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68030 chip, which should be readyfor use this year.The addressing capabilities ofthese new microprocessors are onlyone part of the story. The clockspeed, or how fast a chip can run,has also continued to grow. For example, the 68030 can run up to 20megahertz (MHz) clock speed. Bycomparison, the Commodore 64runs at 1 MHz, the Atari ST runs at 8MHz, and the 68020 chip can run atabout 14 MHz. Intel's 80386 is capable of running more than ten timesfaster than today's computers.Despite these amazing leapsforward, there are some roadblocksthat will have to be overcomebefore these new microprocessorsare capable of reaching their potential. The chief problem now is thatthe industry-standard MS-DOS operating system wasn't built to handle such super-fast hardware. It willtake time for the operating systemsoftware to catch up to the Intel80286 and 80386 chips. And then itwill take time for applications software to really take advantage of theoperating system and the hardware.But in spite of the inevitabledelays, the advances in microprocessor speed and power aredriving personal computers to previously unheard-of levels of performance. And as hardware andsoftware manufacturers race to thesdge of technology, computer usersreap the benefits.Tom R. Halfhill, Staff Editorperating Systems:Micros Grow UpWhen talk turns to the latest trendsin computing, new and excitinghardware usually gets most of theattention. But more people are beginning to recognize the importance of another part of theequation: the operating system.Without a suitable operating system, the most state-of-the-art hardware can seem to be ensnared in astrait jacket. This has become a particular concern in the IBM PC community, where hardware advanceshave outgrown the dominant operating system.To begin with, exactly what isan operating system? Briefly, it's aprogram which performs or controls the routine tasks that are necessary for any computer to operate.A useful analogy is that of an operating system as an autonomousnervous system. If you had to consciously control such automaticbodily functions as your heartbeat,breathing, digestion, blood production, and so forth, you'd be so preoccupied with keeping yourselfalive that there would be very littlecapacity left over for any other kindof thought or action. In effect, you'dbe a plant.Computers have a number ofroutine tasks that must be constantly performed in order to function,too. At any given moment, a computer may be scanning its keyboardfor keypresses, displaying text orgraphics on the screen, waiting forinput from a mouse or joystick,communicating with peripherals,updating a realtime clock, and soon. The operating system is a program that takes care of these mundane jobs "in the background"—that is, invisibly. This makes it possible for you to run an applicationprogram—a word processor, aspreadsheet, a game, or whatever.Another useful function performed by an operating system isthat it saves application programmers the trouble of reinventing thewheel, so to speak. When a wordprocessor needs to save a documenton disk, for instance, it can simplycall a subprogram within the operating system that transfers a blockof memory to the disk drive. Theword processing program itselfdoesn't have to include a subprogram for this purpose.A disk operating system (DOS)is an extension of an operating system that provides commands formanipulating disk files. Usuallythere are commands for deleting,copying, and renaming files, as wellas for performing many otherfunctions.A Parade Of StandardsUntil the late 1970s, operating systems on microcomputers were soprimitive as to be almost nonexistent. Then one fairly powerful operating system emerged as an earlystandard: CP/M (Control Program /Microcomputers). Designed by Digital Research for computers withthe Z80 microprocessor chip, CP/Msoon became very popular amongsmall business users. Thousands ofprograms were written to run withCP/M and were compatible withnearly every CP/M computer.In 1981, IBM introduced thePC—but without a standard DOS.PC users could choose fromCP/M-86, a version of CP/M redesigned for the PC, or a newcomerfrom Microsoft called MS-DOS. Abattle ensued, and when the smokecleared, MS-DOS had won. Today,MS-DOS (or a slightly customizedversion for the PC, PC-DOS) is thedominant operating system amongbusiness users. All IBM PC and ATcomputers, plus dozens of PC compatibles and clones, use some version of MS-DOS. Programs properlywritten for MS-DOS should run onanyMS-DOS computer.Operating systems which donot adhere to an industry standardand are unique to a certain brand of16 COMPUTE! February 1987
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