Operating System

ask average people to name the most influential person in the computer industry, and you'll probably hear Microsoft's Bill Gates. Unless they're Apple fans, who will probably give the nod to founding father Steve Jobs. But for many of the world's top geeks, a third name looms even larger than those giants -- Linus Torvalds.Linus who?That's Torvalds, a quiet, self-effacing Finnish programmer who started what may be a revolution in the computer industry. In 1991, he was a college student studying computer science in Helsinki when he began work on an experimental operating system -- the critical software that controls computers and allows all other programs to run.His creation was based on Unix, which runs many of the world's most powerful computers and workstations.

Many computer users search for new hardware or software to make computing more exciting. But the sad truth is that the incredible number of possible combinations of hardware, operating-system settings and software programs make upgrade conflicts frighteningly common.The good news is, most of those "gotchas" have probably happened to someone else, and you can profit from their mistakes.Before adding hardware or major software programs or a new operating system -- preferably before shelling out money for any of those things -- you must do background checks by visiting the Web sites of your computer manufacturer, the maker of your operating system (Microsoft or Apple, for most folks)

WASHINGTON -- Negotiations between the Microsoft Corp. and state and federal justice officials collapsed yesterday, apparently after the company's chairman, Bill Gates, ordered lawyers to withdraw earlier concessions.Justice Department and state officials said they intended to file a sweeping antitrust suit tomorrow.In a statement late yesterday, the Justice Department said that the discussions ended yesterday without a resolution. "At this point, they are not expected to resume," the statement read.

MONTEREY, Calif. -- Apple Computer Inc. said yesterday that it will introduce a Macintosh operating system in 1998 that will be able to run on any microprocessor.Chairman Gilbert Amelio, in a speech to analysts and investors, said the new operating system will run some older applications, but will have a new core of software code that enables it to run on chips from Intel Corp., Sun Microsystems Inc. and others -- as well as the Motorola Inc. processor used now.Apple's machines now run only on the PowerPC chip, a limitation that has hampered acceptance in a world increasingly dominated by machines featuring Intel chips and Microsoft Corp.

Microsoft Windows 95 is still vaporware and will be for another two weeks, but the fumes already appear to have claimed the first victim in the personal computer operating system wars.My copy of the OS/2 operating system, developed by International Business Machines, just went out the window.OS/2 is arguably superior to Microsoft Windows 95, at least on technical grounds. It is a robust, powerful operating system for -- running complex networks of personal computers in large offices and for connecting remote workers to office networks.

Refusing to concede defeat in the face of daunting opposition, the International Business Machines Corp. is once again trying to convince the world that OS/2 is the best operating system for the current generation of personal computers.This time it may be right, though right doesn't always make might in the software business. At a technical symposium last week in Austin, Texas, the home of its new personal software products division, IBM introduced what is by far the most impressive version yet of OS/2.

You know about the easy-to-use Apple Macintosh user interface. You know about Microsoft Corp.'s response: Windows. Now comes the latest version of IBM's OS-2. And surprisingly, this PC operating system, which many once gave up for dead, is something you might finally want to consider.You'll need to answer a key question: Will OS-2 bring you more power and ease-of-use, or will it lead you to a dead end, where you'll eventually have to dump your software and jump to some other, quite different operating system?

The Macintosh and the PC are getting more and more alike -- in appearance and price. Here's how they compare, feature for feature:* OPERATING SYSTEM: In basic functions, the Macintosh System 7 is roughly equivalent to the PC's DOS 5 with Windows. Both operating systems got off to rocky starts, however, with early users experiencing many technical problems. Be sure you get the latest versions. Specifically, Windows 3.1, released in March, doesn't crash as much as earlier versions.As for specific elements of the interfaces, which is better is a matter of whom you talk to. The Mac has a superior drag-and-drop function, said Andy Seybold, vice president of computer technology at Dataquest in Boulder Creek, Calif.

History shows that bigger armies don't always win battles. The French lost at Agincourt, as did Napoleon at Waterloo.And mighty IBM, with its army of about 300,000 employees, is expected to lose a fight with Microsoft's 12,000 employees over who controls the direction of personal computing.IBM is mobilizing employees to push its new operating-system software, OS/2 version 2, but big sales forces can't force anyone to buy it. The software will have a suggested retail price of $195.The IBM program will compete with Microsoft's Windows, the $150 complement to Microsoft's MS-DOS.

When the major planets fall into alignment in the heavens, soothsayers prophesy upheaval and chaos.So beware the Ides of April. A similar portentous alignment is occurring this month in the personal computer industry as several major companies introduce new or improved operating system software.Operating system software is the foundation software upon which all other computer applications operate. It is, in an anthropomorphic sense, the soul or DNA of the machine.The most popular operating system is DOS, used by an estimated 70 million computers.

Of course, we all know who to cheer for when David challenges Goliath. But what happens when Goliath is staring down, say, a worldwide corporation that makes tens of billions of dollars a year? In other words, whom do you root for in Microsoft vs. Google? Perhaps, at this point, we should simply cheer that there's any competition at all. Through the years, it's become easy to mistrust Microsoft, a company that began as an upstart itself but now boasts a global market (an estimated 90 percent of the world's computers run on Windows)

Macolytes around the world were buzzing this week with news that an online hardware vendor called Psystar.com is selling a $555 PC called the "Open Computer" that runs the Macintosh OS X Leopard operating system. In fact, for about the same price, you can buy the machine with Windows or Leopard installed - or buy it for $400 with the open-source Linux operating system. For Mac lovers accustomed to paying the Apple premium, this would be a major breakthrough - at the very least, a cheap source for the second or third computer they can't afford (or justify to their spouses)

I bought a Gateway laptop in December with a free Vista upgrade. I made sure the laptop was Vista-ready and have received the Vista pack. However, I have been hesitant to install the Vista upgrade because of the previous problems with it, and because I do not know what to expect (problemwise) once installed. The IT people are waiting before installing Vista at work, so they are no help. Would you advise to go ahead and install the upgrade or wait until more improvements are made? - Kay O'Reilly, bellsouth.

I don't know anyone who plans to line up outside a computer store at 12:01 Tuesday morning to get a copy of Windows Vista. That's when Microsoft begins selling consumers the first major revision of its flagship operating system in five years. There's a good reason for the lack of enthusiasm. Vista is safer and slicker than its predecessor, but not a must-have upgrade. Most of its improvements are incremental, and Windows XP is a solid performer. Unless you're an uber-geek who doesn't mind gambling with his PC, installing Vista isn't worth the peril of replacing a perfectly workable operating system - certainly not the first week it's released.

As 2007 rolls in, millions of Americans will have to make what looks like a momentous technical decision - should they upgrade to the latest version of Microsoft Windows, stay put, or even switch to a Mac? Meanwhile, their legislators and election boards will be pondering a far more important decision: Do we want Microsoft Windows - or any operating system - running our elections? Maryland will be Ground Zero in this debate. We made headlines by committing $106 million to a voting system based on thousands of Diebold touch-screen electronic terminals.

WHEN WE visit friends or relatives for a few days, I often find myself staring at a strange computer, trying to fix a problem or install new hardware or software. When you write a column like this one, it's an occupational hazard. On our current trip, I volunteered to set up a wireless network for my cousin so she could use her laptop on the patio (thankfully, she lives far from the Snowbelt). Her four-year-old Sony VAIO seemed to be in reasonably good shape, but as a rule, I visit Microsoft's Windows Update Web site to make sure the operating system is current before I install anything new. Wow!

Every day, most of us do something dangerous: We climb into a hunk of sheet metal wrapped around a tank full of explosive liquid and propel ourselves at unreasonable speeds on highways full of other hunks of metal wrapped around tanks of explosive liquid. It's called driving. And most of us survive it without damage to ourselves or others because we've learned how to do it safely. We stop at stop signs and red lights, watch for traffic at intersections, slow down on slick roads, watch for kids playing on the sidewalk, check the rear-view mirror before changing lanes, avoid potholes, follow other cars at a safe distance.

In a step to help the Linux operating system gain popularity among government and corporate users, International Business Machines Corp. and SuSE Linux AG plan to announce today that they have achieved security certification for Linux from the U.S. government, a first for the free operating system. The government, under the direction of the Pentagon's Defense Information Security Agency, has revamped its certification standards process in the past year to improve the security of computer systems as part of the effort to strengthen domestic security.

Contrary to popular belief, the cops will not arrest you if you don't use Windows. There are some interesting alternative operating systems out there -- and with perseverance, you won't go crazy trying to use them. Chief among them is Linux, the largely free, enormously geek-popular system that hard-line anti-Windows users rave about, which has Tux the penguin as its mascot. There are others, including FreeBSD, which has been around for more than 20 years in one form or another, and BeOS, which has such a hard-core following that "Be" fanatics stuck with it even after the parent company folded last year.

Why is it that many times when my computer locks up, CTRL-ALT-DEL doesn't seem to do anything, and I must instead power down the computer? Even when the blue screen pops up, hitting CTRL-ALT-DEL to restart does nothing. Most likely your particular crashes are disabling the keyboard, which is why the computer can't see your three-key command. If you wanted to check this out you could get a keyboard that connects differently than your current one does - substitute a PS/2 connection for a USB one, or vice versa.