Systems Programming Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Systems Programming - Essay Example One thing that a any user will notice immediately with Windows 8 is that the ‘boot up’ will be significantly faster - perhaps as much as one-third. This is because the Basic Input-Output System (BIOS) processor start-up code that has been used (in various forms) since the advent of usable IBM-architecture PCs, has been replaced by the Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI) executable, developed by Intel from 1998 onwards (and made open-source by Intel in 2005), when it became apparent that BIOS would no longer be up to the job. The underlying support for the execution of processes and threads is, according to O’Brien, [Engadget Online Magazine. Windows Phone 8 and Windows 8 share lots of code, NT kernel. Terrence OBrien. Jun 20th, 2012. (Accessed 17th March 2013) (Online). the same as with Windows NT, as this basic architecture has been retained with Windows 8, although it is inferred form a consensus of the available sources that the detailed ‘code’ that implements these functions has been radically changed - whether for the better will have to be seen as Windows 8 beds in. As well as the memory management functionality previously incorporated into previous versions of Windows, and retained in Windows 8, the following new memory management features have been incorporated, both to promote better memory management and to improve information security. The exception Handler has been removed. Apparently, a lot of malware and root kits were using the Exception Handler to get into Windows and damage applications and extract data. The implication is that Microsoft’s developers have introduced an operating system procedure that does the same job as an exception handler, but works on radically different principles. states in his online article that Microsoft has been very ‘cagey’ about the specific security features that have been built into the Windows 8 kernel - which is hardly