Changes
Other operating systems exist and new ones may still appear and take over the market position of the popular ones discussed above. Nothing in computers is so sure as change!
Microsoft, for example, has adopted a schedule for phasing out online support and updates for its operating systems.
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/lifecycle/default.mspx. For example, under this schedule, Dec. 31, 2002, is the EOL (End of Life) date for all versions of MS-DOS, Windows 3.x, Windows 95, and Windows NT3.5. There will be no more security updates and no technical support of any kind from Microsoft for products that have passed their EOL date.
Which is most popular?
It depends on who you ask! There is no one who can accurately report the true usage of any operating system. Various companies can report what they sold. Internet sites can report who comes to visit them. But no one can tally the whole world, or even a whole country.
Google: The statistics for Google for Oct. and Nov. 2003, are shown below. It is clear that Windows XP leads the list, with Win98 and Win2000 next in line. Poor Mac and Linux are not being used much by Google visitors. How well does Google reflect the general computing public? That's the question, isn't it!?
Jegsworks.com: The statistics for this site, jegworks.com, for Nov. 2003, are similar to Google's, but not quite the same. Hidden in the Other category is 7.23% for Windows ME. That operating system must be part of the 4% for Google. The general trend is the same for both sites, however. Windows XP is overtaking all the rest.
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Illustration courtesy of Google
Utilities
Utility Programs perform tasks related to the maintaining of your computer's health - hardware or data. Some are included with the operating system. But someone always thinks they have a better version for you to buy. And they are frequently right!
File Management programs make it easier to manage your files. In the high days of DOS it didn't take much to improve on the text-only type-it-all-yourself methods that DOS provided. Many programs were written to help the user find files, create and organize directories, copy, move, and rename files. Some even used the mouse to point and click to accomplish these tasks. You don't appreciate the vastness of the improvement until you've tried to do these things from the command line. The newer graphical interfaces that come with operating systems like Windows 95 have reduced the need for alternate file management programs.
Disk Management programs involve formatting and defragmenting disks. Defragmenting means putting files on the disk so that the whole file is in sequence. This reduces the time to access the file. Some disk management programs even let you specify that certain files that are accessed often, like the operating system itself and frequently used programs, are at the front of the disk. Anything that speeds things up will have customers.
Memory Management software handles where in RAM programs put their current data. They move certain memory-resident items out of the way. This can effectively increase the memory available by getting all the unused pieces together in one spot, making a useable amount.
A Backup program, which also restores the backed up data, is a must if you have any data at all that you want to keep around for a while. The software will compress the data to take up the least space.
Data Recovery programs are for those who just said "Whoops!" They attempt to recover deleted or damaged (corrupted) files. Data Compression programs squeeze out the slack space generated by the formatting schemes, as discussed under Storage: Disk Format.
Anti-virus programs are another must-have program. They monitor the computer for the activity of viruses, which are nasty little programs that copy themselves to other disks to spread to other computers. Viruses can be merely annoying or they can be vastly destructive to your files.