Operating Systems for Mobile Devices

The operating systems that we've been talking about were designed to run on desktop or laptop computers. Mobile devices such as phones, tablet computers, and mp3 players are very different from desktop and laptop computers, so they run operating systems that are designed specifically for mobile devices. Examples of mobile operating systems include Apple iOS, Windows Phone, and Google Android.

Operating Systems for mobile devices generally aren't as fully-featured as those made for desktop or laptop computers, and they aren't able to run all of the same software. However, you can still do a lot of things with them, such as watching movies, browsing the internet, managing your calendar, playing games, and more.

Apple OS running on an iPad

Linux

Linux (pronounce LINN-ux) is a family of open source operating systems, which means that they can be modified and distributed by anyone around the world. This is very different from proprietary software like Windows, which can only be modified by the company that owns it (Microsoft). The advantages of Linux are that it is free, and there are many different distributions (or versions) that you can choose from. Each distribution has a different look and feel, and the most popular ones include Ubuntu, Mint, and Fedora.

Linux is named after Linus Torvalds, who created the Linux kernel in 1991. The kernel is the computer code that is the central part of an operating system.

According to StatCounter Global Stats, Linux users account for less than 1% of the operating systems market as of January 2013. However, most servers run Linux because it's relatively easy to customize.

 

• To learn more about different distributions of Linux, visit the Ubuntu, Mint, and Fedora websites.

Apple Mac OS

Mac OS is a line of operating systems created by Apple Inc. It comes preloaded on all new Macintosh computers, or Macs. All of the recent versions are known as Mac OS X (pronounced Mac O-S Ten), and their specific version names are Mountain Lion (released in 2012), Lion (2011), and Snow Leopard (2009). Apple also offers a version called Mac OS X Server, which is designed to be run on servers.
According to StatCounter Global Stats, Mac OS X users account for 7.5% of the operating systems market as of January 2013 - much lower than the percentage of Windows users (over 90%). One reason for this is that Apple computers tend to be more expensive. However, many people prefer the look and feel of Mac OS X.

 

1. To learn more about Macintosh computers and OS X, check out our Mac OS X Mountain Lion tutorial.

Microsoft Windows

Microsoft created the Windows operating system in the mid-1980s. Over the years, there have been many different versions of Windows, but the most recent ones are Windows 8 (released in 2012), Windows 7 (2009), and Windows Vista (2007). Windows comes preloaded on most new PCs, which helps to make it the most popular operating system in the world.
If you're buying a new computer or upgrading to a newer version of Windows, you can choose from several different editions of Windows, such as Home Premium, Professional, and Ultimate. You may need to do some research to decide which edition is right for you.

1. Visit Microsoft's Windows page to learn more about this operating system
2. Check out our tutorials on Windows 8, Windows 7, and Windows XP for more information.