ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses MS/PC-DOS, Microsoft Windows 3.1, OS/2 2.0, and UNIX operating systems. It provides a description of each system and its features, as well as an explanation of how well each system functions in standalone, networked, and security-conscious environments. One of the strengths of DOS is the abundance of software written for it, DOS compatibility has become an important issue for all microcomputer systems. Network support for the OS/2 operating system is far superior to anything that DOS or Windows has to offer, UNIX alone is capable of adequately sharing its entire file system, graphical user interface and interprocessing communications within a networking community. UNIX has been designed from the ground up to be a truly multiuser system it is the only popular, non-proprietary operating system that can run on a home microcomputer as well as on a corporate mainframe.
