Jonathan Bretag
Introduction
Memory Management
Processor Management
Device Management
File Management
User Interface
Bibliography
Computers and operating systems have changed considerably in recent
years. Whereas computers were once cumbersome, slow machines used only
by large organisations, they are now widely used by individuals and companies
alike, with the number of users still steadily growing. In order to adapt
to the ever-changing demands of computer users, manufacturers must provide
operating systems that are constantly updated and refined. In particular,
there are five main components of operating systems that continue to be
developed. These components are memory management, processor management,
device management, file management and user interface. This essay will
discuss significant developments in each of these five areas and examine
why they occurred, what alternatives there were and also what developments
may take place in the future.
| Type of Computer | Example of Operating System |
| Mainframe | Vax-Vms |
| Minicomputer | UNIX |
| Microcomputer | Windows 98 |
| Network | Windows NT |
A key development in the area of memory management came in 1983 when Wang announced the creation of the single in-line memory module (SIMM). The reason why this was such a useful development was because it allowed, "…easy memory upgrading and replacement without the reliability problems of chip sockets…" (Freed, 1995). Another reason why the SIMM was an important improvement was because of the amount of space that it saved on a computers main circuit board compared with the older style of RAM chips. Instead of requiring several individual chips, the SIMM allowed memory to be stored on it's own separate circuit board, which could then be attached to the main board with much less space needed than before.
A different innovation that may have been able to achieve similar results
in the area of memory management could have involved the use of smaller
circuitry for the individual RAM chips. This would have allowed a reduction
in the amount of space taken up by RAM on the circuit board, however it
would not necessarily have improved the reliability problems of the chip
sockets which was also a concern. The main concern regarding memory management
in the future is for it to be able to adapt to the increasing numbers of
computers that are part of networks. According to Thryft (1998), older
operating systems "…have not been as robust in their use of such reliability
features as memory protection and management as have server and workstation."
In other words, it is vital that memory management systems in the future
be more adaptive so that they can interact efficiently with software and
hardware that has been created more recently than the memory management
system that a computer uses.
The most significant development in the area of processor management was the creation of the microprocessor chip. The concept of a microprocessor was originally thought of by British scientist G. W. Dummer, who in 1952 suggested that a solid block of materials could be used in a computer without any connecting wires (Polsson, 1999). There were numerous reasons why the microprocessor had the potential to be an extremely significant invention, but the main advantage that it possessed was a dramatic reduction in physical size. Prior to the microprocessor being developed, machines like the Harvard-IBM Automatic Sequence Controlled Calculator were, "…about half as long as a football field and contained about 500 miles of wiring." (LaMorte, 1999).
No other development in the area of processor management has been as
significant as the microprocessor because while other advances have been
made, the microprocessor has played a significant role in allowing personal
computers to gain widespread usage. The reason why this has been the case
has a lot to do with the reduction in size which has already been mentioned,
but it is also due to the huge reduction in price which the creation of
the microprocessor helped make possible. In both the short and long term
future the primary need in the area of processor management seems to be
an increase in speed. This is something that has been consistent throughout
the history of the microprocessor, and there appears to be no reason why
this will change.
In terms of device management, eXtensible Markup Language (XML) is a significant development. Although it's name suggests that it is a markup language in it's own right, it is actually a "platform-independent framework" (Sigal, 1999) that can create different markup languages depending on the application. What makes XML particularly significant is that it is based on Web browsers rather than traditional forms of device management. According to Sigal, "…the next chapter of device management is already being written. Nearly every device manufacturer has either delivered or is moving toward delivering Web browser-based management of its products." One of the reasons XML is being widely adopted is because it has the potential to be less complicated than other methods of device management such as SNMP.
It is difficult to say whether or not a different innovation could have
achieved the same sort of things that XML offers because it has only started
to be used relatively recently. The main strength of XML at the moment
appears to be that it uses a variety of hardware and software components,
thus giving it a great deal of adaptability. Not only is this a strength,
but it also makes it a relatively unique form of device management as there
are few other methods that are similar in such a way. If XML proves to
be a success in the short-term future then there appears to be no reason
why it can't continue to be used effectively for a long time to come.
The creation of the Hierarchical File System (HFS) was a useful development in the area of file management. The main improvement that it made over older types of file management systems was that it allowed hierarchical organisation of folders which in turn allowed duplicate file names providing the files were in different folders. Prior to the HFS being developed, all of a computers files were stored and accessed from the same level and therefore functional folders could not be created. The need for folders arose mainly out of a need to store a computers files in a more orderly way, so that they could be more easily found and accessed by the user. This became especially useful as computer storage capacities became larger and subsequently there were a lot more files for a user to sort through.
There is no innovation in file management that could have achieved significantly
better improvements than those that were made by the development of the
HFS. The main issue concerning file management systems of the future appears
to be finding ways to organise the massive amounts of information generated
by company networks and the Internet. Data analyst Ezra Gottheil is quoted
by Fontana (1997) as saying that companies should be, "…positioning themselves
as the next level of the intranet, a corporate library, the common data
store…" From what Gottheil is suggesting, it would appear that file management
in the future depends a lot on files being shared by large numbers of people
through networks, with resources being pooled.
By far the most important development in user interface was the creation of a Graphical User Interface (GUI), the first of which was designed by Xerox in the 1970's. The idea was not fully implemented until Apple Computers co-founder Steve Jobs visited a Xerox factory and seeing the GUI's enormous potential, decided to develop his own version (Salkind, 1989). Without a doubt, the strength of the GUI was its user friendliness, which was significantly greater than the text based user interfaces that existed before it. Because it was a much more user-friendly system, the GUI designed by Apple provided the first real opportunity for computers to become widely used by people in their homes. Instead of having to type various commands that could appear somewhat daunting to an inexperienced user, people were faced with the much less difficult task of navigating through their operating system by guiding a mouse over an on screen "desktop".
There is certainly no other development that could have created as much
of an impact in the area of user interface as the GUI did, although initially
it failed to catch on for a variety of marketing reasons. The future of
user interfaces is unlikely to see any drastic change in terms of appearance,
with some form of GUI likely to remain prevalent. Significant changes are
likely to occur regarding the functioning of the operating system however.
As computer hardware becomes more powerful it is likely that user interfaces
will provide greater levels of multi-tasking, allowing the user to switch
between a number of different applications more efficiently. Another area
of development that is likely to receive more attention is user interfaces
becoming more Internet oriented, especially as the number of individuals
and businesses with access to the Internet continues to expand. There is
likely to be a greater level of compatibility between Internet browsers
and other elements of a computers user interface in particular.
Computers:
History and Development
Chronology
of Events in the History of Microcomputers
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Freed, L. (1995). The History of Computers. Emeryville, California: Ziff-Davis Press.
LaMorte, C. (1999). Computers: History and Development [online]. Available: http://www.digitalcentury.com/encyclo/update/comp_hd.html [1999, April 13].
Polsson, K. (1999). Chronology of Events in the History of Microcomputers [online]. Available: http://www.islandnet.com/~kpolsson/comphist.htm [1999, February 3].
Salkind, N. (1989). The Big Mac Book. Carmel, Indiana: QUE Corporation.
Sigal, M. (1999). XML fits dual role in device management. Electronic Engineering Times [online], 1050, 88 (2p). Available: EBSCOhost / 1635939 [1999, March 1].
Thryft, A. R. (1998). CPUs respond to the call of net-centric computing. Electronic Engineering Times [online], 1035, 75 (2p). Available: EBSCOhost / 1313766 [1998, November 16].
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