Windows 2000 Vs. Mac OS X

1
Windows 2000 Vs. Mac OS X

• Comparing Windows 2000 and Mac OS X on the
  following grounds
• Architecture
• Design Goals
• Programming Interface/ User Interface
• IPC

2
Architecture (Windows 2000)

• The Windows 2000 OS is divided into two sections
  kernel mode and user mode.
• Executes on a variety of hardware platforms.
• Separates application-oriented software from
  operating system software
• -OS software includes the Executive, the
  microkernel, device drivers, and the hardware
  abstraction layer.
• -runs in kernel mode. (access to system data and
  hardware)
• -Application software runs in user mode and has
  limited access to user data.

3
Architecture of the Mac OS X

• Layered architecture divided into four distinct
  layers
• - Application Environment
• - Application Services
• - Core Services
• - Kernel environment

4
Architecture of the Mac OS X

• Mac OS X encompasses many different technologies
  
• -Darwin
• -Quartz
• -OpenGL
• -QuickTime
• -Application Services
• -Aqua

5
Design Goals

• Windows 2000
• Win2K design team objective was to design a
  robust, portable, maintainable, extensible, and
  secure operating system (OS).
• Key features
• Robustness protect itself from internal
  malfunction, software and hardware errors
• Extensibility and Maintainability
• Portability function on a number of platforms
  with minimal re-coding
• Performance
• POSIX compliance and government certifiable C2
  security

6
Design goals

• Mac OS X
• The core of Mac OS X is UNIX and is based on the
  open source Darwin kernel. It has a graphical
  desktop environment and power, stability of UNIX.
  Mac OS X provides power, ease of use, and a
  pretty new look. It offers a command-line
  environment, and powerful networking.
• Key features
• Integrated System integrate a diverse collection
  of technologies and base this unified set of
  technologies on advanced kernel environment.
• Extensibility support new software, hardware,
  features and network technologies
• Modularity future enhancements
• System Responsiveness faster speed and
  operations
• Enhanced Performance and Stability
• Advanced User Experience and Productivity

7
Advantages

• Windows 2000
• Maintainable and Extensible
• Security executive provides the only entry point
  into the system
• Portability across hardware architectures and
  platforms
• Robustness

• MAC OS X
• Integrated system
• Robust
• Enhanced Performance and Stability
• Backward Compatibility

8
Disadvantages

• Windows 2000
• No Backward compatibility
• Lesser Speed
• Less Reliable

• MAC OS X
• Security Darwin is distributed under Open Source
  license, security threat
• Not extensible like Win2K
• Software compatibility shortcomings and support
• Classic applications run and load slowly
• Marketing weakness and media coverage

9
Conclusion

• Win2K is designed to be reliable and it can be
  maintained and extended to take advantage of new
  technologies. It supports multiprocessing and has
  portability.
• The Win2K merges the best attributes of a layered
  OS with those of a client/server or microkernel
  OS.
• It is a choice for business, and for highly
  distributed systems.
•  
• Mac OS X is more stable, beautiful, Aqua look,
  and graphics. It has layered architecture.
• Only a few native OS X applications available, so
  best features of OS are untapped.
• Multilingual support built in better memory
  management and protected memory
• PM Mac OS X is highly reliable, and supports the
  preemptive multitasking and protected memory.

10
Programming Interface

• Windows 2000
• The Programming Interface is composed of a set of
  user-mode applications (called sub-systems) that
  perform operating system tasks.
• It provides modularity.
• Multiple application programming interfaces
  (API), while keeping the base OS code simple and
  maintainable.

11
User Interface

• Mac OS X
• New aqua like interface called Aqua
• The top layer represents Application environments
  which encompass five application
  environmentsCarbon, Cocoa, Java, Classic
  environment and BSD commands.
• -Classic environment provides compatibility to
  run their Mac OS 8/9 applications
• -BSD Commands environment provides a shell to
  execute BSD programs on the command line.
• Application services provide system services to
  all application environments.
• -includes Quartz, Quick Draw, OpenGL, QuickTime
  Core Services. 

12
User Interface

• Kernel environment is the foundation layer of Mac
  OS X. It is a high-performance and highly modular
  kernel and its primary components are Mach and
  BSD.
• Mac OS X is based on Darwin (open source core,
  UNIX) kernel and it provides great stability for
  any development environment.

13
Advantages

• Windows 2000
• API availability of tested APIs
• Multi-processor
• End-user applications
• Micro-kernel protects kernel since applications
  runs in user-mode
• Ensures Security
• Vendor tools

• Mac OS X
• Power and Stability kernel based on UNIX
  (Darwin)
• Advanced and new development features
• Backward compatibility
• Integrated Java, Internet application development
  environment
• Graphics
• Interoperabilitysupports interoperability for
  UNIX apps.

14
Disadvantages

• Windows 2000
• Backward compatibility to 16-bit architecture
• Integrated system

• Mac OS X
• Doesnt ensure Security
• Doesnt provide End-user applications
• No Support and training

15
Conclusion

• Windows 2000 has availability of well-defined and
  tested APIs, and vendor tools enhance
  development. It provides good support, training
  and end-user applications.
• Mac OS X is built on open BSD UNIX, Java2, XML,
  PDF, and OpenGL standards so that third-party
  developers can add applications more easily. It
  offers advanced development options and new
  features for advanced users, especially UNIX
  gurus.

16
IPC(Inter Process Communication)

• Processes needs to communicate in some way with
  one another, to transfer some data or to let
  other processes know what's going on with one
  another.
• Windows 2000
• Win2K supports seven primary IPC mechanisms
  Named Pipes,
• Mailslots, NetBIOS, Winsock, NetDDE, RPCs, Local
  Procedure Call
• Facility
• With COM, the client can communicate directly
  with the process. With DCOM, the client can
  communicate directly with other processes on
  different computers on a LAN, WAN or the
  Internet.

17
IPC(Inter Process Communication)

• MAC OS X
• Mac OS has an inter-application communication
  (IAC) architecture, which provides a standard and
  extensible mechanism for communication among
  Macintosh applications.
• Apple events are the primary methods for
  inter-application communication on Mac OS X.

18
Advantages

• Windows 2000
• system efficiently
• more elaborate, reliable and stable IPC
  mechanisms
• supported IPC mechanisms

• MAC OS X
• simple to use and implement
• faster communication

19
Disadvantages

• Windows 2000
• Hard to work in distributed computing environment
• Slower IPC mechanisms due to inefficient memory
  management

• MAC OS X
• Event Mechanism requires many procedure calls.
• one-way communication (BSD Pipes)
• Apple Event objects creation time not suitable
  for performance-critical situations.

20
Conclusion

• Windows NT has more elaborate complex, but
  reliable and stable IPC mechanisms.

• Mac OS IPC mechanisms are simple to use and
  implement. It has a fast and more responsive
  system.

21
Windows 2000 Vs. Mac OS X

• Mac OS X is a better choice for educational
  environment.
• Mac OS X is better choice for graphics, Internet
  and Java development.
• Apple will, of course add ease of use to the core
  design goals. I'm sure the Mac OS X interface
  will continue to evolve under customer feedback
  and experience.
• Apple has claimed that their goal is to make the
  first truly user-friendly UNIX box, or as they
  put it, a machine that even your grandmother can
  use.
• I imagine advanced users will prefer Mac OS X,
  because it has advanced and new features for
  development environment as compared to W2K.
• UNIX users will prefer Mac OS X because it
  provides shell prompt that is Mac Usage with
  UNIX-style Command-Line.

22
Windows 2000 Vs. Mac OS X

• I would prefer Windows 2000 from a business point
  of view because it is a highly secure,
  extensible, maintainable, robust and portable OS.
• It offers better support, APIs, vendor tools and
  end-user applications.

23
References

• Operating Systems (Fourth Edition) by William
  Stallings
• Inside Microsoft Windows 2000 by David A Solomon
  Mark E Russinovich
• The Apple - Mac OS X Website
• (www.apple.com/macosx)
• MacOS X News at The Macintosh News Network
  (osx.macnn.com/)