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... the G 4 may lack the total speed of the AMD or Pentium, it is far superior in its calculation rate. Eventually Pentium, and AMD, should be able to match the superiority of its Apple cousin and compete for fastest processor. (The Power Mac G 4, 2000) The operating system is the software a person uses to access programs and other pieces of software within a computer. Generally, there are six major operating systems that are used throughout the home computing world.
The Microsoft Corp. currently produces four of the five operating systems, or OSs. The other two operating systems, OS and Linux, are quite different in a few different ways. The operating system is the core software to any computer. With out an operating system, the computer itself would be, in terms of everyday usage, useless.
Windows 95, 98, Windows ME 2000 or Millennium Edition, and Windows NT are all distributed for different purposes. Windows 95, 98 and ME are used both in the workplace and at home for personal use; the edition of Windows really just depends if the consumer has upgraded to the next available product or not. Windows NT is used for running a network with one or several main servers and a numerous amount of client computers that connect through special network cables and network cards (See Hardware). Generally speaking, there is not a lot that separates the different Windows operating systems. Built off the Windows NT, operating system core, Windows ME is said to be more reliable, manageable, and performs better than that of its predecessors. Windows 95, 98 and 2000 all have the same recognizable user interface, or desktop, and all run very similar.
Windows NT on the other hand runs different because NTs main purpose is to be used over a network. The inner specs of the Windows operating systems are not available and are beyond the understanding of myself. Linux is an operating system that is not like any other. Linux is an operating system that was derived from a more advanced business operating system called UNIX. A man named Linus Torvalds, a Finish student who was doing personal research on operating systems, created Linux and something that is called Open Source code distribution. Open Source means that the source code or code used in a software-coding program to create Linux is readily available and legal for you to add on to and submit.
Another oddity of Linux is that it does not have just one manufacturer. Numerous companies including Red Hat, Mandrake, Suse, Corel Linux, Slackware, and Storm have distributed Linux. According to web there are just fewer than twenty different releases of Linux by just as many companies. Linux has a very similar look to Windows but is more advanced with a system command window and a desktop that is fully customizable with many different looks. Unfortunately, Linux does not have the support of software developers just yet.
The lack of software is one of the main reasons Linux hasnt exploded onto the OS market. Linux is capable of many different functions including being used in place of a Windows NT server with the appropriate software, used as a high end computer programming tool, and / or can be scaled up to handle heavy computing loads of many scientific and engineering programs. The last operating system that will be discussed is the Apple operating system known as OS. OS has the same type of source code of that of Linux; Apple has made the OS source code available through Open Source code distribution. OS is similar to that of its PC cousins operating systems by having a similar user interface as that of Windows and Linux, but with some noticeable differences. OS has a similar programs tray like that of windows only it is more colorful and bright.
OS is said to be very user friendly and does not belittle even the most advanced users. OS was created to be a user a strong operating system that can second as a graphical design and editing tool. OS is constructed in a building block type manor. The base of the building block is the core of the operating system, which is called Darwin. Apple decided to call it Darwin because they describe Darwin as being the next evolution in operation systems.
Darwin's main function is to run the computer and manage the memory and programs efficiently. The next step up from Darwin is the graphical standards for Mac; Quartz, two dimensional rendering software, OpenGL, an industry standard in three dimensional solid or line modeling, and QuickTime, Apples own digital video rendering software. The next step up in the tower is Classic, Carbon and Cocoa. To put it quite simply, Classic is for the original Mac users who are not ready to move on, Carbon is a simpler but more crash resistant environment than that of Classic, and Cocoa is a high end computer programming interface for those interested in writing programs. The lines of operating system superiority are very blurry.
Each operating system has its own distinct advantages and disadvantages. OS for example is a beautifully crafted system that does not support a great deal of popular software and hardware. Linux is the same way, but runs on a PC and does support the hardware. Windows on the other hand tends to crash quite a bit while running most anything without hardware or software convictions. OS does, however, have a very advanced memory allocation system, something Windows has not fully mastered, although Linux has. Windows and Linux, on the other hand, supports 3 D hardware support in advanced gaming and CAD called Direct 3 D, OS does not.
Linux is constantly being updated and changed because of its Open Source code distribution, something Apple is trying, but Microsoft is still skeptical to do. When purchasing a computer, the first thing the consumer usually looks for is a brand name. For reference, Dell Computer Corporation provided all prices and products for the PCs. Apple, of course, provided all their own product prices and options. Because Apple has two models for there computers, we started with the smaller, low-end fanless, computer called the G 4 Cube.
Going to the Apple site I built a G 4 Cube with these components. RAGE 128 Pro card 16 MB SDRAM (video card) The price of the little eight-inch G 4 Cube is $ 2697. 00. A comparable Dell computer, the Dell Dimension L was created as a comparison. The price of the Dell Dimension L was only $ 1498. 00. Next I created a mid-grade Apple Power Mac G 4.
The price of the Power Mac was $ 2947. 00. To compare I created another Dell Dimension L. The price of the Dimension L was $ 1698. 00. For the high-end model I choose another Power Mac, this time with dual 500 MHz processors. The price jumped quite a bit to $ 3997. 00. In comparison I choose the Dell Dimension XPS B Series. 1 Giga Hertz Pentium III Processor New 64 MB Nvidia GeForce 2 GTS with MDK 2 Action Game The price of the Dimension also rose significantly to $ 3548. 00.
Over all the Dell PCs were, by far, less expensive than that of the Apple computers. The Apple computers lacked the addition of the monitor and the warranty, which significantly raised the prices of the computers. When taking into account the speed of the processors, Apple did not lag far behind. When it came to included extras, Dell also exceeded far beyond Apple offering a monitor and warranty. Apples overall value is not very evident. Bibliography: References (September 12, 2000).
The Power Mac G 4 [On-line]. Available: web (September 12, 2000). At the Core [On-line]. Available: web Lain, Rodney O. (September 12, 2000).
First Look: First Look At Apples G 4 Cube [On-line] Available: web Stafford, Alan. (September 12, 2000). The Movie Makers: Sony PC vs. Apple iMac [On-line] Available: web
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