Solaris 10 is a computer operating system developed by Sun Micro Systems and is certified as a version of UNIX. Although historically Solaris 10 was a closed source program, it has since been open sourced by Sun. It is now one of the single largest open source projects in the community, and continues to grow in features, members and applications.

In the early 1990″s, Sun replaced their BSD (Berkeley Software Distribution) derived Sun Operating System 4 with a version of UNIX System V Release 4. This was jointly developed with AT & T. The underlying release name was Sun OS 5.0, but a new marketing name was introduced at the same time: Solaris 2. While Sun OS 4 micro releases were retroactively named Solaris 1 by Sun. The name Solaris is almost exclusively used to refer to SVR4-derived Sun OS 5.0 and later.

Solaris is considered to be the Sun OS operating system plus a graphical user environment ONC + along with other components. The Sun OS minor version is included in the Solaris release name. After Solaris 2.6, Sun dropped the 2 from the name, so Solaris 7 incorporated Sun OS 5.7 and the latest release Sun OS 5.10 which forms the core of Solaris 10.

Sun Micro Systems has dubbed Solaris 10 as the most powerful operating system on the planet. They say that it boasts over 600 features that make it the most efficient, secure, and reliable operating system ever built. Here are some of the features they boast:

* Security - Solaris 10 includes some of the world’s most advanced security features, such as Process and User Rights Management, Trusted Extensions for Mandatory Access Control, the Cryptographic Framework and Secure By Default Networking that allow you to safely deliver new solutions, consolidate with security and protect mission-critical data.
* Observability - The Solaris 10 release gives you observability into your system with tools such as Solaris Dynamic Tracing (DTrace), which enables real-time application debugging and optimization.
* Performance - Solaris 10 delivers indisputable performance advantages for database, Web, and Java technology-based services, as well as massive scalability, shattering world records by delivering unbeatable price/performance advantages.
* Platform Choice - Solaris 10 is fully supported on more than 800 SPARC-based and x64/x86-based systems from top manufacturers, including systems from Sun, Dell, HP, and IBM.
* Networking - With its optimized network stack and support for today’s advanced network computing protocols, Solaris 10 delivers high-performance networking to most applications without modification.
* Data Management - Solaris 10 offers dramatic advances in file system and volume management by delivering virtually unlimited capacity and near-zero administration.

And these are only a few of the advantages Sun claims from Solaris 10. This could be the wave of the operating system future.

An embedded operating system is one that is designed to be very compact and efficient forsaking many functionalities that non-embedded computer operating systems provide. They may not be used by the specialized applications that they run and are frequently real-time operating system.

An embedded system is some combination of computer hardware and software, either fixed in capability or programmable, that is specifically designed for a particular kind of application device. Industrial machines, automobiles, medical equipment, cameras, household appliances, airplanes, vending machines, and toys (as well as the more obvious cellular phone and PDA) are among the myriad possible hosts of an embedded system. Embedded systems that are programmable are provided with a programming interface, and embedded systems programming is a specialized occupation.
Certain operating systems or language platforms are tailored for the embedded market, such as Embedded Java and Windows XP Embedded. However, some low-end consumer products use very inexpensive microprocessors and limited storage, with the application and operating system both part of a single program. The program is written permanently into the system’s memory in this case, rather than being loaded into RAM (random access memory), as programs on a personal computer are.
So essentially, an embedded operating system is one that runs in the background that allows a certain electronic device to run and operate efficiently. They are found in products like TiVo, games systems like Nintendo and Playstation, as well as cell phones and PDAs.

Unlike a computer operating system which is at the forefront of the computer user’s interface with the computer, an embedded system is not generally noticeable or controllable by the user of the device. Embedded operating systems are designed to perform a small amount of tasks and are specially designed to perform these tasks with very specific requirements.

Embedded operating systems are used in many different devices in various areas of industry. They can be found in medical devices like an EKG machine, thermostats, microwave ovens, washers, dryers, routers, printers, and much more. They can even be found in the operation and deployment of military missiles which is where the embedded operating system was first developed back in the 1940’s.

We have come to depend on certain gadgets to help make our lives easier and less stressful. Without an embedded operating system, these products could not operate or function properly. While we generally don’t think about an embedded operating system, just know that they are out there and we use them every day without ever thinking about the technology that went into creating them. But then again, we don’t have to!

When Microsoft first released their Windows operating system, it was named Windows 3.0. Subsequent versions were named after this original version as in Windows 3.1, Windows 3.2, etc. The entire family of the Windows operating system based on that original version is referred to as Windows 3x.

Windows 3.0 was released in 1990 and was hailed as the next big version of the operating system. It would soon take the computer world by storm and be hailed as what every computer user needed to effectively and easily operate a computer system. The Windows 3x family of operating systems would be the basis for many new and exciting developments in the world of operating systems.

With the release of Windows 3.0, virtual memory and loadable virtual device drivers were present in the operating system which allowed the system to share arbitrary devices between multi-tasked DOS Windows. Because of this, Windows applications could then run in 16-bit protected mode and gave them access to several megabytes of memory. It also removed the obligation to participate in the software virtual memory scheme.

The applications still ran inside the same address space where the segmented memory provided a degree of protection and multi-tasked cooperatively. For Windows 3.0, Microsoft also rewrote critical operation from C into assembly making this release faster and less memory-hungry than its predecessors.

With the introduction of 32-bit Windows for Workgroups 3.11, the family of Windows 3x operating system could finally stop relying on DOS for file management. The most important novelty of this version of Windows was the possibility of running 32-bit multi-threaded preemptively multi-tasked graphical program. However, the necessity of keeping compatibility with 16-bit programs meant the GUI components were still 16-bit only and not fully re-entrant which resulted in reduced performance and stability.

Nevertheless, the Windows 3x family of operating systems was still one of the most innovative designs for an operating system seen to date. Even though in 1990, operating system technology was still evolving, Windows 3x operating systems were technologically advanced way over their competition.

This version of Windows would introduce the graphical user interface making it easier for anyone to operate a computer system. Point and click technology would soon become the norm, but it all started with the Windows 3x operating system. The computer world, at the time, hadn’t seen anything like Windows 3x, but they would sure see more with the advent of technology.

Operating systems have evolved over the years, but the Windows 3x family of operating systems set the groundwork for the operating systems we know today. Constant updating and improving gave us the capability to use our computers in new and exciting ways. And it all started in 1990.