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If you have one job to do, and it doesn't involve other computers, you don't need an OS. MS-DOS or equivalent program loader/file system API will work just fine. Windows, MacOS, and Linux work fine in a stand alone environment (unless an APT {advanced persistent threat, like the NSA} is after you) On the other hand, if you're even thinking about touching the internet, or any other computer, you need to have every single task limited ahead of time to a specified set of resources, like mainframes do. Doing anything less is foolish, and I certainly wouldn't build a civilization on such folly. Yes, in an era of mobile code, persistent internet, you need an operating system that doesn't give any default permissions to any executing task, ever. It must also safely and securely multiplex access to the hardware resources, all of the hardware resources, in all of the subsystems in the SoC, etc. There are no Operating Systems, as of yet. I weep for the future. |