Operating Systems

3-1 DOS
was the original operating system for the PC and stands for Disk Operating System. There have been many versions of DOS since its original release. The two most commonly known ones are:
MS-DOS This version was created by Microsoft and is the most commonly used on IBM and clone computers.
PC-DOS This version was created by IBM and guaranteed to work with a genuine IBM Personal Computer; however, it may not work perfectly with some IBM compatible computers.
In the current market, it is rare to find a computer still using DOS as the operating system due to the display, e.g., text characters only. As well, typing commands in order to perform a task was based on one line commands that were often hard to decipher, especially when errors occurred.
With the exception of a system using the Unix operating system, all other computers use a graphical operating system like Windows or the Mac OS (Operating System). This has become the standard for operating systems over the last few years as they make working with computers much easier.
The graphical user interface (GUI ? pronounced “Gooey”) allows a person to use a mouse and other devices to point and select desired functions rather than having to remember commands. Many of these commands and functions appear as buttons or have a picture/symbol to represent the task to be accomplished