2.9 Paper

2.9.1 Depth

Choose one facet of operating system design, such as file systems, security, scheduling, virtualization, networking, architecture, memory management, modularity, safety, isolation, etc. Introduce and define the facet (at least one page). Discuss its development in the field of operating systems by punctuating the history with particular examples of innovations and deployments. (Each such section should probably be at least a page, maybe more.) End with a brief summarization (roughly a page) of open issues and ideas that you have for developing it (this last part is the only place where your opinion can enter in.)

2.9.2 Breadth

Choose one operating system. (I suggest selecting a research or otherwise experimental operating system. A good place to start looking is Wikipedia.) Briefly introduce it and the historical circumstances of its development (less than a page.) Select a number of unique or interesting aspects of it (such as those listed above as "depth" topics) and discuss how it approaches them. (Each one should be at least a page and perhaps more.) End with a brief personal perpsective on what you think its influence has been or should be on the world of operating systems (roughly a page.)