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Maybe you like the default Window 7 desktop background.
It is pretty… For a day or two. After that, I’m ready for a change.
I like to entertain myself by putting puppy photos on my desktop, since I’m not allowed to have a real puppy. (My brother’s dog would object. I still wonder why she has any say in the matter.)
The ability to change the desktop background, window colors, sounds, icons, pointers, screen savers, and more, are all parts of the personalization experience.
Operating systems allow you to create multiple user accounts where files, settings, customizations, and more, are all unique.
I like to think of a user account as a room in my house (the operating system).
Each room has standard furniture (programs), with it’s own cupboards (folders), full of nick-knacks (files), and decorations (settings/customizations).
Some rooms are shared (no password, anyone with access to my computer can enter), and others are private.
I can, for example, lock my door (password protect my account) to keep out nosy siblings.
Multiple user accounts are not only useful in the case of multiple people using the same computer, but also for anyone who wants access to different settings/setups/files/etc. based on the job they are doing at the time.
It’s important for operating systems to stay up-to-date, and not just because you get access to all the latest and greatest.
With security – and its flaws – so greatly an issue in this day and age, keeping on top of the latest updates, patches and fixes is a must-do rather than a maybe.
With that said, if Windows wants to download 1GB of updates at the exact same time I’m trying to download my emails… we’re gonna have some problems.
Windows and Linux, as two of the most popular operating systems on the market today, are often pitted against one another.
Some people have have very decided opinions on the topic of which is better, but I find myself in the category of ambivalence.
I use both, but it wasn’t always that way. Early on, my experience was limited to Windows, simply because that was what was installed on my PC.
But learning curves, although sometimes difficult, are good exercise for the brain.
Since the 1980s, personal computers have been moving into our lives (and taking over?).
Operating systems became a necessity to manage both hardware and software, as well as provide us with easy-to-use graphical interfaces.
But where did they come from? To answer that question, I worked up a brief history of the three most prominent players in the game.
My computer is having an identity crisis; I’m having a nervous breakdown.
The time had come. No longer can I put off the burning need to discuss such an important matter as this.
Today we will discuss the need for even a single-person Windows PC to be set up with two separate user ids.
Operating systems are essential to electronic devices because they handle all of the operating details, such as controlling hardware and running programs.
A common shorthand when referring to an operating system is “OS” (pronounce each letter).
There are several types of operating systems available, but the most common are Windows, Linux, OS X and Android.