OPERATING SYSTEMS

ASSIGNMENT # 2

RCOS.java

An Animated, Simulated Operating System in Java

Submitted By:
Abdul Basit
Roll# 919
BS(CS) 3rd Semester

Submitted To:

Miss Mobeen

Department of Computer Science & Information Technology

 RCOS.java
An Animated, Simulated Operating System in
Java
RCOS.java is a java based, simulated Operating system which provides the
students opportunity to observe animations and to actively experiment with
algorithms, data structures & services of an O.S. This article describes about
the Rationale, Design & Features of RCOS.java that helped students
understanding O.S. Concepts.
RCOS.java was developed primarily to aid the teaching problems at Central
Queensland University(CQU) Australia. CQU has on-campus as well as
distance students. It was noticed that the distance students were having
problems in understanding some O.S. concepts without the interaction of a
lecturer or a tutorial.
CQU adopted a no. of approaches to solve these problems. These were the
use of Minix(a complicated MS-DOS based O.S.); PRMS an MS-DOS
animated & simulated O.S that aided students understanding O.S. concepts
but failed on some technical grounds like inconsistent design, coupling b/w
components etc; & RCOS an MS-DOS based easy to use, animated &
simulated O.S. that helped students understanding O.S. concepts to a far
better extent. But with the transitions of CQU from MS-DOS to Windows
Platform it became necessary to redesign RCOS in java to make use of java
feature like graphical user interface & World Wide Web support.
Here are some possible solutions of above problems discussed in this article
on which RCOS.java is based:
First is Computer Based Learning(CBL) i.e., the use of Computer Assisted
Learning(CAL) to increase teaching efficiency & quality.
Second is Online Learning i.e., using internet & World Wide Web.
Third is the use of Constructive & Collaborative approach which encourages
students to plan & define their goals based on their knowledge.
Furthermore, there are five different approaches that can be used to teach
O.S:
First is the Purely Theoretical & Text Book based approach with no practical
application or demonstration.
Second is the use of Separated Unrelated Approaches i.e., giving separate
practical projects to demonstrate several important concepts.
Third is the Supplementary Learning Resources like physical
demonstrations, animations, etc.
Fourth is the use of Cut-Down Operating Systems i.e., Simulated Operating
Systems to demonstrate theoretical concepts.
Fifth is the Practical Application Using a Complete O.S. that demonstrates
the theoretical concepts.
Animations / Algorithm Visualizations also help a lot in understanding the
executions of different Algorithms.
The Rationale behind RCOS.java is to learn from the lessons of others & to
take advantage of new generation computers, networks & computer soft
wares. Ultimately, these approaches will improve the instructional
perspectives like:
Active Participation & Interaction
Individual Differences
Reinforcement & Feedback
Realistic Contexts
Cooperative Groups
The design of RCOS.java is based on Constructive & Collaborative teaching
approach in which students are encouraged to Plan & Define their goals &
share information among themselves.
The Features of RCOS.java are based on previos approaches:
Animations, Concurrency Simulations & Toy Operating Systems
into a single System. RCOS.java is micro-kernel based system where most
of the Operating System functionality is implemented outside of Kernel. In
this way we have a separate memory manager, terminal manger, process
manager, disk manager, etc.
A direct representation of full hardware & software components simulated
by RCOS.java is available in a easy to use graphical user interface.