NAME: NWADIKE EMMANUEL

MATRICULATION N.O: PSC1809100

DEPARTMENT: COMPUTER SCIENCE

COURSE CODE: CSC 411 (OPERATING SYSTEM)

ASSIGNMENTS ON COMPUTER INTERFACES.

 ASSIGNMENT 1
WRITE SHORT NOTE ON THE VARIOUS COMPUTER INTERFACE

Computer interface: The term computer interface refers to the way in which a
person experiences the computer, its application program, hardware
components, output devices and functionality.
COMPUTER INTERFACES

1. Command line interface (CLI)

2. Graphical user interface (GUI)
3. Menu driven interface (MDI)
4. Form based interface (FBI)
5. Natural language interface (NLI)

 Command line interface are the oldest of the interface listed above.
Is a text based interface that involves the computer responding to
commands typed by the operator. This type of interface has the
drawback that it requires the operator to remember a range of
different commands and is not ideal for novice users.

 Graphical user interface are sometimes also referred to as a WIMP

because they use windows, icons, menu and pointers. Operators use
a pointing device (such as mouse, touchpad or trackball) to control a
pointer on the screen which then interact with other on-screen
elements. It allows the user to interact with devices through
graphical icons and visual indicators such as secondary notations
 Menu driven interface is commonly used on cash machines (also
known as automated teller machines, or ATMs), ticket machines and
information kiosks. Menu-driven interface provide a simple and an
easy to use interface composed of a series of menus and sub menus
which the user accesses by pressing buttons, often on a touch-screen
device.

 Form based interface is a kind of user of user interface. In it, the user
interact with the application by selecting of a number of possible
values, and by entering text into the field that accept it. A word
processor which is used to write document, might offer setting for
the font size, the font to use and the alignment of the paragraph on
the page. Many database support a technology called QUERY. Places
where form based interface can be used is online applications for
jobs, school, college bank to fill cash details a hospital for filling
patients detail.
 ASSIGNMENT 2
HISTORY OF OPERATING SYSTEMS

Early computers were impressive, but limited in how many programs

they could execute. They had no traditional operating system and
relied on punch cards or punched tape. That served as early system
of the 1950s.
This system was tedious but effective as there were no real
programming languages at that time. One of the more famous uses
of this early tech was by English mathematician and computer
scientist, Alan Turing. Often mostly referred to as the “father of
modern computer science” Turing’s work helped code breakers in
WW2 through the Enigma machine. He is also responsible for the
Turing test, a test used as a guideline to determine intelligence.
Mainframe computers with vacuum tubes and transistors replaced
punched tape with another system – magnetic tapes. These systems
worked with batches of magnetic tapes and drives which increased
efficiency but were still a long way from modern operating systems
like windows or Linux.
These large mainframes were located in a dedicated, climate-
controlled room and required operators. General Motors Research
Division introduced one of these early “operating systems” in 1956
for IBM 704.
While the GM-NAA I/O operating systems was designed for GM, the
IBM 704 is more well-known for entirely different reasons.
The song Daisy Bell was synthesized using an IBM 704, and a writer
named Arthur C. Clarke happened to be visiting Bells labs during a
demonstration. 6years later, that tune was immortalized by HAL
9000 in Stanley kubrik’s 2001: A space odyssey.
That song was a precursor of things to come thanks to integrated
circuit. These circuit helped bring the size and cost of computer
down, and lead to the age of personal home computers. This is
where modern operating systems came to play as the
microcomputers of the 1970s made way for the home computers of
the 80s

OPERATING SYSTEMS OF THE 70S AND 80S

MITS may have produced one of the earliest PCs with the Altair, but
it was far from a commercial success. The same can be said for the
Xerox Alto, which is the first personal computer with a mouse and
GUI. Those early PCs and their operating systems laid the
groundwork for future generations including the “Trinity” of Apple,
Tandy and commodore in 1977.
What operating system your PC ran in those days varied
considerably. Tandy TRS-80 while NewDos/80, a third-party OS
developed by apparat ran on the TRS-80 model III. That operating
system is not to be confused with Apple Dos or MS-DOS which
arrived in 1981.

Apple’s first attempt at traditional operating system was born with

the Lisa PC. This desktop computer was designed for business initially
but had a GUI and a mouse. The Lisa was not designed for games like
Through the Looking Glass, however, which showed users what was
capable with a simple GUI.
In 1984, Apple introduced mac OS system 1 as the first operating
system for macintosh computers. Apple kept the software alive
through 9 generations ending with Mac OS 9.2.2. That was the last
version of the classic Mac OS before Kodiak rumors began for MAC
OS X. On the opposite end of the spectrum was Microsoft, which
launched windows 1.01 on November 20, 1985.
Their first graphical OS should have arrived several years earlier but
was pushed back because of the various modification from IBM and
Microsoft. They released new versions frequently, although they
company didn’t include VGA or PS/2 support until 1987.
Like many early operating systems, it wasn’t exactly well-received.
That changed windows 3.1, however.
While there were a number of third party operating systems
available throughout the late 70s and early 1980s, this is where two
companies, Apple and Microsoft, emerged as leaders in the field
while others fell by the wayside.