Operating Systems Concepts

Research Paper

45 points (-2 points for each weekday after the due date)

Now that you have greatly expanded your knowledge about operating systems, you are asked to make a recommendation as to which operating system is best for a small company to use on the 20 new computers they are planning to purchase. They are unsure whether to use Windows or Linux on their new computers.

Your recommendation must address each of the following items for both operating systems: brief historical recap (starting with the very beginning of the OS – not just the current version), application software availability (are there a lot of programs you can purchase for this OS and are they easy to find), purchase price (include the source of your pricing information), technical specifications and hardware requirements, security information, end user training needs (how hard or easy is it to use the OS), and projected growth as you see it. You should use the most recent version of Windows and Linux. Note that application software availability refers to what programs you can get to run under this operating system, not the operating system itself. Also report the percentage of desktop computers currently using Windows and Linux. Refer to the grading criteria for a breakdown of the point totals for each item. It may be used as a guide for structuring your paper.

Your report must be at least 2000 words long. It must be submitted electronically using the drop box in Angel. It must contain an introduction, the body of your research, and a conclusion. Your conclusion will include your recommendation for which operating system and a brief explanation of how you arrived at that recommendation. The paper must also include endnotes (for quoted materials, if any) and a bibliography (books, articles, individuals, Internet URLs, etc.) of your sources (or you can use footnotes).

You should use information from classroom discussion/handouts, textbook material, newspaper and magazine articles, Internet web sites (check commercial sites such as Staples, CompUSA, Best Buy, etc. for purchase prices), your personal experience, and possibly even interviews with computer professionals. You may copy text from the Internet for parts of your paper, but you must cite it with an endnote, enclose it in quotes, and intersperse it with your own commentary (at least 50% of your paper must be in your own words). Any directly quoted material in your report must be acknowledged! Even if you paraphrase something, you must cite it (but you don’t have to put it in quotes). If it wasn’t your original idea or common knowledge, it must be cited.

Papers less than 2000 words in length (not counting the cover page, table of contents, and resources page) will be penalized 5 points per 300 words short or fraction thereof. Spelling, sentence structure, and grammar will be included in the grading. See attached grading sheet.