhone: Almost all of what I wanted. Network World, 24(2), 16. Bertolucci, J. (2008). iPHONE CHALLENGERS. Kiplinger’s Personal Finance, 62(1), 91-93. Image Source: http://www.hartware.de/news_62964.html

Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard

2007

An interesting thing happened while the world waited for Apple’s new operating system: Mac sales began to take off. The company’s iPod and iPhone remained strong, but its notebook and desktop sales reached an all-time quarterly high--even before Mac OS X 10.5, or Leopard, hit store shelves. Apple’s new OS is one more weapon that was to help the company make even further inroads into Microsoft Windows dominated territory. [1] Designed for heavy multitaskers, Leopard’s virtual-desktop program, Spaces, allowed you to clean up your work surface by organizing applications you want to have open at the same time on multiple desktops. Also introduced was Time Machine. Attach another drive to your system, and you’ll have the opportunity to designate it for Time Machine backups. Once that’s done, the OS will automatically back up changes to your files. [2] Leopard delivered unrivalled support for multi-core processors with a new technology code-named “Grand Central,” making it easy for developers to create programs that took full advantage of the power of multi-core Macs. Using media technology pioneered in OS X iPhone, Leopard introduces QuickTime X, which optimizes support for modern audio and video formats which resulted in extremely efficient media playback. Leopard also included Safari with the fastest implementation of JavaScript ever, increasing performance by 53 percent, making Web 2.0 applications feel more responsive. And for the first time, OS X included native support for Microsoft Exchange 2007 in OS X applications Mail, iCal and Address Book, making it even easier to integrate Macs into organizations of any size. [3] [1] Perenson, M., & Dahl, E. (2008). Apple’s Leopard OS: More Momentum for Macs. PC World, 26(1), 18. [2] Perenson. [3] Apple Previews Mac OS X Snow Leopard to Developers. (2008). M2PressWIRE Image Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mac_OS_X_Leopard

Apple iOS 2.0

2008

With its first year behind it, the Apple iPhone made news again in July of 2008. Prior to the release of iOS 2.0, Apple had provided a software developer’s kit or SDK to developers and with iOS 2.0 Apple introduced apps for its popular mobile phone. With the inauguration of the Apple App Store, companies rushed to develop games and widgets for the iPhone. A company called Tapulous developed a game called Tap Tap Revenge which reached 2.15 million downloads by November of the same year. Tap tap tap developed an app called Where To? which used the iPhones built in GPS system to direct people to nearby points of interest. [1] To say the least, apps were here to stay. Unfortunately, iOS 2.0 was not the most stable of releases. Many users experienced shorter battery life, app crashes, and dropped calls, all happening in the midst of a 2.0.1 and 2.0.2 release that had come in fairly short order. The 2.1 release in September of 2008 helped to mitigate those issues. It fixed several bugs across the board on the iOS and also added faster sync with iTunes. iOS 2.2 came in November of 2008. In terms of features, Maps saw the biggest updates, with Google Street View, walking directions, and public transit directions added in. [2] [1] Tiku, N. (2008). Putting the App in Apple. Inc, 30(11), 30. [2] “iOS: A Visual History”. September 16, 2013. Retrieved April 20, 2015. Image Source: http://apple.wikia.com/wiki/IOS_2

Android

2008 As the year 2007 was drawing to a close, and industry observers were counting how many iPhones would be sold for Christmas, speculation was mounting that Google was about to match Apple’s masterful move. Many thought Google would use its powerful brand to enter the handset manufacturing market, and make its own mobile phone. The press had even already got a name ready for the gadget: the ‘Gphone’. On 5 November 2007, Google finally revealed what all the fuss was about. Google was indeed officially entering the lucrative mobile phone business, but not as a handset manufacturer. In the event, its product was not hardware, but software. And it wasn’t called Gphone, but Android. [1] The Android platform was a software stack that included an operating system, middleware and applications. Developers can use the Android SDK (software development kit) to build applications suited for the needs of their company. Applications were written using Java, and the apps ran on Dalvik, a custom virtual machine that ran on top of a Linux kernel. The database Google engineers chose was the one they had preferred in the past - the SQLite database. [2] Android was an open source OS which afforded developers to create their own variant of the OS; by doing so Android soon began to rival Apple’s iOS. [1] Conti, J. P. (2008). The Androids are coming. Engineering & Technology (17509637), 3(9), 72-75. doi:10.1049/et:20080912 [2] Cogswell, J. (2008). Android’s Development Difference. Eweek, 25(32), 32. Image Source: https://source.android.com/

Android 2.0

2009

The year before, Android was an unfinished OS for nerds, bursting with potential. With Android 2.0, it’s evolved into something sleeker, more refined and focused, but still something not quite human. Over year since its first release, Android’s evolved more rapidly and appeared in more shapes than any other smartphone OS. [1] Google took this opportunity to redesign almost every icon in Android, going from a cartoony look with an isometric perspective to straight-on icons done in a more serious style. The only set of icons that weren’t redrawn were the status bar icons, which now look very out of place compared to the rest of the OS. These icons would hang around from Android 0.9 until 2.3. [2] Beyond a redesign, the clear headline feature of Android 2.0 was Google Maps Navigation. Google updated Maps to allow for free turn-by-turn navigation, complete with a point of interest search and text to speech, which could read the names of streets aloud just like a standalone GPS unit. Turning GPS navigation from a separate product into a free smartphone feature pretty much destroyed the standalone GPS market overnight. TomTom’s stock dropped almost 40 percent during the week of Android 2.0’s launch. With Maps Navigation, Android finally found its killer app. Google was offering something no one else could. There was finally an answer to the “Why should I buy this over an iPhone?” question. [3] [1] Buchanan, Matt. November 3, 2009. “Android 2.0 Review: Almost Human”. Retrieved April 21, 2015. [2] Amadeo, Ron. June 15, 2014. “The History of Android”. Retrieved April 21, 2015. [3] Amadeo. Image Source: http://gizmodo.com/5395801/android-20-review-almost-human

Windows 7

2009

Windows 7 introduced powerful advantages over its predecessors (XP and Vista), and resolves some of the shortcomings that plagued earlier Windows operating systems. Among its innovations, Windows 7 enabled PCs to use up to 128 gigabytes of random access memory (RAM) for faster processing and running several applications at once without crashing or slowing. It also improved efficiency in the use of existing hardware, strengthened security at the OS and browser levels, and reduced or eliminated Vista deficiencies, such as frequent, intrusive OS requests for user identification. [1] Keeping with a trend to bring productivity to the end user Windows 7 introduced file libraries. You no longer needed to search all over your computer for documents, images, music or other files stored in different locations. Libraries were similar to folders in Vista or XP, except that they were virtual. The files in libraries could be stored in any folder, even on different computers, but are grouped together for easier display and access. For example, you could create a library of your photos of a particular person or occasion, and browse through them there, even if the photos physically are in your Photos folder, or scattered throughout your documents folders. The same file could appear in any number of libraries. [2] Microsoft chose not to dazzle its customers with the release of Windows 7. Instead the software company focused on trimming down the OS to make it faster and more effective than prior version of MS OSes. Improving performance was one of Microsoftâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s chief goals for Windows 7; a welcomed feature in a world where upgrades typically meant higher demands on resources. [1] Bradley, S. E. (2009). Windows 7: Is It Right for You?. Journal Of Accountancy, 208(5), 32-36. [2] Bradley Goldsborough, R. (2009). Should You Upgrade to Windows 7?. Tech Directions, 69(5), 15. Mediati, N. (2009). Window 7 Much Slimmer, Slightly Faster. PC World, 27(11), 75. Image Source: https://cgtraditionsandlocations.wordpress.com/category/uncategorized/

Apple iOS 5

2011

Like iOS 3, iOS 5 came along with an “S” iPhone, the iPhone 4S. Also like iOS 3, iOS 5 introduced so many new features that made it difficult to keep them all straight. So many, in fact, you might say that in the smartphone battle at the time, Apple’s hardware is the anvil and iOS 5 is the hammer the company is using to forge a permanent and sizeable market share. [1] Siri replaced Voice Control with a “virtual assistant” that was able to do more than just connect calls. Siri allowed you to ask it questions and give comments in natural language with hooks all over the OS and the web. Siri communicated with everything from your calendar to popular apps. Siri also included text transcription, a new feature for iOS. [2] Apple’s cloud-based service the iCloud became available with iOS 5. The iCloud provided a way for users to synchronize their music, picture and videos across all of their Apple devices. Perhaps one of the most applauded features of iOS 5 was the decision Apple made to abandon their reliance of activating the device through iTunes. No longer did users have to tether their device to a computer in order to activate it or even use iTunes to synchronize music; the iCloud made sure of that. [1] “iOS: A Visual History”. September 16, 2013. Retrieved April 25, 2015. [2] “iOS: A Visual History” “In Case You Forgot: iOS 5 Features Old and New | PadGadget”. PadGadget, LLC. October 4, 2011. Retrieved April 25, 2015. Image Source: http://appleinsider.com/articles/11/06/07/first_look_ios_5_pc_free_setup_keyboard_shortcuts

Android 4.0

2011

Google tried to make Android’s multitasking capabilities more easily accessible to users in version 3.0 by adding a standard platform-wide navigation button for invoking the task list. Google brought this feature to handsets with version 4.0, giving the task switcher prominent placement in the Android user interface. In addition to the multitasking capabilities, Google began integrating social media with its mobile platform. The Android 4 came bundled with the usual collection of standard Google applications, but also featured a few new additions: the Google+ mobile client and Google+ messenger were both bundled with the operating system. Other standard Google applications packaged with the OS included Calendar, Music, Talk, Gmail, YouTube, Earth, Books, Videos, Maps, Latitude, Places, Navigation and a Video application which was new in Android 4.0. Google also introduce a new face unlock feature with the Android 4.0 operating system. This feature allowed you to use the embedded camera to take a snapshot of your face. The operating system could then use this to recognize you and unlock the system allowing personalized access. “Unwrapping a new Ice Cream Sandwich: Android 4.0 reviewed”. Ars Technica. 19 December 2011. Retrieved April 25, 2015. “Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich review”. Engadget. Retrieved April 25, 2015. Image Source: http://myandroidnews.com/how-to-disable-applications-in-android-4-0-ice-cream-sandwich/