| What is "Hardware platform"? |
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A hardware device is consist of many small electrical circuits. If some different companies produced a certain kind of hardware device respectively without any rules, their products might be very different because of each company's own productive concept. That means an operating system would have to know all device's peculiar architecture to control them. However, in fact, there is no programmer who wants to create such a terribly huge system; moreover, it seems there is no use doing that. Therefore, some companies defined the hardware standard. This is called Hardware Platform. As the benefit, for example, an operating system can be commonly used on different computers created by different companies because the operating system can manipulate all hardware in the same way. And also, that enables us to use computers without distinguishing hardware devices. Hardware Platform has been sustaining the spread of computer in this way. Now a days, there are two mainstreams of Hardware Platform: PC/AT defined by IBM corporation and Macintosh defined by Apple corporation. PC/AT has been adopted by Microsoft Windows, Unix, and some other operating systems and Macintosh has been adopted by Mac OS. |
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| What does "Proprietary" mean? |
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Proprietary System is one kind of computer system. When a person or company is trying to construct their system, they can purchase the components from any company whichever they want to. Their systems are generally constructed by different company's devices. However, some people and companies purchase all of them from only one company. The system constructed in this way is called Proprietary System. This system has both merit and demerit. When a hardware-related problem occurs, the hardware company can easily deal with it because the company knows its device's concrete architecture. That guarantees the immediate recovery. On the other hand, if the system is consist of different company's products, the companies can hardly deal with it because they do not know so well other companies' products and how the device interferes with each other. However, as a demerit, this system cannot adopt other company's products even if they are more effective. We have to decide which system we may be better off constructing in each situation. |
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| What does "Compatible" mean? |
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If a hardware or software is compatible, they can be used in stead of another one that another company produced. Microsoft Windows, for example, requires a CPU called Intel x86 Processor. However, it can also accept other compatible CPUs. They are able to execute all orders as same as its original CPU; moreover, they has further functions which its original doesn't have. The owner can choose the CPU which suits to his/her needs the best. Thus, compatible components provide us further choices for our system. |
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| What is "Free competition"? |
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Free competition is one of economic style. This is a part of the capitalistic economy. On this style, the government doesn't interfere with, nor restrict, the way a company try to increase its gain. Each company exerts its strategies to get much benefit. The strategy is all up to each company. The company which has more effective, notable, and strong ideas will win this competition. |
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