Operating System Innovations

Week 1 Discussion

Operating System Innovations
The operating systems on todays computers and servers have evolved dramatically over the past years. In fact, at the dawn of computers and the information age, there were no operating systems. In order to run a computer program, engineers would have to load those programs manually into the computer, and the program would have to include explicit instructions and drivers for reading data from peripheral devices and outputting data to those devices.
Operating systems were an important innovation that internalized many of the critical tasks that programs required, thus reducing the complexity of developing application programs. Since the inception of operating systems, they have not remained static; many innovations, from user interfaces to virtualization, have improved the performance and functionality of operating systems. Enterprise systems have made use of these improvements to extend the features and usability they provide.
For this Discussion, you will consider the current state of operating systems and consider potential innovations to improve them.
To prepare:
    Research current issues and challenges in todays operating systems, select one such challenge, and determine a potential improvement to resolve the challenge.
By Day 3, post a 2- to 3-paragraph analysis of a potential operating system innovation. Make sure to do the following:
    Describe the issue or challenge. Consider providing a scenario to better illustrate the challenge.
    Explain the operating system innovation you have come up with.
    Describe how this innovation will resolve the issue or challenge.