DOS and Windows square measure the various varieties of Operating Systems. DOS stands for Disk Operating System. It is a smaller amount probably employed in the current state of affairs whereas windows may be a wide used in operation system. It consumes less memory and power than windows.
Features of DOS:
- Command Line Interface: DOS is primarily a command-line operating system, which means that users must type commands to perform operations.
- Small Size: DOS is a very small operating system, which makes it easy to install on computers with limited storage space.
- Low Resource Usage: DOS has a very small memory footprint, which makes it ideal for use on computers with limited memory.
- Compatibility: Many old applications and games were designed to run on DOS, and it can be used to run them even on modern systems.
Window has no full form but it is widely used operating system than DOS operating system. It consumes more memory and power than DOS operating system. DOS and Windows square measure principally differentiated by the actual fact that DOS may be a single tasking, single user, interface primarily based OS developed within the year of 1979. On the opposite hand, all the windows version square measure multitasking, multiuser and graphical user interface primarily based OS.
Features of Windows:
- Graphical User Interface: Windows has a graphical user interface (GUI), which means that users can interact with the operating system using a mouse and a graphical interface.
- Multitasking: Windows allows multiple applications to run simultaneously, with each application running in its own window.
- Compatibility: Windows is compatible with a wide range of hardware and software, making it a versatile operating system.
- Plug and Play: Windows supports plug and play, which means that hardware can be connected to a computer and automatically recognized and configured by the operating system.
Similarities between DOS and Windows:
- Command Prompt: While Windows has a graphical user interface, it still has a command prompt that allows users to access the command line interface.
- File System: Both DOS and Windows use the File Allocation Table (FAT) file system.
- Applications: Many applications that were designed to run on DOS can also run on Windows, either natively or with the help of an emulator.
- Compatibility: Both DOS and Windows have a high degree of compatibility with a wide range of hardware and software.
Let’s see the difference between DOS and Windows:
| S.NO | DOS | WINDOW |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | DOS is single tasking operating system. | While windows are multitasking operating systems. |
| 2. | It consumes low power. | While windows consume high power. |
| 3. | It consumes less memory in comparison of windows. | While it consumes more memory. |
| 4. | DOS does not support networking. | While window supports networking. |
| 5. | DOS is complex in terms of using. | Whereas it is simple for using. |
| 6. | DOS does not share time. | While window can share time. |
| 7. | DOS is a command line operating system. | Whereas windows are the graphical operating systems. |
| 8. | DOS operating system is less preferred than windows. | While windows are more preferred by the users in comparison of DOS. |
| 9. | In DOS operating system multimedia is not supported such as: Games, movies,songs etc. | While windows support multimedia such as: Games, movies,songs etc. |
| 10. | In DOS operation systems, operation are performed speedily than windows OS. | While in windows OS, operation are performed slowly than DOS OS. |
| 11. | There is only one window opened at a time in DOS. | While in windows, multiple windows can be opened at a time. |
| 12. | DOS does not need any pointing devices. | While Windows uses various pointing devices such as light pen, mouse, etc. |
| 13. | DOS is not widely used in computer systems now-a-days. | While Windows is used now-a-days in computer systems. |
| 14. | DOS is free of cost. | While original version of Windows is expensive. |
Conclusion :
While both DOS and Windows are operating systems used in personal computing, they have significant differences in terms of user interface, multitasking, hardware support, file system, and application support. Windows is a more modern and feature-rich operating system compared to DOS and is better suited for modern computing devices. However, DOS is still used today in some legacy systems and applications that require a command-line interface.