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How Operating Systems Work

Operating System Development

For desktop systems, access to a network has become such an expected feature that in many ways it's hard to discuss an operating system without referring to its connections to other computers and servers. Operating system developers have made the internet the standard method for delivering crucial operating system updates and bug fixes. Although it's possible to receive these updates via DVD or flash drive, it's become rare.

One question concerning the future of operating systems concerns the ability of a particular philosophy of software distribution to create an operating system usable by corporations and consumers together.

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Linux, the operating system created and distributed according to the principles of open source, has had a significant impact on operating systems in general. Most systems, drivers and utility programs are written by commercial organizations that distribute executable versions of their software — versions that normally can't be studied or altered, aka closed source. Open source requires the distribution of original source materials that can be studied, adapted and built upon, with the results once again freely distributed. In the desktop computer realm, this has led to the development and distribution of countless useful applications like the image manipulation program GIMP, the popular office suite LibreOffice and the popular web server Apache.

Many consumer devices like cell phones deliberately hide access to the operating system from the user, mostly to make sure that it's not inadvertently broken or removed. In many cases, they leave a "developer's mode" or "programmer's mode" open to allow changes to be made, if you're able to find it. Often these systems may be programmed in such a way that there are only a limited range of changes that can be made.

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