A Brief History of Operating Systems Essay Example for Free

A Brief History of Operating Systems Essay A History of Operating Systems To understand and to be prepared for the future of computer support it helps to know the history of operating systems. The operating system is the software that links the user to the computer’s hardware. Early mainframes (the predecessor of the personal computer) did not use an operating system. Programs were loaded onto the mainframe by paper punch cards, magnetic or paper tape. The user would start the program and wait for the program to complete, or crash. Debugging of the program was often done by adjusting banks of switches. With every new mainframe shipped, the operation and usability would change. There were no standards. As early operating systems were developed they were generally only designed to operate on that customer’s specific unit. With the development of mass produced microprocessors, computers become more common and more affordable. With the number of computers sold each year increasing there became a need for a standardized operating system. In the beginning there were many companies fighting to produce a viable operating system for the masses. The two most prominent were Microsoft and Apple. Microsoft’s first entry in the operating system foray was MS-Dos or Windows 1. 0 in 1985, a command line operating system that was not the simplest to use but for its time was pretty user friendly. Of course as computing power advanced so did Microsoft’s operating systems. In 1987 Windows 2. 0, then in 1990 there was Windows 3. 0, the first OS that had a desktop and icons to start programs. At this point Microsoft began to separate their operating systems into home user oriented and business oriented. In 1993 Microsoft released Windows NT 3. 1, the first fully 32 bit operating system, it featured better networking support and the NTFS file system. NT progressed through 4. 1 then to Windows 2000. These operating systems were geared toward corporate users and were slightly more robust. On the home front in 1995 Windows 95 was introduced and it was the first version to have the taskbar and the start button. The next version of the home OS was Windows 98, then 98SE followed by Windows ME. The next iteration of Windows was XP; this version of Windows was unique in a couple of ways. XP was the first OS to include activation, which linked the hardware in the pc where it was installed to a unique ID number. The other thing that made XP unique from previous versions of windows was that it came in several versions from home use to corporate use. Windows Vista followed Windows XP but was met with much scrutiny because of its lack of support for legacy devices and software and it’s lackluster performance. Windows 7 followed quickly behind and addressed most of these shortcomings. There are several other choices for operating systems, although none have been able to maintain a sizeable amount of the market share due to the compatibility and popularity of the operating systems offered by Microsoft. Some of the other offerings are Mac OS from Apple, UNIX, Linux (an open source OS based on Linux), Android and IOS just to name a few. While most of these do not offer the support and compatibility that you would find in operating systems from Microsoft, they are quickly gaining ground and acceptance in use from desktop pc’s to handheld devices.

Managing Human Relations Essay example -- essays research papers fc

Management is a broad subject and time has been spent to analyse it. The study of organisations and their management, therefore, has to proceed on a broad front. No single approach provides all answers. It is the comparative study of the different approaches, which will yield benefits to the manager. A central part of the study of the organisation and management is the development of management thinking and what may be termed management theory. The application of theory brings about change in actual behaviour. Managers reading the work of leading writers on the subject might see in their ideas a message about how they should behave. There are different ways of categorising the various approaches elaborated by school of management theory (Figure 1). The following two theories will be looked at in order to spot the problems caused by the management at Aussieco. 1. Classical theory 2. Human relations theory Classical Theory According to the classical writers’ thought the main emphasis goes on the planning of the work, the technical requirements of the organisation, principles of management and the assumption of rational and logical behaviour. A clear understanding of the purpose of an organisation is seen as essential to recognise how the company works and how its methods of working can be improved. Identification of general objectives would lead to the clarification of responsibilities and purposes at all levels of the organisation. Many of the classical writers were concerned with the improvement of management structure as a mean of increasing productivity. Comparing the Classical writers thought with the actual management structure at Aussieco will prove the unstable and badly structured company’s position. Aussieco is an Australian company established in1962. The owner has been able to retain full control and ownership, acting as chairman and chief executive officer since the foundation of the business. Although he makes most final decisions, he is not involved with the daily running of the company. The executive managing director is the owner’s nephew. He is a neo-graduate with no industrial experience, completely unsuitable to cover this position. The key person of the organisation is the general manager. His role consists of organising and supervising five subordinate sectors: administration, programming, production, design and development an... ...ce a whole. If these requirements are not met, managers are misdirected and their efforts are wasted. The unequal nature of organisational life of Aussieco and Intech could cause difficulties. It may be expected that Aussieco will affect the healthy organisational environment at Intech; spoil the harmony in working relationship, loyalty and commitment to the goals and objectives of the organisation. Conflicts could emerge as a consequence of poor communication or personality clashes. Divergences among competing groups may be seen as inevitable. Conflict is a feature of the unequal nature of organisational life and a means of bringing about change . Bibliography Mullins J. (1996) Management and Organisational Behaviour, Pitman Publishing Morgan G. (1997) Images of Organisation, SEGA Publications Hollinshead G., Nicholls P., Taibly S. (1999) Employee Relations, Pitman Publishing Robbins S. (1998) Organisational Behaviour, Prentice-Hall Mabey C., Salaman G., Storey J. (1998) Human Resources Management, Blackwell Cascio W. (1998) Managing Human Resources, McGraw Hill Rollinson D. (1993) Understanding Employee Relations, Addison- Wesley

Bradbury’s the Sound of Thunder and Skurzynski’s Nethergrave

English Critical Essay Bradbury’s  The Sound of Thunder  and Skurzynski’s  Nethergrave  are both intriguing science fiction stories. Both stories are about technology changing the life of an individual. In the the story Nethergrave, a boy name Jeremy chooses a virtual world over the real world where he feels embarrassed, uncomfortable, and alone. In the story A Sound of Thunder, the main character, Eckels, faces severe consequences due to a mistake that he makes when going back in time. Nevertheless, both characters’ personality is pretty similar in some ways both being somewhat cowardly.Both are about the effect technology can have on the world. I honestly felt that Bradbury’s story was more interesting than Skurzynski’s story. I found that the slightest thing in the past may change the future massively. In the story, Eckels uses a new invention, a time machine. Then he decided to go back to the time when dinosaurs were alive. While he was there, that triggered terrible consequences. Eckels’ death in the end wasn’t very surprising. The mistake seemed very small at the time, but had a massive effect on the outcome of the present-day world.Although Skurzynski’s story was very relatable towards others, I still think Bradbury’s story was better. Nethergrave  was about a boy named Jeremy, making a decision of staying in a world he wasn’t happy in or to leave and enter a whole new world in which he was promised never to be alone or hurt. The idea of a boy feeling awkward in the real world, then looking into what appears to be a better world just isn’t what I find interesting. I have sometimes felt awkward and embarrassed in this world, though I do not think that I would want to enter a virtual world.Throughout the story, I never felt as though I liked or related to Jeremy’s character. Both of the stories show how technology can change a person’s life for better or fo r worse. Technology can be very useful but it can also cause destruction. In science fiction plots, often results in a negative effect. Technology can be both destructive and useful, but in these stories, they both have negative outcomes. As in Skurzynski’s story, Jeremy was introduced to a new virtual world, which resulted in Jeremy ending his life on earth. In Bradbury’s story, the time machine ended up changing the present world.

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