Unit2.1 Task4 M1

Windows XP vs Mac OS. 

Features.	Windows XP	Mac OS
Machine and peripheral management.	The operating system controls the whole machine and all of the components inside it too. It also controls peripherals which are: keyboards, scanners, printers etc. Windows runs the monitor by adjusting the resolution. Windows also runs the mouse by setting the click speed.	The control of the computer components on a Mac are much the same as a Windows XP one. Nearly all of the devices need to be bought especially for Macs. Mac OS can run the keyboard by adjusting the input language. For any other devices like iPhone, Mac OS runs the screen by converting it to landscape mode.
Security.	The operating system for Windows XP makes sure that everything works correctly. It also makes sure there is no uncertified access that can harm your data. Windows also has security functions like: user accounts with password protection and firewall along with other functions.	The operating system for the Mac has got security features like sand boxing. Sand boxing makes it harder for a security hazard to take lead of an issue to affect the system. There is also verification for file sharing. The user has to put in his/her Apple ID and password to log in to a Mac for file sharing.
File Management.	The operating system for Windows XP needs to have file management. This is to show files, create new files, deleting and editing. Windows has a process called explorer.exe to control the file management.	The file management program that Mac OS uses is Finder. It is similar to Windows’ explorer.exe but it has an appropriate icon for every file type, the trash on the desktop and also tree navigation system.
Device Drivers.	Drivers are programs that tell the operating system what to do with and how to do them things with the particular device. An example of this is when you buy a new graphic card. To make the card work properly with all of its power and organisation you need to install the drivers supplied with the card.	The drivers on Mac are similar to those on Windows. The drivers are programs that control the devices. When the system is closed on the Mac OS you can’t really upgrade anything. Every driver that’s needed to run the computer is included in the system. When you want to install a new printer, you have to install a version of driver for Mac OS.

Features.	Windows XP	Mac OS
Ability to customize.	Accessibility features have been put in to Windows and these features are useful for users who have difficulties using their computer. These features can be either added later from separate Windows installation disks or installed during setup. To change the appearance and behaviour of Windows you can use the Control Panel and other built-in features. These include adjusting colours and sizes, sound volume etc. If you have difficulty using the normal keyboard layout, Dvorak keyboard layouts make the commonly typed characters more accessible.	It is quite difficult to customize your computer using a Mac because the things that you can do with it are rather limited. You need extra software to customise most of the desktop and features.There is practically nothing that a user can customise without the added software other than changing the background of the desktop. You can do plenty to customise your Mac when you have the software. System preferences allow you to adjust things. Examples of these include screen resolution, keyboard and mouse controls and sound settings etc.
Support for connectivity of portable media.	Windows almost supports every type of portable media which have one of the connectors that fits into a Windows computer. Windows supports all media including ones that can be connected via USB ports such as phones and camera’s. It also supports Ethernet cables for internet, CD’s and DVD’s and your normal computer peripherals like keyboards and mouses.	The typical computer peripherals like computer mouses and keyboards are what the Mac supports. They also support things like headphones, USB ports for camera’s and phones and CD’s and DVD’s. This also includes Ethernet cables for internet.
Stability and reliability.	Windows offers more of a wider range of them. This means that Windows has more potential stability and reliability problems.	Mac OS offers fewer applications than Windows does. This means that Mac is potentially more stable and reliable than the Windows operating system.
Ease of management.	Windows OS is most likely the easiest to use, but it does depend on the user. The Windows operating system seems to be most popular with the customers this should mean that the the Windows operating system in easier to use. However it is a close call.	Ease of management generally depends on the user and what they are used. Mac OS is a newer kind of operating system than the Windows operating system is. This means that the younger generation may think that it is easier to use a Mac OS and the older generation could prefer the Windows OS.
Associated utilities.	I would say Windows is best however it really depends on the user and what they want their computer for. Windows is better for general uses rather than things such as graphic design and video editing.	Mac OS has a few more alternatives which basically covers everything. Certainly with the graphics design and video editing side of it.

There are many different applications for Mac that Windows have tried to replicate. These are things such as Mac's Dock, time machine, dash board and Cover flow. 

The Dock is the row of icons that is usually situated at the bottom of the screen. It makes it easier to access apps that are originally come with the Mac but you are able to add your own apps to it too. You can also add folders to the Dock. To access an app from the Dock you just click on the icon. It is sort of like shortcuts to apps.

 

The Windows equivalent is the XWindows Dock. This is basically a clone of the Mac Dock and does all the same things. The icons for the XWindows are also all fully customizable and you can also change the skins of the dock too. There is a 3D mode that looks like the original Mac look. It also has some preinstalled plugins but also supports other plugins too. An example of this is the Container plugin and this allows you to organise your items into groups. It also makes the dock look better.

Mac's Time Machine is a built-in backup software application that works with your Mac and an external drive. When the drive is connected, and the Time Machine is told to use it, the Time machine automatically backs up your entire Mac which includes system files, applications, accounts, preferences, email messages, music, photos, movies, and documents. Basically everything. However, the Time Machine does not only keep a spare copy of every file, it also remembers how your system was on any given day. This means that you can go back to your Mac as it was in the past. Time Machine keeps hourly backups for the past 24 hours, daily backups for the past month and weekly backups until your backup drive is full.

The windows equivalent to this is the RollBack Rx. However, Rollback is actually better than Mac's Time Machine in a few different ways. One of these is that you can use Rollback as a full-system reset. Which means that you can go to an exact point in time when a snapshot was taken. If the file had been deleted or gets corrupted and you would like to get back that file from earlier, you don't need to make your entire computer go to that time and then return to the latest snapshot. With RollBack you can just browse all the files that existed on your machine and drag-and-drop any file or folder you'd like to your desktop. 

The Mac dashboard gives  the access to fun and functional, mini applications called widgets. It includes widgets for some Mac apps, like Contacts and Calendar. These widgets give an easier, quicker way to access contacts and events without having to open up an app. It saves time and patience. More widgets are available to download to the Dashboard and its even possible to create your own. 

The Windows equivalent to this is the XWidget. It is Windows version of Mac Dashboard and it provides easy customisation with many features. You are able to get widgets and install them on your computer easily and quickly. You can also create new widgets like in the Mac OS X version. All the installed/created widgets are on the desktop and are live behind open windows. The widgets stay there even when the 'show desktop' button is clicked. You can easily rearrange the widgets just by dragging and dropping them and the XWidget Dashboard mode can be directly reached just by double clicking the middle button of the mouse. The Dashboard version has a 'Plus' button that is used to add or remove widgets and you are able to toggle between desktop and dashboard mode easily and quickly.