What is the difference between unix and windows operating systems?

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Balvinder singh Khosla

  • Oct 24th, 2005
 

unix  supports multithreading where as windows does not support multithreading

renu

  • Nov 10th, 2005
 

unix is more secure. and it is multiuser. unix is open system.

sunny

  • Dec 25th, 2005
 

As a operating systems junkie, i don't see much difference in the both the OS. Both OSes provide all the functionality with respect to -

security (ACLs being absent in Windows, that one difference)

Multiuser/Multitasking and Multithreading

Robust memory management in both

Device management

Process management

and so on. (Pretty much all the OS feature which one studies in OS 101)

The only difference i can think of with respect to enterprise OS capability of unix and windows, i have seen Windows run only on Intel processors and power PCs to some extent. But Unix and its new buddy linux can run on practically all the zillion hardware platform making it the most proliferated OS ever.

Long live UNIX...

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Farhan Anwar

  • Jan 1st, 2006
 

Unix is lot more flexible and provides more than one ways to do the same thing. In windows its the M$ way or the highway. Unix and its variants run on multitude of hardware ranging from MainFrames to handhelds. Windows has a large user-base and has control over desktop and home PCs due to its good looking easy to use interface which hides everything behind its good looking face, while the server market is still under Unix / Linux control as it offers more clearer view of internal details of whats actually going through the system.Windows offers integration (everything in one place) but this adds extra complexity, Unix follows the keep it small keep it simple terminology. You dont have to learn a lot of options or click zillions of menus and buttons to configure a server in linux or unix, just read the configuration options defined in a simple to use configuration text file, configure it your way and its up and running.We can say Unix is more secure IF you know how to secure it.Farhan AnwarNetwork and Systems AdministratorThe Aga Khan UniversityKarachi, Pakistan

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anjani

  • Jan 16th, 2006
 

 unix is an operating system which supports multithreading

the question u got is what is an threading - threading is nothing but like a process but it is more faster than a process

the threads are more efficient than the process because it share memory instead of systemcall

here u may got a doubt that what is a system call

a system call is invoked as a mediator between a process and operating system

threading flows in a sequential process

in threading wehave single threading and multiple threading

the best example i can give u is as we know that in unix many users share memory but they may not know that they are sharing.

here if a user have multi threading (that is he is using the unix)he need to complete a task i,e.a sread sheet consist of different caluclations

if one row is changed entire complete spread sheet should be changed

so here for every task one thread is alloted so the task is completed more faster than a systemcall

by anjanikumar M.C.A student

HOLYMOTHER P.G.COLLEGE

BALAPUR,HYDERABAD-58

ANJANI

  • Jan 16th, 2006
 

  

   unix is a multi threading and multi tasking

but where as a microsoft os is not a multitasking

in unix we have multi tasking that sharing memory among different

users but they will not know that they are sharing memory because of using different types of scheduling algorithms

1)FIFO(first in first out) Algorithm

2)round robin etc..... and so on

 unix is an operating system which supports multithreading

the question u got is what is an threading - threading is nothing but like a process but it is more faster than a process

the threads are more efficient than the process because it share memory instead of systemcall

here u may got a doubt that what is a system call

a system call is invoked as a mediator between a process and operating system

threading flows in a sequential process

in threading wehave single threading and multiple threading

the best example i can give u is as we know that in unix many users share memory but they may not know that they are sharing.

here if a user have multi threading (that is he is using the unix)he need to complete a task i,e.a sread sheet consist of different caluclations

if one row is changed entire complete spread sheet should be changed

so here for every task one thread is alloted so the task is completed more faster than a systemcall

anjanikumar

holymother pg college

balapur

hyderabad

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kundan singh

  • Jan 17th, 2006
 

These both os are multihtread os not multprocessing.

Multiprocessing is not possible on single processor system.It's only possible on multcore or multiprocessor system where more then two process can be scheduled simulteniously .So system having one processor can not do multiprocessing it is only psedo-multiporcessing.

Winodow uses Priority based preemptive scheduling while Unix uses Round robin preemtive scheduling.

In windows process or thread which has higer priority will take over but this will be the case in Unix.They all will be in Q regardless of their priority.

Window is component based syste.TCP/IP and File system are the component of the system where Unix is integrated system.

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lalitha

  • Feb 21st, 2006
 

both unix and windows support mulithreading.but in unix we have some additional features such pipes and filters,multiprogramming.time sharing etc..

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vicky

  • Mar 17th, 2006
 

hi ...

 i saw ur question.

 unix supports text mode(similar to DOS)

 But windows support GUI facilitate.

 Unix also multithreaded and multiprocessing system

 But Windows support single user.

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SomeGuyWithBSinCS

  • Apr 17th, 2006
 

Um,im assuming when you all are talkin about "Windwos" you really meant Windows XP (but infact different versions of windows are very different from each other)Both unix and Windows XP are multitask, multithreaded, operating systems. Any claims otherwise are absurd.Now i dunno about what Unix does, butWindows XP uses a quantum-based, preemptive priority scheduling algorithm.Which is implemented in a multilevel feedback queue. The quantum size of windows is usually set to 20ms for most systems, but it varys depending on whether the process executes in the foreground or background of the GUI. In LINUX, the default quantum size is 100ms. It can be changed however. Which one is better? Neither one is. There is are differences between a process and a thread. First off Windows schedules threads, not processes. All processes spawns thread(s). All threads spawned by one process "live" in the same resouce space within that process. They share resources within the process space. While you'd think a thread is faster than a process, this assumption is unfounded. Their speed of execution has nothing to do with rather it is a thread or a process. Remember, a thread lives withing a process. Slow thread = slow process. If you are comparing a single thread program (not multithreaded, all process spawns at least 1 thread) with its multithreaded counterpart, the process "could" run faster with the multithread version. Reason being multithreading can increaese CPU utilization. But infact, they are just a bunch of codes. If the program is poorly coded, all threads can become slow. resulting a slow process, and/or gives incorrect results. Hope this clears some of the claims up.

Yasaswi

  • Apr 19th, 2006
 

I dont think that answer is correct , The process " svchost.exe " does provide MULTI THREADINGSo almost both are same , Yes Unix and Linux are more powerful . Linux works on any platform ...Hail Linux ( All flavours )

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Tarun Victor

  • Jun 3rd, 2006
 

Some of the above given deatils are wrong , both windows and linux support multithreding ,multithreading means allowing  different parts of a software program to run concurrently, the difference in these two OS for multithreading is that , windows execute thread on priority basis where as linux in round robin basis

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Santosh

  • Nov 18th, 2006
 

Multithreading: - Allow different parts of single program to run concurrently. Hope u understand.

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nag203

  • Apr 16th, 2007
 

unix is text based and windows is gui based
unix supports multiuser where as windows does not support the multiuser session
unix is open source operating system where as windows not like that

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santoshbaral

  • Apr 18th, 2007
 

Unix is a multi user, multi pocess operating system whare as windows is a single user & multitasking operating system. Unix is more secure than window.

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raju

  • May 15th, 2007
 

UNIX

Support multi threading

More secure

Command oriented

Difficult understand

Windows

Does not support multi threading

Less secure

Desktop oriented

Easy to understand

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vaibhav

  • May 31st, 2007
 

Most the info. given above is correct but still I want point out some major differences:


UNIX                                                          
1) Non
GUI

2) File System (STD.ERR, STD.IO)  

3) Command Based 

4) Not Event Driven

5) Multi Processing

WINDOWS

1) GUI Based
2) FAT32, NTFS
3) Menu Based
4) Event
Driven
5) No Multi Processing

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SilentKiller

  • Jun 5th, 2007
 

I think the answer may be

UNIX/LINUX
---------------
1 . multi tasking--
You can listen music and print a file simultaneously.
2 . multi user --
You can log on server by using your account
3 . multi threading -- same as multitasking, when
You edit your document in openoffice then spell checker thread check wrong spellings.
4.  now it is GUI based also, so event driven also. text based features are also present there.

WINDOWS
-------------

1 . multi tasking--
You can listen music and print a file simultaneously.
2 . multi user -- only limited version as windows NT/2003 support this features not all.
You can log on server by using your account
3 . multi threading -- same as multitasking, when
You edit your document in MSOffice then spell checker thread check wrong spellings.
4.  it is text based (remember DOS) as well as GUI

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arnab

  • Jun 19th, 2007
 

Unix-Secure

Windows-Less Secure



Unix-Common object modelling
Windows-No Common object modeling

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Divya

  • Jul 4th, 2007
 

From what is discussed above... i see that the only difference is the scheduling. Is there more to this? Please list in points if any.
Divya.

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supriya

  • Jul 23rd, 2007
 

To run Windows, it has to first be installed to your hard disk. same thing true for Linux BUT there are quite a few version of linux that run completely from a CD without installing to hardware called as Active CD. Moreover linux can run on Window Like Cygwin but opposite is not true..

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Mahantesh

  • Aug 19th, 2007
 

Windows and Unix are both multi user, multitasking but not one of them is multiprocessing. Multiprocessing applies to distributed systems not Windows/Unix/Linux.

Unix support multi-terminal concept which can be explained contrasting multi user.

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sagar.singh

  • Aug 23rd, 2007
 

Both LINUX (UNIX) and WINDOWS are multi-threading, multiprocessing (Although Your H/W ie. Processors need to be present in more than one in numbers).

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Akshar

  • Oct 23rd, 2007
 

Windows too is an multithreaded operating system.
Unix is much more sophosticated monolithic kernel operating system primarily designed for heavy usage mainframes.
Windows on other hand is as micro kernal based operating system capable of running on midsize servers and desktop computers


Unix is much older than windows and is not limited to one company.

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teju

  • Nov 5th, 2007
 

UNIX is more secure than windows it supports the multythreading and its security is very high and it is virus free system

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Dan Marston

  • Nov 27th, 2007
 

Windows is obviously the best as they are making much more bussiness than linux, how can linux make any bussiness if its all free what is the point iam surprised there not out of bussiness and why would people use a different operating system when people feel more comfortable using windows as they are used to it and people are scared to try something else the only way linux can make bussiness is to get there bussiness into schools where people can get used to it and maybe like it, but i still think windows is the best.

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charmy201

  • Aug 3rd, 2010
 

UNIX:
- free
- open
- multiuser and multitasking
- file system in hierachical model (each file is a chil of another one)
- no viruses ( because of the shell)
- more stable
- when it starts, it only runs needed proceeses

Windows:
- liscenced
- cannot modify the code
- single user
- the file system is in flat type
- viruses exists
- less stable
- it runs all its processes when it is started

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Sumit kumar

  • Aug 21st, 2015
 

The big diff. in both operating system is that if you know the commands of UNIX then it is the best for you but for the untrained user the Windows OS is best

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