On Sat, 07 Oct 2006 09:23:19 +0200 David Kastrup <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> The following section "Introduction" tries to cast some > light on the actual usage of the word, and in the rest of the article, > "operating system" is sometimes used to clearly indicate just kernel > and kernel threads, sometimes in the terms of the encompassing system. My second edition "Encyclopedia of Computer Science and Engineering" Copyright © 1983, Van Nostrand Reinhold Company, Inc. defines "Operating System" as: "the software (programs and data) that initiates the interaction of the electronic and electromechanical components of a computer so that they constitute a useful system for carrying out computations. The operating system is responsible for sharing the computer equipment among users and is therefore sometimes identified by functional names such as /control programs/, /supervisors/, /executives/, or /monitors/, although these names have gradually fallen out of use." Chapter 1 of Kernighan and Pike's seminal "The Unix Programming Environment" (Copyright © 1984, Prentice-Hall) starts with: " What is "UNIX"? In the narrowest sense, it is a time-sharing operating system kernel: a program that controls the resources of a computer and allocates them among its users. It lets users run their programs; it controls the peripheral devices (discs, terminals, printers and the like) connected to the machine; and it provides a file system that manages the long-term storage of information such as programs, data and documents. In the broader sense, "UNIX" is often taken to include not only the kernel, but also essential programs like compilers, editors, command languages, programs for copying and printing files, and so on. Still more broadly, "UNIX" may even include programs developed by you or other users to be run on your system, such as tools for document preparation, routines for statistical analysis, and graphics packages. Which of these uses of the name "UNIX" is correct depends on which level of the system you are considering. When we use "UNIX" in the rest of this book, context should indicate which meaning is implied." It would seem that what constitutes an "Operating System" has always been open to interpretation. -- Stefaan A Eeckels -- Governments are like babies: digestive tracts with a big appetite at one end and no sense of responsibility at the other. The better run ones from time to time get clean diapers... _______________________________________________ gnu-misc-discuss mailing list [email protected] http://lists.gnu.org/mailman/listinfo/gnu-misc-discuss
