Time Sharing Versus Batch
As and when computer architecture evolves, operating systems also need to be evolved and vice-versa. We know well that customer’s requirements are always dynamic in nature and prevalent technologies are also never the same. So, various kinds of operating systems have evolved and are evolving too.
Broadly there are 5 types of operating systems:
Batch Operating Systems
Time Sharing Systems
Distributed Operating Systems
Network Operating Systems
Real Time Operating Systems
Batch Operating Systems :
These operating systems are not very common today but were popular mainly in the second computer generation. In those days, the user had to do to a lot of manual work. Firstly, he prepared his job using punch cards and then submitted the same to the computer operator. But after this, the user could no longer interact with the job. But the computer needed to be used by many users and the jobs were quite variable in nature.
For example, if a user submits 5 jobs in the following order
C program
Visual Basics Program
C program
Visual Basics Program
Java code
Now each time whenever a different language program is submitted, the computer operator needs to change the processing environment accordingly. And hence arises the need of Batch Operating System where jobs requiring similar work conditions are put together in a batch and are executed together. This saves the time which used to be wasted in switching from one environment to another.