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JA3. Learning Journal 3

Statement

  1. Discuss the week’s activities and your observations.
    • Describe what you learned.
    • Did anything surprise you?
    • Did you face any challenges in this Unit? If so, how did you overcome them?
    • How were your peers’ assessments and feedback received?
  2. Compare Microsoft Windows and Linux operating systems in terms of usage and popularity.
    • Provide examples.
    • What is your own choice and why?

Answer 1

  • I started this week on Sunday as usual with the self-quiz; which gave me an indicator of the content of the week. The week was named Concurrency 3, where we learned more about the techniques that are used to safely run threads concurrently (Semaphores exactly).
  • The Philosopher’s problem was introduced to us, which blew my mind at first, then how simple the solution was surprised me more.
  • The discussion forum asked me to explain and think of how switching the forks for the last philosopher would solve the problem and what will happen in the next rounds (cycles).
  • The code snippets in the text were challenging, -maybe because I am not used to C- but keep translating them to javascript -in my head- and it helped me understand the concepts better.
  • I have seen some interesting posts in the discussions, but most of the students just explained the problem and did discuss the solution.
  • Other interesting problems mentioned in the book like the cigarette smoker’s problem or the sleeping barber problem.
  • The text also mentioned the bugs and problems that arise from concurrency, including atomicity violation, order violation, and deadlocks.

Answer 2

  • Windows is the most popular operating system in the world, while Linux is the most popular open-source operating system, it is popularity is not as high as Windows.
  • The main advantages of windows are that:
    • easy to use.
    • compatible with a wide range of hardware.
    • there is an army of developers working on it.
    • easy to develop software that runs on it.
    • intuitive user interface.
  • The main disadvantages of windows are that:
    • not open-source.
    • relatively less secure than Linux.
    • not free.
    • heavy on resources.
  • The main advantages of Linux are that:
    • open-source.
    • free.
    • secure.
    • lightweight, and less resource hungry.
    • customizable.
  • The main disadvantages of Linux are that:
    • not intuitive user interface.
    • not compatible with a wide range of hardware.
    • requires a certain level of technical knowledge to use it.
  • The choice between Windows and Linux is a personal one, and also depends on the type of work you are doing, your background, and your technical knowledge.
  • For gaming, day-to-day office work, and other non-technical tasks, Windows is the best choice.
  • For many other tasks like programming, web development, and running a remote server, Linux is the best choice.
  • I use Mac OS; since it lies in the middle of Windows and Linux, and I am comfortable with it. As it is Unix-based, I can use the terminal and run Linux commands. And it has a good user interface, compatibility, and security.

References