"The Importance of the Operating System in the development of the PC"

Introduction - Operating Systems:

Gary Kildall developed the first operating system for the PC, text-based, he was indeed a pioneer in this regard. He was also an innovator, he restructured the operating system to be hardware-independent. Gary Kildall was born on May 19, 1942 in Seattle, Washington. Sadly he is no longer with us, he past away in 1994; but the fruits of his labour will live on.

The Operating System was, and still is, quintessential to the advances and development of the modern computer, without it there would be no interaction, as we know it, between computer and users/operator today, nor the management of the computer resources, and the running of application programs, in a managed way. Thus the computer would have remained a one dimensional, flat system. But for the advent of the first operating system, for PC, by Gary Kildall, another rung on the ladder bringing the product closer to a potential, mass market. It is unchallengeable, without the Operating System PCs couldn't 'be on every office desk, and in every home', Bill Gates; at least on the scale it is today, if the user didn't have a sense they were interacting with the system, having a two way communication. It is quite evident that computer OSs was around for the Mainframe and Minicomputer at the time Gary Kildall developed CP/M for the microcomputer. For it is alleged he borrowed features: commands and filing structures from the TOPS-10 operating system, Accidental Empires, for minicomputer, to incorporate in his design/development. I will attempt to outline the importance, the functions, the Significant OSs for PCs, What it means for the Industry, and future directions, in terms of text-based and Graphical User interface.

The importance of the operating system:

The operating system gives personality and character to the computer, it enables a computer user to come to understand how to approach/access a particular platform, whether that platform be Apple Mac or Microsoft DOS/Windows for the PC or Unix text-based or Novell Netware for networking. In the early days of microcomputers, the only information the user had from the operating system, once the computer was up and running, was the command line - C:\ - inviting the user to type at its commands line for the desired service/operation. The OS gave very little clues to its capability to perform tasks for the user in those early days. However, once the user became familiar with the various commands for a particular platform, accessing the resources of the system are straight forward.

But with the introduction of the GUI interface, bitmapping screen, and the pointing device ( Xerox PARC inventions), the Apple Mac and Microsoft Windows, the user now need only scan the 'desktop interface' to see what tools are available using the mouse to access these tools. This brought in the metaphorical concept for developing software e.g. spreadsheet and word processing packages etc. - 'blackboard' and 'page' respectively. The 'desktop' environment user can actually, as oppose to mentally, see what the operating system offers; and by this user friendly display,  the market for these platforms have greatly expanded. 

The Functions of an Operating System:

When the user boots up his/her computer, its the operating system interface/environment he first encounters  (once the system has gone through its paces - self test etc., Using MS-DOS p18-20). This offers three main basic functions, whether the OS be Text-based or GUI-based, to interact with the user, and the granting of access to the system and its resources. And by these functions, the user can perform various tasks - word processor, spreadsheet applications, input/output usage, file retrieval etc.

These functions are (as taken from the course work):

1. Management resources: "The task of looking after the computer is given to the computer itself, and in particular to the operating system. This must manage use of the CPU, allocation of memory, access to disk drives, control of printers and modems, and so on. All the input/output functions of the computer are controlled by the operating system"
2. "Interact with the user: For a computer to be of use its user must have some means of interacting with it. It is the operating system's task to provide a means of doing this which is easy, consistent, flexible and structured".

The final function/Module, incorporate the BIOS:

3. "Run applications: The application packages, such as word processors or spreadsheets, are what the user really wants to use. The operating system provides a means of executing them, and provides the programs with tools and services. These include commands which the application can use to fetch data from a hard disk, or to send data to a printer. With graphical operating systems, the application software will also utilise the menu facilities and windows design offered by the operating system".

The Significant OSs in the Life of the PC:

Without doubt the most significant contributors, initially, in terms of operating systems, must go to the mainframe and minicomputers, and the work that was done in this area. Without this body of work, its inconceivable that Gary Kildall would have been as successful as he was in developing the operating system for the PC. It should also be remembered that Gary Kildall's CP/M was base upon the TOP-10 OS for the PDP-10 minicomputer. For the significant OSs in the development of the PC, click here for Table1.

The table of OSs represent the significant  Operating Systems in the development of the PC. They Plot the part and the role played, since the introduction of Gary Kildall's PC/M, up to the present day. The OSs has naturally developed from text-based to gui (microsoft symbolise this period - Windows GUI straddling DOS)  - the gui enables Icons, Menus, Mouse Pointer, and Bitmapping technologies. As a  user, you need only identify the operation(s) required by selecting it from the 'desktop' on your monitor; the icon there depicts the operations your OS can do for you; the mouse is used to make your selections. This has enabled development of application  software to have a common 'look and feel' (API). Thus, once you have learnt one type of application, using other comes easy.

What it means for the Industry:

It has meant that the computer industry has only three main contenders in the present market place. This has thrown up a number of issues and implications. 

Firstly: 

1. The OS sector of the industry has shrunk, and it appears to have further shrinkage, leaving the way clear for Apple and Microsoft, OS/2 not in the running, which means Microsoft will completely dominate the market. The implication here is, customers will not have much of a choice.

Secondly:

2. PC manufactures and Software developers, it would appear, will be at the mercy of Microsoft and its OSs (range); the implication then, Microsoft would have exclusive control of the global market, getting stronger by the day.

And, thirdly:

3. On each office desktop, and in each home, microsoft OSs and applications would be running, along with third party applications,  with a common operating system and application interface, under the directions of microsoft designs and determined directions. The implication here is, one large company would have sole control of the computer industry future; which cannot be a good thing for the industry nor for its customer base - it would imply anti-competitive practices and a strangle hold on software development. 

The Future of the Operating System:

The future directions are quite clear, the OS will move into the voice recognition area, as with word processors. I believe this will be the next big advance in the OS, the technology is already here. There is talk from Yale University, the future OSs could have new metaphor for storage and retrieval of information.  OSs will incorporate technological features to handle the development in microprocessor to interface with: Fridges, Microwave ovens, Washing Machines and in home temperature control systems.

Conclusion:

The operating system in its current form empowers users of all ages, as well as small, medium and large businesses – from children whose needs are only to play games and access the internet; to more specialised, productive and engineer/constructive areas of work: secretarial, household economies to large corporations (each member of staff) – in its use and functions, across a range of platforms/architectures, as never before. We now have a mass market, on a global scale, getting larger year by year. Its not a question any more, about the difficulties of computer technologies when it comes to buying or having an interest in this consumer product, but when will I be able to afford it.

Computer OSs, currently, are based upon its visual aspects for users to handle and understand it; and indeed designers and developers have succeeded in this regard, for there will be no return to text-base interface/system. To understand, basically, the rudiments of the GUI system, requires very little preparatory reading of manual/user-guides, as it would have been with the text-base system; the graphical user interface allows intuitive interactions, and for this reason, more and more users cannot imagine anything else; it has become a de facto in the market place. 

To conclude, I do believe the computer is here to stay, and therefore it will require an OS, and has stated elsewhere in this report, the OS represent the persona of the computer; and for this reason, the computer and its persona will continue to evolve, as we evolve and our expectation grows; and by Gordon Moore's Law, bearing the silicon chip in mind, about every two years we can expect dramatic changes with an equal dramatic rein on cost.

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