Introduction
History of Windows, Linux and Others
What’s an operating sytem?
The operating system (OS) is the main software that controls a computer’s hardware, manages the file system, and runs applications. It provides a user-friendly interface that allows users to interact with the computer without writing binary code for the CPU.
The OS is always active and is the first program loaded into memory when the computer starts. All other applications operate within it, while the OS handles memory and process allocation for each one. It also manages input and output operations and switches efficiently between different tasks.
Loading the boot loader
As we’ve seen in the hardware module, the firmware of the motherboard, the BIOS (or UEFI) is responsible for “waking up” the hardware and loading the operating system. The BIOS/UEFI looks for a bootable device based on the boot order. The first boot device in the list should have a “boot sector” in which the “boot loader”, a special software is located, will load the OS into memory. This process will follow the legacy MBR parition style or the more modern UEFI GPT partition style.
MBR: In legacy systems, the BIOS looks for the Master Boot Record (MBR) located on the first sector of the boot disk. MBR has limitations which we will cover later.
GPT : In modern systems, the UEFI uses the GUID Partition Table instead
History of OS
We’ve marked a few key events in the history of operating systems. Try to organize them in chronological order:
Windows 🪟
The days of MS-DOS
If we’re going to discuss Windows, it’s important to mention its predecessor: MS-DOS. This was a command-line–only operating system developed for x86 systems (based on the Intel 8088 CPU architecture). It was originally created by Tim Paterson at Seattle Computer Products. In 1981, Microsoft acquired the company, hired Paterson, and adapted the system for its own personal computers—rebranding it as MS-DOS.
Most MS-DOS commands are still supported by Windows Command Prompt CMD.
Windows over the years
Windows 11
The latest version of Windows is Windows 11. These are the important features:
UEFI Firmware Required: Windows 11 only supports motherboards with UEFI; legacy BIOS systems are not compatible.
Secure Boot: Must be enabled in the system firmware.
Trusted Platform Module (TPM): Version 2.0 or higher is required for installation.
Zero Trust Compatibility: All users, processes, and services must be verified and trusted at every level of the system.
Internet Connection: Needed during setup to complete installation and sign in with a Microsoft account. 👉 Actually, there is a way to bypass to those setup steps. More on this during the lab.
Other features: All editions except the Home ed, come with BitLocker and OneDrive for Business. BitLocker gives the ability to encrypt the storage device to prevent information theft. OneDrive allows for file synchronization to the cloud.
Windows 11: System requirements
- RAM : 4Gb Minimum
- CPU : 1Ghz, 2 Cores
Windows CMD Commands
These commands will be explored in this course.
cd: Changes the current directoryecho: writes input text to a standard output (file or console)dir: short for directory, it prints out the current directorydel: deletes a filecopy: creates a copy of a file and moves it elsewhere in the filesystem or to another device. In modern Windows, it can be used to concatenate files together or copy multiple files.rename: moves files or renames them.
Linux 🐧
Linux is built on the Unix operating system and is both free and open source, meaning anyone can use, modify, and distribute it.
There are many Linux distributions, which are complete operating systems built around the Linux kernel and bundled with additional software for specific purposes. Some are used for servers. Here are some popular examples:
Fedora – Popular among developers
Ubuntu – Great choice for beginners
Debian
Solus
Deepin
Linux Mint
Unix vs Linux
For beginners, Unix and Linux are often confusing. Unix was developed in the 1960s by AT&T and served as the foundation for many modern operating systems, including macOS and Linux. You could compare Unix to Linux in the same way MS-DOS relates to Windows; both laid the groundwork for more advanced systems. However, there is one key difference: Linux was written entirely from scratch by Linus Torvalds, though it was designed to follow the Unix architecture.
Linux Commands
Linux commands are fundamental tools used in the command line interface (CLI) to interact with the operating system. Common examples include:
-ls : Lists contents of directories -cd : Changes the current directory -pwd : Displays the current directory path -mkdir: Creates a new directory -touch: Creates a file -cat: Concatenates and displays the content of files. -echo: Prints out a given string to a standard output (terminal or file) -cp, mv, rm : Used to copy, move, and delete files respectively
-sudo : Executes commands with administrative (root) privileges -free : Shows memory usage -df : Checks disk space usage -top : Monitors running processes
Here is a more extensive list of commands for Linux.
Mac OS 🍏
Although macOS is also a Unix-based operating system, it is a proprietary platform developed by Apple and closely integrated with Apple hardware. Developed in the 1980s, it is well-known for its user-friendly design and optimized experience for professional users. This course will not focus on macOS; however, most Linux commands still apply since both systems share Unix roots. You are encouraged to explore the Mac computers in P-322 and become familiar with this operating system because this will come in handy for future courses.
Chrome
This OS was designed by Google around the 2010s. It’s a Linux kernel- based and derived from the free software Chromium OS. Chrome OS uses Google Chrome as the main interface allowing users to only use Web Apps. This course will not focus on Chrome OS.
Server Operating Systems
These are designed for corporate environment servicing multiple users with a wide range of needs. They generally provide network resources including server applications, centralized data storage, network print queues, RAID and backup systems.
Mobile Operating systems
Mobile devices such as Smart phones and tablets have their own light weight operating systems. They manage the specific hardware of mobile devices, provide network connectivity, and intuitive user experience. There exist many mobile operating systems, but the most popular ones are Android developed by Google and iOS developed by Apple:
Other operating systems:
Harmony OS (Huawei)
Tizen (Samsung)
Windows mobile (Microsoft)
WebOS