History of Operating

Systems

Next
• First Generation
• Second Generation
• Third Generation
• Fourth Generation
• MINIX 3
 First Generation
(1945-55)
• John von Neumann at the Institute
for Advanced study in Princeton build
calculating engines.
• They used first mechanical relays
and it was very slow, cycle times
measured in seconds.
• Relays replaced by vacuum tubes.
 Second Generation
(1955-65)
• Mainframe Computers assembled
with transistors
• more reliable
• Programs in Fortran or in Assembly
languages.
• Programs Punch in cards as input.
• Programs run as batch system
 Third Generation
(1965-1980)
• Introduction of integrated circuits in
place of transistors.
• IBM/360 O.S. introduced
multiprogramming.
• Partition of memory for different jobs
introducing new hardware.
• Technique of spooling(Simultaneous
Peripheral Operation On Line)
introduced, ability to read jobs from
cards onto disk and run the job from
• Time sharing for individual terminal
• First Time Sharing System,
Compatible Time Sharing
System(CTSS) developed at M. I. T.
• Introduced Multiplexed Information
and Computing Service (MULTICS)
FROM Bell Lab and General Electric
supports hundreds of simultaneous
time sharing users.
• Setting of LAN for PCs to a file server
for central database management
system.
• Middleware software used to create
bridge between local users, files,
programs and database used in
remote server.
• Middleware appears to be O. S of
distributed system, but not in real.
• Growth of minicomputer,
 Fourth Generation
(1980-Present)
• After development of Large Scale
Integration(LSI) microprocessor
based personal computer introduced
• Intel introduced 8080 8-bit
microprocessor and Control program
for microcomputers (CP/M) operating
system from Digital Research.
• Next is 16-bit microprocessor system
from Intel as 8086 series.
• IBM PC introduced as 8088 series,
with 8086 and with an 8-bit external
data path.
• Disk Operating System introduced by
Microsoft Corporation become amore
popular.
• Graphical User Interface (GUI)
introduced by Doug Engelbart at
Stanford Research Institute with
windows, icons, menus and mouse,
makes the system user friendly.
• 3 manufacturers of PCs-IBM, Motorola
GUI needs minimum 64KB of ROM.

IBM has introduced PowerPC CPU

with RISC(Reduced Instruction Set
Computers).

Apple introduced Mac OS X, an

operating system a new version of
Mac GUI on top of Berkeley UNIX.
 Microsoft invented Windows
operating system to compete with
Apple Macintosh.

Windows operating system is a

graphical environment on top of 16
– bit MS DOS acts like a shell rather
than an operating system.

Network servers are mainly

 Click Me

www.wikipedia .com

http://www.computinghistorymuseum.org

http://www.computinghistorymuseum.org/teaching
/papers/research/history_of_operating_system_Mou
mina.pdf

http://www.informit.com/articles/article.aspx?
p=24972