History of Operating System

Operating System Evolution

The history of the operating system has four generations now. The evolution of the Operating system can be understood from the following image.

Let us understand each of them in detail.

First Generation

(1945-1955) In this generation, operating systems were not introduced therefore the instruction was directly given to the computer systems. All the code was included to communicate with the connected hardware and the system.

Electronic computers were introduced during the 1940s when there were no operating systems therefore the code was written in machine language where they were just used to solve simple mathematic problems.

Example - to control the machine functions plug boards were used using the wiring.

Second Generation

(1955-1965) GMOS (General Motos operating system) was the first operating system that came into the picture in the 1950s which was developed for IBM computers. IBM was the first one that bought an operating system into the world. In the second generation, around the 1960s the first UNIX Operating system was developed that was available for free for a few years. Also, the batch processing system, where all the similar jobs are collected in groups by the system, and then all the jobs are submitted to the operating system using a punch card to execute all jobs in a machine.

Example - Type of operating system and Batch OS.

Third Generation

(1965-1980) In the third generation, the concept of multiprogramming was introduced in which multiple tasks could be performed in a single computer i.e., operating system. Due to performing multiple tasks at a time, multiprogramming allows the CPU to be busy every time multiple tasks are performed on the same computer. With the DEC PDP-1 in 1961, the development of minicomputers' phenomenal growth was introduced.

Example - Concept of multiprogramming and types of operating systems used in multiprogramming.

Fourth Generation

(1980-now) The evolution of computers aka operating systems came under the fourth generation. Every user is using their personal computers in this generation. The concept of personal computers is similar to the minicomputer that was introduced in the third generation. The birth of the Microsoft Windows operating system was in 1975 and then Bill Gates took the personal computers to next level by launching MS-DOS in 1981, but due to the cryptic commands, it was difficult for a user to get hold of the commands. In this generation, people were also introduced to Graphic User Interface(GUI). Today, Windows is the most popular operating system and has evolved from Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows XP, and Windows 7. The most used Windows operating system was Windows 7 and Windows 10. In 2021, Windows 11 was introduced with major changes. Apple also introduced its operating system known as MacOS which is also as popular as Windows these days.

Advantages of Operating System

• The performance of the operating system is dependent on the CPU.
• It creates the interface between the computer system and the user.
• The different kinds of resources fax, printers, etc., can be shared.
• It helps in regulating and monitor your device.
• The throughput, as well as response time, is faster than any process.

Disadvantage of the Operating System

• If somehow an error occurred in your system, then there might be a chance that your data can be destroyed therefore always have a backup of your data.
• Threats and viruses can occur at any time in our operating system therefore it is a tough task for the operating system to prevent the system from viruses.
• The operating systems are extravagant.
• Only a few tasks can work at the same time.
• Forums for various types of applications like web and system applications are offered by the operating system.