Difference Between DOS and Windows
DOS vs Windows
Before the world started using Windows, there was DOS (Disk Operating System). Although there were a lot of versions of DOS from different companies, there were basic commonalities that they all had. The main difference between DOS and Windows is in how popular they are today. Windows is the most prominent operating system used in computers around the world today by quite a large margin. In comparison, DOS is already considered obsolete and is rarely seen by many users; it is sometimes used in some embedded system due to its simplicity.
The biggest advantage Windows had over DOS is its GUI. In the early days, this made Windows easier to understand and operate for ordinary people. DOS only had a text based interface that relied on a series of commands to be typed out with certain parameters. Most people found it hard to memorize all the commands, let alone their purpose and their corresponding parameters. Because of this, DOS was put at a great disadvantage and it gradually fell into decline.
As fewer and fewer people used DOS, hardware manufacturers also stopped making their products work under DOS. Many hardware like graphics cards, tuners, and other USB accessories would work under Windows since their manufacturers provide the right drivers. Even with simple things like hard drives, DOS has its limitations. While Windows can accommodate large drives, DOS cannot; mainly because of its reliance on the FAT16 file system.
The biggest advantage that DOS has over Windows is that it is free. Some versions of DOS might be proprietary, but the owners of these versions are highly unlikely to sue due to the age of DOS. The second advantage is its utter simplicity. While Windows needs gigabytes of memory to work, DOS just needs a single megabyte to work. The simplicity and cost-free nature of DOS makes it ideal for prototyping, testing, and making automated systems that are only checked when something goes wrong with it. Since only a technician looks into the system, there is no need for fancy GUIs. It’s simplicity also means that the cost for the system is reduced because you do not need to put fancy hardware in order to run it.
Summary:
DOS is an obsolete operating system while Windows isn’t
Windows has a GUI while DOS doesn’t
Windows supports the latest hardware while DOS doesn’t
DOS is free while Windows isn’t
DOS is very lightweight compared to Windows
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The author states: “The biggest advantage Windows had over DOS is its GUI. . . . DOS only had a text based interface that relied on a series of commands to be typed out with certain parameters. Most people found it hard to memorize all the commands, let alone their purpose and their corresponding parameters.” I believe this comment assumes that most people were using DOS without the benefit of well-written applications which, in essence, did most of the thinking for the the user. From the moment I purchased my first PC in 1985, with the help of a very simple menu script and loads of very affordable applications, I virtually never saw a “C prompt”, nor had to use DOS language to manage files. For me, since probably 99.9% of what I use a computer for can be reduced to alpha-numeric characters, the GUI and its cumbersome reliance on the “mouse” has only been a troublesome hindrance from day 1.
Very nice
its true that DOS have advantage over windows
Thnxx for understand