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From: jpm@bnl.UUCP
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga,comp.sys.mac,comp.sys.m68k,comp.sys.misc
Subject: Re: What is an OS?
Message-ID: <46@bnl.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 26-Jan-87 15:53:36 EST
Article-I.D.: bnl.46
Posted: Mon Jan 26 15:53:36 1987
Date-Received: Thu, 29-Jan-87 06:23:32 EST
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Organization: Brookhaven National Lab. Upton, N.Y.
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> Meanwhile, I wanna talk about what an operating system is. The
> definition I've been using for the past few years is simple:
> 
> 	An operating system allocates and protects the resources
> 	of the computer.

Good definition, but somewhat limiting for most microcomputers because the
hardware just isn't there to protect resources.  I would expand the
definition to include those systems that allocate and protect resources to
the best ability of the underlying hardware.  For example, MSDOS is about as
good an an OS as you can get on a 8088 (ever try 8088 UNIX? I'd call it a
bad joke rather than an OS).
-- 
John McNamee		jpm@BNL.ARPA		decvax!philabs!sbcs!bnl!jpm

	"Timesharing is the use of many people by a computer"