A Course Resource and Portal to Peer Blogs
The textbook briefly mentions Augusta Ada Byron, a British 10th century mathematician. What was her role in computer history, and how is she remembered?
One of the more recent developments in operating systems has been the use of multi-core processors. Once only used in high end systems, dual processors and even quad processors are now available in consumer grade machines. This article provides a good basic understanding of the dual core processor.
The first element of Operating systems we study is memory. The textbook is limited to those elements of memory that were available at the time of its publication, but other technologies have recently emerged. One of these memory related technology is magnetoresistive RAM, or magnetic RAM which uses the term MRAM. Webopedia defines MRAM and links to other, older types of RAM such as DRAM. Wired has an article written in 2000 about the emergence of instant access memory. Read these two sites and then comment in this blog on the rapid changes in computer technology.
This is an exciting time for a course on operating systems. Vista has finally been released to a mixed review. Microsoft is challenging Linux as never before, and Apple has captured a new audience with iPods, and the about-to-be released iPhones. People are "wired" through wireless technologies, and the interface for communicating with computers is rapidly changing from keyboards to voice and touch.