Operating System in My Job

Operating System

In my job as an office manager at a college office I worked with computers extensively. The operating system that I am most familiar is Windows operating system marketed by Microsoft. At the college and at home I have used different editions of the Windows operating system. I am aware that some of the facilities in the college use Macintosh and UNIX operating systems. At present, within the office that I worked, every computer was connected to a server and server provided all the necessary systems for our individual workstations. The Information Technology department in the university maintains the computers in the college office and in all the computer labs. They are also responsible for providing the technical help that might be required in case any computer is not functioning correctly or new software is installed in the office.

I am comfortable with the Window's operating system that is provided by Microsoft. I have limited knowledge and expertise in using a Macintosh or a UNIX machines. I prefer the Window's operating system as it is compatible with most other software that we use in the office and I personally use at home. Microsoft managed the "development of its operating system as an 'open' system," allowing and encouraging independent software developers to have full access to the Application Program Interfaces. (Lee and O'Connor, 2003) Thus, Microsoft was able to ensure that small and specialized software developers created applications that were perfectly compatible with the MS operating systems created. By allowing this, small and dedicated software specializes to build their own product, MS ensured that their product was the medium and therefore also generated a profit. Today, more independent software manufactures use MS operating systems as their platforms rather than Macintosh or UNIX. This feature allows me therefore to use a wide variety of customized software at my home and in the office. Knowing that compatibility issues will not be a major concern also allows me to purchase software for personally use that uses the Windows operating system as well.

I am aware that Macintosh, UNIX and Linux operating systems also exist: I am aware of their merits. However, computational expertise is required to use any of these systems. In addition the cost makes it expensive to own the hardware required to support these systems as personal computers. The university has also indicated its preference for the PC and the Windows operating system. All training and skill acquisition is also generally offered for the windows system in the college. Standardization and uniformity of the design platform of Microsoft has greatly enhanced the applicability in the workplace. Standard packages have allowed Microsoft to reduce the development speed, reduce development staff requirement, and offer a constant state-of-the-art it capability through upgrades.

The most common software that I use are MS Word, Excel and PowerPoint. In addition, I also use the email services provided by the college as well as my own personal email. I use the Internet Explorer for surfing and navigating the web as well as Instant messenger that is also offered with the standard Office package. By 'bundling of complementary components' in the operating software that Microsoft sells it is possible to add many different applications and accessories effectively. The university also has a centralized network system and all internal correspondence is managed on the Intranet of the college. There has also been a recent effort to integrate all the software and hardware operations in the college to allow for the maximum flexibility and control. A data management system is also being implemented in the university and scheduled training is being offered to the staff that will be using the system.