We often refer to Windows and Linux as the main operating systems. However, different types of operating systems are applied to different computer architectures.
This article describes the main operating systems.
Mainframe operating systems
Mainframes are large computers that are still in use in data centers.
These computers differ from personal computers by their I / O capacity. A typical mainframe has 1000 disks and data stored up to thousands of gigabytes. Such mainframes are used as servers in the Web world and in businesses with large transactions.
Source: Ing. Richard Hilber – Self-photographed, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=8724964
Operating systems for mainframes mainly carry out a process at a given moment, and most of these processes require I / O interaction. Three types of services are available in mainframe systems: batch, transaction processing, and time-sharing. In a batch system, the processes execute a work routine that does not require user interaction. You can find such a system in insurance companies, where many processes are like this. Transaction processing systems handle many requirements, such as checking operations at a bank or booking a flight through an airline system. Each job is small, but the system must process thousands of them per second. Transaction systems allow many users to execute tasks at a given moment, such as the interaction and retrieval of data from a database.
A mainframe operating system, OS / 390, a variant of OS / 360, offers all of these types of operations.
Server operating systems
The next main operating system is the Server Operating System.
Servers can be personal computers, workstations, or mainframes. They can serve users on the network and allow different users to share data and resources on the network. Servers enable printing, file, or Web services. Numerous servers support clients on the Web and handle all the requests coming from the Internet. Typical server operating systems are Linux and Windows 2000.
Multiprocessor operating systems
Connecting multiple processors to a single system is a good way to maximize your computer’s power.
These systems are called parallel systems, multicomputers, or multiprocessors. They need a special operating system. Many are server operating systems with additional communication and networking options.
Operating Systems for Personal Computers (PC)
This category of operating systems focuses on a good interface for a single user. Examples of operating systems for PCs are versions of Windows, Macintosh, and Linux. These systems are so popular that many people do not know other systems exist.
Real-time Operating systems
These operating systems focus on the role of the time factor. For example, in many fields of industry, different actions must be precisely performed at a given time; otherwise, the process fails. In these cases, the system is a typical hard real-time system. Meanwhile, a soft real-time system can tolerate time failures. Digital or multimedia systems are like soft real-time systems. Two typical real-time operating systems are VxWorks and QNX.
Embedded operating systems
An example of an embedded system is a palmtop.
A palmtop computer or PDA (personal digital assistant) is a small computer that can perform a small number of actions, such as creating an email address book or an electronic agenda. Embedded systems have the characteristics of a real-time system but also have unique sizes and power limitations. Examples of embedded operating systems are PalmOS and Windows CE.
Smart Card operating systems
The smallest operating systems run on smart cards, which are the size of a credit card and contain a CPU chip. They have some limitations in computing power and memory. Some of them can only calculate electronic payments. Some Smart Card operating systems are programmed in Java, which means that their memory holds a Java virtual machine interpreter.
