COMPARING THE WINDOWS AND LINUX OPERATING SYSTEMS

A Research Activity in the Course Platform Technologies

Under the Program Bachelor of Science in Information Technology
College of Information and Communications Technology
Sorsogon State University - Bulan Campus
A.Y. 2022 - 2023

Submitted to
Mr. Jay Rivera, Instructor I, MIS

by
EdJay G. Blasquiño
Bachelor of Science in Information Technology II-B
1 TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................................................ 1

The WINDOWS and LINUX OS ........................................................................................................................... 2

I. THE ARCHITECTURE ................................................................................................................................... 3

II. SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS ............................................................................................................................... 5

III. MAINTENANCE............................................................................................................................................. 5

References ........................................................................................................................................................ 7
INTRODUCTION

In today's computing world, several technologies have been integrated to various activities of
mankind, be it in the field of business, education, healthcare, among others. The use of personal
computers (PC) to which desktops, laptops, tablets, mobile devices, and other electronic devices,
along with the Internet, continues to be an uncontrollably propelling significant instrument used in the
success of human activities.
Modern technological tools have provided us with a lot of opportunities and advancements.
These tools have made almost everything we do to be efficient , convenient, and with at less effort
and time. Rather than sending a post mail to someone in distance, an email or electronic mail
enables us to communicate online requiring only a very minimal time, effort, and cost. Not just that, it
also offers other facilities including editing and storing of messages, formatting of letters (formal
letters, notepad memos, financial statements, etc.) It has favorably taken over paper communication.
In addition, instead of putting up so much time with a typewriter just to process a document, a
word processor equipped in a computer emerges to be the best option in creating, editing, proofing,
printing, and storing texts. It has provided the advantage of processing a document with greater
speed and versatility. These are just some of the numerous advantages that the use of computers
have provided us with . Other services that it offers among users include desktop publishing,
electronic spreadsheet, database, telecommunications software, graphics software, resources
discovery software, entertainment, and a lot more.
Now it is important to note that these services were only made possible with the help of a
significant component of a computer - which is the Operating System, a system software that acts as
intermediary between the user and the computer's hardware. Utilization of application softwares, such
as word processor, communication platform, entertainment portals, and others as well as
management of the computer's resources were all thanks to an operating system.
Operating System (OS) is a major component of a computer. The OS acts as the most
important software as it serves a major role in enabling the various operations in a computer to be
possible.
[1] "It provides an environment to user to do his activities without thinking about mechanisms
which are running in a computer hardware."
It manages the computers processess, memory, and resources. It paves the way for the
application programs to be used by a user in a fast and convenient way, as it provides instructions
that tells what a computer hardware and software must perform to be able to achieve a desired
purpose. Without an OS, a computer would not be at a state of it's fullest functionality and usability. A
user would have to write long codes just to do whatever they want to do in a computer without the
existence of an OS. Making communications online in a fast manner, processing a word document,
making business transactions, entertainment, editing of photos, and other activities are made efficient
by an OS installed in a computer. Without an OS, computer would be useless.

This paper aims to discuss two distinct operating systems - The Windows OS and Linux OS -
specifically highlighting the two OSes in terms of their architecture, system requirements, and
maintenance.

1
 THE WINDOWS AND LINUX OS

There are different operating systems available in the market and among them are the
Windows Operating System and Linux Operating System.
Windows is one operating system known in the market as a close-source OS that is
produced by Microsoft Inc. - An American multinational technology company known as the largest
producer of computer software and services including MS Word, MS Excel, and other products and
that increase functionality for users and add significant value to their lives particularly in their personal,
work, and business necessities.
This OS is commercial and it's source code is inaccessible. In the article "Linux vs Windows :
Which One Is The Best Choice For You?" published by
Windows offers features like multiple operating environments, symmetric multiprocessing,
client- server computing, integrated caching, virtual memory, portability, extensivbility, and pre-
emptive scheduling.
[2] "Windows operating system is one of the most widespread system that is exercised all
over the world."
Windows Operating System has undergone a series of versions throughout the years. Various
versions of Windows were developed with each one an improved version of a previous one.
[3] "Nowadays, almost every individual in working situation using a personal computer (PC),
whether desktop or laptop. The most common operating system (OS) used until now is Microsoft
Windows.
Linux is another OS that is free and open-source developed by a Finnish student named
Linus Torvalds who wanted to develop a free operating system that anyone could use.
It originated as a particular project of Torvalds to create a new free OS kernel. He then shared
the source code of the kernel. Therefore, its source code is readily available for users, allowing them
to modify or alter the code according to their personal needs
[4] Remarkably, it is a complete OS Including an X Window System, Emacs editor, IP/TCP,
GUI (graphical user interface), etc.
Both the Windows and Linux operating systems appeals to a great number of users worldwide.
The two OSes cannot be battled out as to which is the best as both of them are an incredible
operating systems that caters to the needs and preference of a millions of users.
In this paper, we will look into the two OSes on various categories : architecture, system
requirements, and maintenance.

2
 I. THE ARCHITECTURE

WINDOWS

The Windows operating system architecture comprises the operating system kernel,
system services, and applications.

Operate system kernel

The operating system kernel is a critical part of the operating system that serves as a gateway
of communication between the hardware and the system processes. The kernel is responsible for the
requests made by the system services. Eventually, this requests are turned into instructions that that
the computer hardware will act upon .
System services
System services are an integral component of an OS that readily comes with the installation of
Windows OS , rather than services that are installed after the deployment of an OS in a computer
Apps
At the upper level of the operating system, apps operate by interacting with the computer user,
and at a lower level by integrating with the operating system services. You install apps after you
install the operating system, and you must start apps manually to use them.

LINUX

The Linux operating system's architecture

mainly contains some of the components: the

3
Kernel, System Library, Hardware layer, System, and Shell utility.
Kernel - The kernel of Linux is the heart of the operating system. It is responsible for all the
major activities of the Linux OS.
System Libraries - These are the programs or functions to which system applications
accesses kernel features. It doesn't require the access rights of the kernel.
System Utility Programs - It is responsible for doing specialized level and individual activities.
Hardware layer - Linux operating system contains a hardware layer that consists of several
peripheral devices like CPU, HDD, and RAM.
Shell - It is an interface among the kernel and user. It can afford the services of kernel. It can
take commands through the user and runs the functions of the kernel.

The table below shows the difference of Windows and Linux with their system architecture.

ARCHITECTURAL WINDOWS LINUX

COMPONENT

Kernel Type Monolithic Kernel Hybrid Kernel

User Interface Compulsory Optional

File System New Technology File System Fourth Extended File System

Kernel Type. Windows utilizes a kernel with a hybrid architecture, while Linux was designed
with a monolithic kernel. For file access control, Windows utilizes Access Control List (ACL) while
Linux uses traditional UNIX permissions and POSIX ACL. In terms of GUI stack, Windows includes it
in the kernel, but with Linux it is included in the user-space. Another difference of the two OSes in
their kernel is that configuration in Windows is maintained in a registry as compared with LINUX that
is maintained in the files. Both the kernels of Windows and Linux provides support for multi-user
environments, only that support for Windows depends on the versions and editions.
User Interface. [3] The Linux GUI is optional while the Windows GUI is an integral
component of the OS; speed, efficiency and reliability are all increased by running a server instance
of Linux without a GUI, something that server versions of Windows can not do. The detached nature
of the Linux GUI makes remote control and remote administration of a Linux computer simpler and
more natural than a Windows computer.
File System. For file system, Windows OS make use of New Technology File System (NFTS).
On the other hand, Linux uses ext4 (Fourth Extended File System). Both the NFTS and ext4 offers
support to various advanced attributes of a file including permission, encryption, and compression.
Another similarity of the two is that they providing support for journaling which is crucial in the
prevention of a loss of data during system crash or power failure.

4
 II. SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS

Table 2. shows the system requirements for Windows and Linux operating systems which includes
the processor, RAM, Disk Space, and Graphics requirement.

SYSTEM WINDOWS LINUX

REQUIREMENTS
Processor 1 GHz (gigahertz) processor Intel x86/x64 and ARM
processor
RAM 1 GB 32 bit 1 to 2 GB RAM

Disk Space 16 GB 32 bit at least 250 MB

Graphics Card Microsoft DirectX 9 with WDDM drivers none required

III. MAINTENANCE

System maintenance is a significant activity for the operating system to perform as it helps in
keeping the health and performance of the OS to be in the best condition. Maintenance includes
keeping the Windows operating system (OS) and applications up-to-date, checking security, and
running scans for malware.
The Windows OS offers the feature of Windows Automatic Maintenance (WAM).
[ ]Task Scheduler maintenance tasks are opportunistic tasks that run when the machine is idle
and on AC power. One of the major goals of maintenance tasks is to minimize impact to the PC by
scheduling maintenance only when the PC is plugged in to AC power and idle (that is, when you're
not using, or have stepped away from, the machine). The idea of maintenance today is for the
machine to do work with the least disruption to the user.
The maintenance of the Windows OS can be achieved through the following :

• Automatic Maintenance
• Defragment & Optimize Drives
• Performing Updates
• Cleaning up your files
• Organizing your desktop
• Running the System File Checker
• Checking the status of Windows Defender
As this is general maintenance, this process should be completed once every 6 months to ensure
that your machine is running at peak performance.
In Linux, the following ways are suggested for the maintenance of the operating system :

5
• Analyze Disc Usage
• Monitor Raid Alerts
• Check The Smart Stats For Storage Devices
1. Check That Your Backups Are Effective
2. OS Update
3. Make Sure Security Patches Are Installed
4. A Control Panel Update
5. Check For App Updates
6. Analyze Remote Management Software
7. Verify For Hardware Issues
8. Verify The Server’s Utilisation
9. Check User Accounts
10. Changing Passwords
11. System Security Assessment

6
REFERENCES

[1] R. Dugunarantha, "Evolution of Windows Operating System," 2020.

[2] "The History Of Windows Operating System," Mindstick.

[3] M. e. a. Mahachandra, "Perception Analysis of Microsoft Windows OS Users," E3S Web of Conferences,
vol. Vol. 73, p. p. 12008, 2018.

[4] "Architecture of Linux". https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/ask-the-performance-team/windows-

architecture-the-

basics/ba-p/372345

[5] C. Marcho, "Windows Architecture - The Basics," 2019. https://support.microsoft.com/en-

us/windows/windows-10-system-requirements-6d4e9a79-66bf-

7950-467c-795cf0386715

[6] "Windows 10 system requirements," Microsoft. https://www.esds.co.in/kb/a-guide-on-linux-server-

maintenance/#:~:text=Servers%20are%20amazing%20inventions.,turning%20into%20a%20server%20di

[7] H. Pandya, "Linux Installation: Hardware Requirements & Distribution," 2022.

https://www.edureka.co/blog/linux-vs-windows/

[8] Upasana, "Linux vs Windows: Which One Is The Best Choice For You?," 2022.

https://pediaa.com/what-is-the-difference-between-windows-kernel-and-linux-kernel/

[9] Lithmee, "What is the Difference Between Windows Kernel and Linux Kernel," 2018.

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/win32/taskschd/task-maintenence

[10] R. M. P. D. B. M. S. Steven White, "Automatic maintenance," 2020.

7
8