Coming from decades of working with multiple O/S, the most striking difference to me is the hardware architecture Windows was designed for – Intel/AMD. By contrast Unix/Linux O/S runs on many more architectures – powerpc, x86-64 (as does Windows) MIPS, armel 3390x and more. This wide versatility is Linux’s strength; It’s an open design platform.

Unix/Linux supports more devices due to its modular nature than Windows does or can ever do. Satellites, TVs, cameras, washing machines, fighter planes, robots and more; The list is endless. In fairness it’s important to toot Windows horn for a moment and recognize its strength. That strength is backward compatibility and its Application Program Interface.

So how can anyone decide which operating system to purchase?  Now that virtualization is common and almost all operating systems and hardware support it, users can move about from one to the other without a commitment to any one O/S. Maybe that’s the best part – virtualization allows multiple O/S to run on a single PC host. Users can literally take it or leave it on demand.

Now that you have had an opportunity to explore Virtual Machines and multiple operating systems, do you have plans to use virtualization in future courses here at Grossmont College? In your post think about a future class, that is in your associates degree program (this course NOT included), where you see value in using virtualization. State the class name, subject and how you plan to use virtualization to help you complete it.

Your response