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This web site compares and contrasts operating systems. It originally started out on a small server in the engineering department of Ohio State University to answer a single question: “On technical considerations only, how does Rhapsody (also known as Mac OS X Server) stack up as a server operating system (especially in comparison to Windows NT)?” The web site now compares and contrasts server operating systems and will in the near future expand to compare other kinds of operating systems.
For non-technical persons: A general overview of operating systems for non-technical people is located at: kinds of operating systems. Brief summaries of operating systems are located at: summaries of operating systems. There is an entire section of pages on individual operating systems, all formatted in the same order for easy comparison. The holistic area looks at operating systems from a holistic point of view and particular subjects in that presentation may be useful for comparison. Some of the charts and tables may also be useful for specific comparisons.
For technical persons: The system components area goes into detail about the inner workings of an operating system and the individual operating systems pages provide some technical information.
This site is organized as an unbalanced tree structure, with cyclic graph hyperlinks and a sequential traversal path through the tree.
This site is intended as a neutral technical evaluation, comparing and contrasting Rhapsody with other server operating systems. All humans have biases. I am a fan of Rhapsody, VMS, Macintosh, AmigaOS, NeXT, and BeOS.
I will attempt to be as complete, accurate, and precise as possible. I welcome correction, feedback, and additional information from informed sources.
One of the really cool things about the Internet is that once you achieve a certain critical mass of data, experts in the subject matter will just show up from all over the world and make constructive criticisms and provide all kinds of useful additional information.
All web sites are either in a state of construction or dead, so comments about being “under construction” are generally extraneous. This site is not yet complete enough answer the question as stated. The goal is to have this site sufficiently complete to answer that question by the time Apple releases Rhapsody in fall of 1998.
Most of the work so far has been in catalogueing information about each operating system (see individual OS pages for details). I have started charts on costs, hardware supported, file systems, release dates, and music.
Lots of thanks go out to the many persons who have taken the time to answer questions and provide URL references. A complete list of persons and web sites and books quoted is found in the site footnotes. To contribute additional information or to make constructive criticism of any kind, send a message to Milo.
I will attempt to stick to the facts as much as possible. I will provide only as much editorial commentary as is necessary to make the technical facts clear. All opinions are mine unless otherwise attributed.
It is unlikely that any single individual has all the knowledge necessary to complete an accurate technical survey of all operating systems that can be used as server OSs. So, I need and welcome and appreciate all of volunteer help.
I (Milo) have edited the material into a web site and Michael M is the new artist.
A few quick caveats about a technical evaluation:
This site is organized in an unbalanced tree structure, with cyclic graph hyperlinks and a sequential traversal path through the tree.
1.1 MB QuickTime movie of Bill Gates explaining his criteria for selecting the best operating system.
(transcribed below for those who don’t want to take the download time to see the video clip)
“To create a new standard, it takes something that’s not just a little bit different, it takes something that’s really new and really captures people’s imagination and the Macintosh, of all the machines I’ve ever seen, is the only one that meets that standard.” — Bill Gates
“The computer revolution is the most advertised revolution in world history. Yet one of the funny things about it is that we probably still underestimate its impact.” — Herman Kahnm7
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A web site on dozens of operating systems simply can’t be maintained by one person. This is a cooperative effort. If you spot an error in fact, grammar, syntax, or spelling, or a broken link, or have additional information, commentary, or constructive criticism, please e-mail Milo. If you have any extra copies of docs, manuals, or other materials that can assist in accuracy and completeness, please send them to Milo, PO Box 1361, Tustin, CA, USA, 92781.
Click here for our privacy policy.
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†UNIX used as a generic term unless specifically used as a trademark (such as in the phrase “UNIX certified”). UNIX is a registered trademark in the United States and other countries, licensed exclusively through X/Open Company Ltd.
Names and logos of various OSs are trademarks of their respective owners.
Copyright © 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004 Milo
Last Updated: July 27, 2004
Created: May 31, 1998
If you spot an error in fact, grammar, syntax, or spelling, or a broken link, or have additional information, commentary, or constructive criticism, please e-mail Milo.
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