The number of people who use Linux as their operating system, or OS client, has slightly exceeded 1%, up from 0.68% last year. Mac OS meanwhile, come in at 9.73 % (up from 8%) and Windows commands a firm 87.9% (down from 91%). In 2007, Microsoft released the Windows Vista system, which includes several new features, however after 15 months on the market, its acceptance was lower than expected, with a share of close to 15%, a much lower penetration than Windows XP after a comparable time. The reason for this delay is that the system requires powerful hardware to function properly, which has led many companies and users to remove this version when usability issues appear. Because of this, Windows announced the release of Windows 7, a new system to replace Vista in 2009. The newer system is designed to be lighter, load faster, and can be used without problems on less powerful computers.

Microprocessors as Information Technology Access Terminals

The microprocessor has been the engine of the innovation process of computing over the years, and it has kept pace with Moores Law with regard to the speed of the microprocessors doubling every couple of years. The tendency toward increased speed is due not just to the increased capabilities of the microprocessor in itself, but even more, to the inclusion of multiple cores on the same processor. Thus, in late 2004, both AMD and Intel introduced their first micro “dual core”. Two years later, more than 40% of the processors sold were “multicore”, and in 2007, Intel made a microprocessor with 80 cores, reaching a speed of 2 teraflops.

In some years, speed will no longer be the main measure for comparing different microprocessors, and other benefits are now considered more important, such as multimedia capabilities, optimizing internal operations, etc.

Other milestones in the development of microprocessors have been geared toward mobile devices, which means two basic things: a reduction in the size of microcompressors, and a reduction in energy consumption. This trend has been accompanied by specific goalposts like the launch of the Mobile Pentium III Processor (Intel) in 2000, the Athlon IV (AMD) in 2001, or the Centrino microprocessor (Intel) in 2003. The lainch of the Atom processor (Intel) in 2008 has been a key highlight as it was an element that allowed the birth of the “Netbook” category of computers. The importance accorded to the low energy consumption of microprocessors is reflected in the fact that in August 2005, Intel decided to stop using speed as a measure, replacing it with consumption it watts.

The continuous reduction in prices has been a fundamental characteristic of this sector during the 2000s, and has been a strong pressure on manufacturers, for example, ADMs Athlon 1 was priced at 1299 dollars, compared to 45 dollars for the Geode LX800 geared toward mobile devices, from the same company, in 2005. In many cases they had to merge to stay on the market, for example Novafora acquired Transmeta in January 2009; and in other cases, had to abandon product lines, as the PowerPc used by Apple computers for many years was replaced by Intel microprocessors.

www.UDig.com is the leading IT staffing and resource company for professionals and business based on the East Coast. Find out more about UDig today.

http://www.udig.com/ is the leading IT staffing and resource company for professionals and business based on the East Coast. Find out more about http://www.udig.com/about-udig/ today.

Author Bio: www.UDig.com is the leading IT staffing and resource company for professionals and business based on the East Coast. Find out more about UDig today.

Category: Computers and Technology
Keywords: Technology, Communication, Business