What's new in the world of operating systems? Everything! Your choices as a consumer and educator have never been greater. Commercial offerings Macintosh and Windows are both getting major rewrites, and the upstart (free!) Linux has joined them on center stage as a viable alternative. Come hear what's new and catch a glimpse over the OS horizon.

Intro/general discussion

• Operating systems instill a kind of religious devotion in many people, and therefore it's difficult to talk about them without offending someone. I apologize if your favorite OS is not discussed here, or if you take issue with my observations.

 
• The scope of this short discussion includes:
 
• Windows Me/2000

 
• The Unices (Linux, *BSD, Solaris)

 
• Macintosh OS X

 
• Operating systems are rarely the starting point for CALL programs, and are usually  evaluated and selected in a different fashion than other elements of a program.

 
• When outfitting a new program one is best advised to find the client and server applications (and to a lesser degree hardware) that fit the bill and choose an OS that supports them. Examples of this might be a particular courseware title or perhaps the need for wireless networking.

 
• When using an existing facility, the choice has already been made, so one must make the best of it. Even given the possibility of switching operating systems, it is rarely worth the effort unless there are critical functionalities missing or performance issues.

 
• While significant technical differences remain among the commonly used operating systems, these are largely hidden under the surface. The net result for the end user is rapidly approaching parity.

 
• They all provide a version of the common desktop paradigm as a user interface, and provide, to varying degrees, the ability to customize this to the user's taste.

 
• They all offer at least the minimum complement of applications and features that most people have come to expect a computer to provide. These include office suite staples such as word processing, spreadsheet, database, and presentation software, to networking tasks such as e-mail clients, web browsers, and file transferring, to the ability to manipulate and present a variety of digital media formats such as audio, graphics, video, and VR.

 
• Standards, de-facto or otherwise, are emerging for various file formats. This has perhaps been the biggest single obstacle to date to giving people a real choice when it comes to operating systems: If you can't open the file, it doesn't work. This holy grail could come in the form of XML, a promising new markup language technology.

 
• On the server side, the various platforms each have their strong points. Although they differ in philosophical approaches and technical implementations, they all can provide at least the basic network services necessary to support computer classrooms and host online resources.

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Windows Me/2000

• In the Windows camp, CALL practitioners would be mainly interested in Windows Millenium Edition (Windows Me) and Windows 2000 Professional. The next generation Windows project, code-named Whistler, will attempt to merge the best of both worlds and unify the Windows product line, but is just now being released for public review. It is scheduled for release sometime in 2001.

 
• Windows Me is largely a final upgrade for the 95/98 series of Windows. It provides many user niceties and surface features, but is limited due to its heritage. That said, there are doubtless many thousands of CALL computers running versions of Windows 9x, and it is a serviceable choice of an OS, if nothing else. Windows Me could be considered the lowest common denominator client machine for the year 2000 and onward.

 
• Windows Me is not suited for most typical server tasks, although it does provide some basic built-in features for small "home" networks, such as the ability to share a single Internet connection among several machines.

 
• Windows 2000, on the other hand, is based on Windows NT technology, with added features and enhancements new to the Windows world that would make it a better choice for newly purchased machines, either workstations or servers, destined for an academic or lab setting.

Some positive points of the Windows 2000 release are:

• Workstations

 
• Stability improvements (50x by some reports!) and fewer reboots
• Mobile computing features  - hibernation mode and offline files & folders, and synchronization
• The largest selection of applications to choose from
• Modest entry resource requirements (P/133, 64 MB RAM, 2 GB HD w/640 MB free), and a large selection of relatively inexpensive hardware

 
• Server / Network administration

 
• Centralized management - remote access to the machines
• Security - both local and network. Critical system files are protected and the system can be "rolled back" to a previous configuration. Kerberos Authentication.
• Terminal Server - can serve a user's virtual desktop to any machine they log in to - similar to a thin client environment

Some downsides are:

• Made by Microsoft.

 
• Microsoft products, while ubiquitous, are not cheap. Licensing fees can be considerable, although academic discounts are available.
• Microsoft solutions promote "vendor-lock". Products tend to require one another and work poorly or not at all with non-MS products.
• In a similar vein, MS operates on a policy of "embrace and extend". This translates to subtle proprietary alterations to their implementation of accepted standards, limiting interoperability and reuse.

 
• Security - chalk it up to being the biggest target or poor design, Windows suffers from the largest variety and severity of security problems, including viruses, trojan horses, and security flaws inherent to the OS. It is not yet clear if Windows 2000 will be as vulnerable. These practical problems can interrupt or distract from any CALL task. The recent network intrusion at Microsoft's own corporate headquarters should clearly demonstrate that such problems can be far more than a nuisance.

 
• Monolithic Architecture - with an OS like Windows, it's all or nothing. You can't pick and choose from components, or customize the core functionality of the OS beyond what relatively few control panels or settings dialogs Microsoft has provided.

 
• Limited or inconsistent backwards compatibility - I have heard that Windows 2000 has some trouble in this area, although it is certain that application manufacturers will at least be releasing new, compatible versions if nothing else.

Internationalization

• There are actually three flavors of Windows 2000 with respect to internationalization - the English Language version, Localized versions, and the MultiLanguage version. In all three versions, users can input, edit, view, and print in hundreds of different languages. The Localized versions for particular locales have user interfaces in the local language, while the MultiLanguage version allows users to switch the UI to any of 24 different languages.

 
• The MultiLanguage version is not available via retail channels, and must be purchased via one of Microsoft's Volume Licensing programs, for five or more licenses.

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The Unices

Note: In much the same way that Kleenex has come to mean any  kind of generic tissue paper, what I refer to here as Unix mostly denotes a plethora of operating systems that walk, talk, and act like the original Unix developed at Bell Labs and later versions developed at the University of California, Berkeley, but are not exactly the same thing, at least in terms of copyrights and licensing.

A Little History

• The computer industry has been witness to nothing short of a revolution over the past ten years or so, in the form of the arrival of Unix for the masses. Unix grew from a side project at Bell Laboratories in the late 60's to become the dominant OS used in business, the military, and universities. For two generations of computer scientists, including those that built the Internet, Unix and its native tongue, C, were the common tongues.

 
• Around ten years ago, "enthusiasts", collaborating over the nascent Internet, modified versions of the Unix source code to allow this OS to run on inexpensive hardware based on the Intel x86 line of CPUs. The source code was kept freely available for inspection and further modification, fostering a spirit of cooperation and community and giving rise to the (self-defining) open source and free software movements.

 
• There are numerous "flavors" of these free Unix-like OSs available, including NetBSD, OpenBSD, FreeBSD, Linux, Solaris, and others. These OSs boast tremendous adaptability, and versions of them have been ported to almost every hardware platform imaginable, from embedded devices to handhelds, to workstations and parallel supercomputer clusters.

 
• The current standard-bearer of the revolution is Linus Torvalds, who began a project dubbed Linux - a Unix work-alike that would run on his home computer (then an Intel 286), during his days as a computer science major at the University of Helsinki. Linux has proven immensely popular, and even the major hardware vendors like IBM, Compaq, Dell, and others are now shipping Linux-based products as opposed to offerings from Microsoft or their own proprietary OSs.

 
• While the source code for these OSs remains free for anyone to download and use, their various licensing schemes allow companies to sell value-added versions bundled with proprietary utilities, applications, documentation, and support, provided the software itself is made available for free and with full source code. Some of the more popular of these "distributions" include RedHat, Caldera, Debian, Turbo Linux, Slackware, SuSE (Linux), and Wasabi (NetBSD).

 
• Solaris, Sun Microsystems' proprietary Unix OS, runs on x86 machines as well as Sun's own Sparc architecture. While not totally free or open source, Sun has recently made Solaris available for an unlimited number of computers for the price of one relatively inexpensive media kit, under their "Free Solaris" program.

 
• A small aside - in addition to their OS, Sun also offers a free office suite, Star Office, seen as a viable competitor to Microsoft Office. It currently does not handle Japanese, unfortunately.

 
• Unix also powers a new class of "transparent OS" devices, such as network attached storage units and web servers. Although these devices may actually use Unix as their OS, they present themselves natively to the clients, so Windows clients see a Windows server, Mac clients see an AppleShare server, etc.

Unix strengths

• Free. While there are value-added distributions available for those who need it, there's no better price. (Of course there are very expensive Unix variants available if you must spend the money.) If you are developing a program under a tight budget, this may be the OS type for you.

 
• Extremely portable - Unix can run (well) on minimal hardware of almost any type, and make full use of the most modern machines.

 
• Flexible - Unlike a monolithic OS, the Unix philosophy is to create a set of powerful components and then combine them to get work done. The core, or kernel, takes care of dealing with the hardware at the lowest levels, and layers of functionality such as GUIs are added on top. As such, they can be mixed and matched to produce a customized solution, something not possible with other operating systems.

 
• Powerful and Stable - Unix's heritage of 30 years at the forefront of computer science research means that many industry best practices and advances make their way into Unix years before showing up in other OSs. As an example, all of the "new" features listed above for Windows 2000 have been standard on Unix for years, if not decades. Uptime for Unix machines is measured in months or years. Protected memory, preemptive multitasking, etc. are a given.

 
• Large selection of tools - Many tools of interest to the scientifically minded language teacher or researcher can be found online, many for free.

 
• Interoperability - Unix OSs tend to be built on (or define) open standards, promoting interoperability and ease of reuse. That said, every flavor of Unix is idiosyncratically unique. Unix is far from a homogenous platform.

Unix weaknesses

• Definitely not user friendly out of the box - Unix can be configured to look and behave nicely, but the general consensus is that it's "not there yet" for the average desktop computer user.

 
• Steep learning curve - unless one comes from a technical background or has had previous experience with Unix, the sheer amount of time it takes to reasonably understand and configure a Unix machine is probably prohibitive. If one has a technical support staff who can handle this end, however, Unix moves back into the realm of the feasible.

 
• Requires regular care and feeding - Unix OSs tend to undergo constant change. Administrators need to stay on top of what's happening, especially in the realm of security. While Unix systems can be made very secure, exploits are constantly being found and patched as the OSs evolve.

Internationalization

• Like everything else about Unix-like OSs, support for internationalization is a hodgepodge of technologies, fixes, patches, and patience. While localized versions of Unices are common, for the most part it's an English-language base with support for other languages added. For example, those wishing to add Japanese capability to an English-language version of say, Linux, would need to find a package or packages of software that contained the fonts, input methods, and applications they would need to make it all work. Support for multi-byte characters is application-dependent, and while some applications support runtime selection (choose when you use the application), others require a re-compilation (choose when you make or install the application).

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MacOS

• By far the most enigmatic and mercurial of the bunch, the Macintosh Operating System is heir to a legacy that follows the karmic cycle: life, death, and rebirth. While the currently shipping version of the "Classic" Mac OS, OS 9 could bear a discussion of its own, due to time constraints, I will focus on the next generation of the Mac OS, Mac OS X, currently in beta testing and due for commercial release sometime "early next year".

 
• The most salient point to understand about OS X, and the reason for going into such detail in the discussion of Unix above, is that Mac OS X _is_ essentially Unix. The kernel of the new OS, code-named Darwin, is a relative of BSD Unix (and true to the spirit, the source code is publicly available). All of the strengths mentioned above for Unix systems more or less apply directly to Mac OS X, making it a modern, world-class operating system at its core.

 
• What Apple has done differently, is to apply their expertise at user interface design and ease of use to the chaos of the Unix world, aiming to make a user-friendly version of Unix for the masses.

The Upside of OS X

• It's Unix - Mac OS X inherits all of the technical advantages of Unix mentioned above: stability, flexibility, interoperability, etc., while purportedly shielding the typical user from the complexity.

 
• It's Apple - OS X means you're running on Apple hardware. Some benefits of Apple's current lineup are:

 
• Popular and attractive - more important for younger users, but nice for everyone. Both the default look of OS X, "Aqua", and Apple hardware are well-designed, easy to use, and reliable. Definitely a motivational feature.
• Wireless-ready - all shipping models can be connected to a wireless LAN with the addition of a $99 add-on card. This is very attractive to institutions that would be able to save the cost of pulling cable. (Note that the jury is still out on the health effects of EMF radiation).
• Net-booting - Especially useful in a lab setting, workstations can download a copy of the OS itself over the network at boot time, ensuring a clean environment every time, and making updates very easy for administrators - just upgrade the one copy on the server and you're done!

 
• Ease-of-use - OS X promises to be one of the easiest to use operating systems available. This discounts, of course, any "unlearning" that might need to happen for users transitioning from another operating system (including previous version of the Mac OS!).

 
• Good backwards compatibility with software - OS X allows the previous OS version, OS 9, to run  as an application, under which older applications that do not run directly under OS X can still be used.

 
• Standards-based technologies:

 
• Native PDF capability - all OS X apps can save to PDF, for example
• Quicktime - Manipulate and play nearly any kind of digital media, including movies, audio, and graphics.

The Downsides of OS X

• It's beta software - Initial reviews are very positive, but especially where Apple is concerned, it's best not to count on anything until it's on the shelves.

 
• It's Unix - Although OS X aims to put a friendly face on Unix, the underlying complexity could challenge inexperienced administrators. It is unlikely that this would ever be a factor in typical classroom use.

 
• It's Apple - OS X requires Apple hardware to run. This is definitely a case of vendor-lock, although there is never-ending speculation about the possibility of OS X being ported to Intel and other architectures. In the meantime, this can be a restrictive condition for those that have already purchased non-Apple hardware.

 
• A side note - From personal experience I can say that despite Apple's incredible commitment to the education market in the US, absolutely none of this translates to the situation here in Japan. Apple Japan provides ZERO direct assistance to schools when it comes to hardware, and only minimal discounts on software, if at all. Apple Japan does not even really have an education division, and instead refers customers to selected consulting firms. While these firms may be able to provide some useful advice, there is essentially no difference between  dealing with them and going down to Akihabara in person or visiting the online Apple store; when it comes to purchasing, education customers are just like everyone else - get in line.

 
• Steep hardware requirements - Although the final release specs have not yet been announced, OS X beta requires a G3 or better PowerPC CPU, 128 MB of RAM, and 1 GB free disk space.

 
• A smaller selection of software - In practice I do not see this as a problem; ample software to support language learning and teaching tasks exists for either the Mac or Unix, and emulation of Windows software is available if it comes to that. Nonetheless, the majority of the world's desktops run Windows, and CALL offerings, like software for other fields, reflect that market reality.

Internationalization

Rather than having localized or specialized versions of the OS, OS X by default will support every language that the Mac does support. Very nice.

Conclusion

• All the choices are good. The various factors mentioned generally make one or another of the choices better for a particular situation, but they are all respectable and provide benefits that definitely outweigh the drawbacks in their respective environments.

 
• There is a choice. For the first time, users have a selection of OSs to choose from for almost all common hardware platforms. While this may practically boil down to still choosing between Windows or Macintosh for most people, when comparing between Windows 2000 and Mac OS X, there are no fatal flaws that should discourage going either way.

 
• The general trend is towards convergence. In addition to providing a common feature set natively, technologies like the Web, the promised return of thin clients, and Java are erasing the borders and helping to make the underlying OS irrelevant for anything but raw CPU cycles. There remain of course, applications unique to each of the major OS families; the degree to which this is a feature or a problem depends on the individual situations.

Links and References

This page will be available online for some indeterminate length of time at: http://jaltcall.org/conferences/jalt2000/opsys.html.
It was last updated on November 2nd, 2000, 14:00 JST.

Mac OS X

• Apple Computer - http://www.apple.com/macosx/
• Apple Insider - http://www.appleinsider.com/macosx.shtml
• Darwinfo - http://www.darwinfo.org/
• MacAddict - http://www.macaddict.com/
• MacCentral - http://www.maccentral.com/macosxfeature/macosx.shtml
• MacDiscussion - http://www.macdiscussion.com/
• MacFixit - http://www.macfixit.com/reports/macosx.shtml
• Macintosh News Network - http://osx.macnn.com/
• MacInTouch - http://www.macintouch.com/index.shtml
• MacSlash - http://www.macslash.com/
• MacSpeedZone's The X Files - http://www.macspeedzone.com/4.0/Xnews.html
• MacOS Rumors - http://macosrumors.com/
• MacWorld - http://macworld.zdnet.com/subject/macosx/
• Stepwise - http://www.stepwise.com/
• OS X Talk - http://osxtalk.com/
• X Appeal - http://www.xappeal.org/

Unix-like

*BSD

• BSDi - http://www.bsdi.com/
• BSD Today - http://www.bsdtoday.com/
• Daemon News - http://www.daemonnews.org/
• FreeBSD - http://www.freebsd.org/
• NetBSD - http://www.NetBSD.org/
• OpenBSD - http://www.openbsd.org/
• Wasabi Systems - http://www.wasabisystems.com/

Linux

• Caldera Systems - http://www.caldera.com/
• Debian - http://www.debian.org/
• LDP (Linux Documentation Project) - http://www.kernel.org/LDP/
• Linux.com - http://www.linux.com/
• Linux International - http://www.li.org/
• Linux-Mandrake - http://www.linux-mandrake.com/en/
• Linux Online - http://www.linux.org/
• Linux Today - http://linuxtoday.com/
• Red Hat - http://www.redhat.com/
• Slackware - http://www.slackware.com/
• S.u.S.E. - http://www.suse.com/
• Tokyo Linux Users' Group - http://www.tlug.gr.jp/linuxinjapan.html
• TurboLinux - http://www.turbolinux.com/
• UK.Linux.org - http://www.linux.org.uk/

Solaris

• SunHELP - http://www.sunhelp.org/
• Sun Microsystems - http://www.sun.com/software/solaris/index.html
• Sun World - http://www.sunworld.com/

Windows

• ActiveWin 2k - http://activewin.com/win2000/
• Microsoft - http://www.microsoft.com/windows2000/default.asp
• Windows 2000 Magazine - http://www.winntmag.com/
• WinPortal - http://www.winportal.com/

Non-OS-Specific

• Ars Technica - http://arstechnica.com/reviews/os.html
• FreeOS.com - http://www.freeos.com/
• Slashdot - http://www.slashdot.org/
• OS News - http://www.osnews.com/
• ZD Net - http://www.zdnet.com/products/filter/guide/0,7267,1500110,00.html