The operating system is the foundation of any computing platform. In this video, you’ll learn about Microsoft Windows, Apple macOS, Linux, Google Chrome OS, Apple iOS, Google Android, and more.
If you purchased a desktop computer, a laptop computer, a tablet, a mobile phone, or practically any other computing device, then you know that there has to be some type of link between the hardware that you’ve purchased and the application that you need to use. That link is the operating system.
This is software that’s running on that computing device that controls all of the interaction between the different hardware components of that device. There needs to be some type of software that’s able to move information from your storage drive into memory. There needs to be some interactions with the CPU. And then we’ll need some type of input and output from your keyboard and your monitor.
Your operating system is also the platform used by your application. If you’re running an executable in an operating system, that application was specifically written to run in that OS. And of course, our modern computers have many different ways for us humans to be able to interact with that system itself. This operating system allows us to put information into the computer, have the computer process that information, and then provide us with an output.
In this course, you’ll learn a lot about Windows, macOS, Linux, and many other operating systems. But there are some commonalities between all of these different OSes. One is file management. When you need to store a file, remove a file, or change what happens to be on that storage device, the operating system is responsible for doing that.
You also want to run applications, but the applications themselves have a great deal of overhead. There’s interaction with the memory inside of that device. You need some way to store files or have swap file information, so you can swap things in and out of memory to the storage device.
We also need a way to get information into and out of that computing device. One way to get information into a device is with something like a keyboard and a mouse. And we might get information out of that computer through the use of a printer, a display, or to have information stored on a separate drive.
And because we have this operating system, we also need to manage this operating system. So the OS also includes its own set of utilities that keeps that system running at peak efficiency.
One of the most popular operating systems in the world is Microsoft Windows. It has a significant market presence and is used in practically every organization in the world. There are many different versions of Microsoft Windows. You might find Windows 10, Windows 11, Windows Server, and certainly there will be newer Windows versions as time goes on.
This popularity of Windows provides it with the advantage of very large industry support. If you need to find an additional piece of hardware, install new software, or find support for your system, there are probably plenty of folks that can help you with your Windows issues.
You also have a large number of operating system options. Although we’re talking about Microsoft Windows as it’s a single OS, there are actually many different Windows operating systems for many different purposes. So if you’re using a laptop at home or you’re using a server in a large data center, there’s a Windows version that’s right for you.
And because Windows is so popular, there are many developers writing their software to run in this operating system. So if you need any type of business software, entertainment software, or utility, there’s probably a version available for Microsoft Windows.
As security professionals have found, this popularity also brings some downsides. This makes a very big target for anyone who’s trying to gain access to data that might be stored inside of a Windows OS. So there’s a very large group of attackers that are working on software to gain access to your Windows system. But there’s also a very large group of cybersecurity professionals that are dedicated to protecting this operating system.
You also have the challenge of Microsoft Windows supporting many different types of hardware. It is the responsibility of the hardware manufacturer to write driver software that will work properly with this operating system. Some manufacturers have very good drivers, some manufacturers don’t. So this might give you some challenges when you’re trying to integrate new hardware into your system and challenges to be able to support this hardware over the long term.
This is the Windows 11 operating system, and there are consistencies that you will begin to see across these different OSes. For example, on this desktop, you can see there are a number of applications available. We have a bar at the bottom that shows us available applications that we can quickly start. There’s also status information on the screen. And there is a recycle bin. And of course, we could add other icons to this desktop as well.
Linux is an operating system that is absolutely free. This is open source software that is created and maintained by thousands of individuals all over the world. When you install Windows 11, you’re installing an operating system that is exactly the same as any other Windows 11 you would install.
But with Linux, there are different distributions of Linux. Sometimes these distributions are focused on performing a set of very specific tasks, and sometimes these distributions are designed for general use.
Generally, you would install the Linux distribution that fit best with your needs. One of the significant advantages of Linux is there’s no cost to use it. There’s no cost to purchase the operating system.
There’s no ongoing maintenance, no monthly fees that you would have to pay. Linux also works on almost any hardware you might find, and there is a very large user community that can help with supporting this software.
Since we’re relying on knowledgeable individuals to help maintain this operating system, you may find that newer hardware or newer laptops may not be 100% compatible with the Linux distribution that you’re using, and it may be a challenge to find the right driver to be able to use this new hardware.
And although there are many places online to get support for your Linux software, there’s no one Linux company you would go to to provide any type of technical support. You would need to use this community of individuals to help support the Linux distribution that you’re using.
Here’s a screenshot from a Linux desktop, and you can see there are a number of similarities to the Windows desktop that we were seeing. There are large number of icons on the front screen. We have a taskbar here, but it’s on the left side instead of being on the bottom.
You could, of course, move this to the bottom if you would like. And there are a number of search bars and buttons on the screen that are very similar to what you would find in Windows or other operating systems.
And one of the other large operating systems that you will undoubtedly run into in your administrative tasks is Apple’s macOS. macOS is a desktop that runs on Apple hardware exclusively. It’s not one that you can simply install on any machine that you might find.
One of the things that macOS is very well known for is its ease of use. And certainly, macOS is well known for its user interface and overall usability. The hardware that macOS runs on is hardware that is available exclusively from Apple. And since Apple manufactures the hardware and then writes the operating system for that same hardware, the entire system is very compatible.
macOS is also designed for security in mind, and you may find fewer security concerns with macOS as compared to something like Linux or Windows. But these advantages can also be disadvantages. If you can only run macOS on Apple hardware, then you’ll need to purchase that hardware from Apple. You’re not able to run macOS on other non-Apple hardware devices.
There are also fewer people using macOS than using something like Windows, so we tend to see more industry support for Windows than we do macOS simply because of the number of people using those operating systems. And since macOS runs exclusively on Apple hardware, it tends to have a higher initial hardware cost.
Here’s a screenshot from the desktop of macOS. And as you can tell, it is very similar to a Windows or Linux desktop. We have a workspace on the desktop itself. There’s a bar at the bottom where we can start different applications. And you can see icons and buttons on the screen that are very similar to those other operating systems.
Another OS that has taken a bit of a departure from the traditional operating system is Chrome OS. Chrome OS was created by Google. And although it’s based on the Linux kernel, it does have a different look and feel than using a traditional Linux operating system.
The objective of Chrome OS was to have most of the operating system revolve around the browser itself. In this case, the browser is the one made by Google, which is Chrome. And that, of course, is why this is the Chrome OS. Most of the applications that you will use in Chrome OS are inside of that browser.
Chrome OS was designed to be a relatively straightforward operating system with a minimum amount of overhead. There are many different manufacturers making hardware for Chrome OS. And many of these are laptop-based systems.
Because most of these applications are running in a browser, there is a significant network connectivity requirement. You need to have connection to the cloud to be able to run these cloud-based applications. And if you don’t have connectivity, you’re not able to use those apps.
iPadOS includes a desktop browser, specifically Safari, which is a different version than what you might find on an iPhone. You also support a second monitor through the use of a function known as Sidecar. There’s also keyboard support, multitasking, and much more that supports the hardware that iPadOS is based on.
Although it looks very similar, the operating system that runs on Apple’s iPhones are actually a different operating system known as Apple iOS. Unlike Linux, which is an open source operating system, all of the Apple operating systems are closed source. You do not have access to the source code of iOS, and iOS is an operating system that will only run on Apple hardware.
If you want to develop applications for iPadOS, iOS, or even macOS, then you’ll need to use Apple’s Software Developer’s Kit that runs on the macOS operating system. Before these applications you write are available in the Apple App Store, they need to be tested and approved by Apple directly. Once Apple approves them, they’re available in the App Store, where anyone can purchase and download to use on their iOS or iPadOS devices.
Of course, the other large manufacturer of software for mobile devices is Google through the use of Google Android. Google Android is maintained by a consortium of companies known as the Open Handset Alliance. And Android itself is an open source operating system that’s based on Linux.
Unlike iOS or iPadOS, which only runs on Apple hardware, Google Android is supported by many different manufacturers, and there are many different types of hardware available that can use Google Android. You can develop apps for Google Android using Windows, macOS, and Linux using Android Software Developers Kit. You can also make those apps available from the Google Play store and a number of third-party sites as well.
These different manufacturers of operating systems have different deployment and support requirements. For example, end of life is something we should always be aware of when using an operating system. And different companies will set different standards for end of life. For example, the end-of-life requirements for Apple products will be very different than those created for Microsoft products.
One thing that is very similar across all of these different operating systems is the requirement to keep these OSes updated with the latest version of software. This not only ensures the operating system will run at peak efficiency, it also ensures that security patches are always updated in the OS.
But just because these different operating systems run on different hardware and the operating systems are written by different organizations, doesn’t necessarily mean there isn’t some type of compatibility. For example, you can create documents, spreadsheets, media, and other types of data and use those also in other operating systems.
But one thing you cannot do in these operating systems is take the executable from Windows and try to run that executable in Linux. If you’re running an application, that application has to be written for the operating system that you’re using.
Fortunately, many software developers will create a standard file format that they can move between different operating systems without any type of problem. And you may find that many applications have become web based, which means you can effectively run them in any browser, regardless of the operating system.