Unit 2 Task 4 M1
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Windows XP
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Mac OS
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Machine and Peripheral Management
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A windows XP operating system controls the whole machine and all of the components in it. It also controls the peripherals such as the mouse and keyboard. You can control the mouse setting by choosing the clicking speed. On windows you can also manage the keyboard by having spellcheck on or off depending on your needs
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The controlling of the computer components on a Mac operating system are very similar to Windows XP operating systems. However all devices must be bought especially for Macs. For example on Mac OS you can control the keyboard by changing the input language. On other Apple devices such as the iPhone use Mac OS to control the screen by changing it to landscape mode.
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Security
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Windows has security functions such as user accounts with password protection. Firewalls and other functions also protect the computer. The operating system ensures that everything works properly and there is no unauthorised access so that your data is protected.
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Security systems such as sand boxing is used on Mac OS operating systems. Sand boxing protects the system by limiting the operations an application can perform, for example accessing the network or opening documents. Sand boxing also makes it more difficult for a security threat to take over. Mac OS also has authentication. A user has to enter their Apple ID in order to access any files. This is also used on other Apple devices e.g iPad Air.
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File Management
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Windows XP needs to have file management to show files, create new files, editing, deleting and other functions linked to files. Windows XP has a process called ‘explorer’ to deal with file management.
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The file management program used on Mac OS operating systems is called ‘Finder’. It is near enough the same as ‘explorer’ but has appropriate icons for every file type, tree navigation and trash on the desktop.
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Device Drivers
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Drivers are programs that instruct the operating system what and how to work the particular device. When you buy a new graphics card, to make it work sufficiently you have to install drivers that are provided with the card.
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Drivers are programs that control the device. On Mac OS operating systems, when the system is closed you can’t upgrade anything as all the drivers needed are used to run the computer. When you install a printer, you have to install a version of the driver on Mac OS.
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Ability to customise
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On Windows XP you can customise settings to make your computer unique and accessible. You can install features to make typing easier during set up. You can also add these later on using an installation disk. You can use the control panel to adjust the appearance settings. You can adjust the sound volume, colour and sizes, and the mouse and keyboard settings. On Windows there is an Accessibility Wizard to help you configure this.
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Mac operating systems don’t have many tools to customise your computer so therefore it is quite difficult. You can change your desktop background but if you want to customise anything else on your mac operating system then you have to install new software. System preferences control system-wide
settings and allow you to adjust keyboard and mouse controls and the screen resolution.
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Support for connectivity of Portable media
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Windows supports most portable media devices as long as it has an appropriate connector. The most common way of connecting devices is through the USB port. You can connect phones, cameras, keyboards and memory sticks through the USB port on a Windows operating system.
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Mac OS operating systems support most peripheral devices. They also support headphones, CD’s and DVD’s.
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Stability and Reliability
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As Windows have a wider range of applications there are more stability problems. The applications are installed on the computer instead of on the core operating system.
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Mac OS offers less applications compared to windows so is therefore more reliable and stable.
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Ease of Management
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Windows XP is probably the easiest to use however it depends of the ability of the user.
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Mac OS is more advanced however younger generations may find it easier to use. It all depends of the ability of the user.
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Associated Utilities
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Windows offer a wider range of associated utilities. Personally I think that Mac OS is better for graphics and Windows XP is for everyday use.
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Mac OS is mainly used for editing and graphic design. It depends on what the user wants from their operating system.
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Apple have always been more advanced with their technology compared to Microsoft. However I find microsoft easier to use.
Dock; On Mac OS there is a bar of icons at the bottom of the screen - this is called the Dock. It allows you to have easy access to the applications that come with the Mac.You can add and remove apps to the Dock whenever you want. You can also organise it to the way that it suits your needs. You can also add folders to the Dock.
Windows version of this is the XWindows Dock located at the bottom or the side of the screen. You can choose which icons that you want easy access to and put them on the XWindows Dock. There are pre installed plugins and also supports other plugins. You can organise your items into groups.
Time Machine; On Mac operating systems there is a built in backup software application, this is called Time Machine. It automatically backs up your Mac which includes system files, accounts, applications, preferences, music, pictures and most things on your Mac. As Time Machine keeps a copy of every single file, it also knows how your system was on any given day. Time Machine keeps hourly backups from the past 24 hours, daily backups from the past week and weekly backups from the past months until your backup drive is full.
The Windows equivalent to this is Rollback Rx. I think this is better than Mac Time Machine as you can use Rollback as a full-system reset, this means that you can go to the exact moment in time when a screenshot was taken. If a file has been deleted and you would like to get it back, you can just browse all the files that have existed on your machine and drag it back to your documents.
Dashboard;
The Mac Dashboard give access to mini applications called widgets. These widgets include Calander and Contacts on Mac. The widgets allow easier and quicker access to things like upcoming events without having to open up apps. There are more widgets available to download and you can even create your own.
Windows version of this is the XWidget. It provides easy customization and many features. You can get Widgets and install them quickly. You can also get new Widgets like the Mac version. You can rearrange the widgets by dragging and dropping them. The XWidget Dashboard mode can be easily reached by double clicking the middle button on the mouse.
iCloud;
iCloud is a feature on Mac operating systems that can backup all of the information stored on your desktop. It backs up your system by using your Apple ID. If you have other apple devices then you can store documents and share files on both devices. For example if you take a photo on your iPhone, it will automatically appear on your iPad if you use iCloud. iCloud is a good feature if you lose things easily. Also you can put all of your files onto one device via iCloud and create more space on another device.
