Operating systems have evolved from simple standalone and command
             line programs like MSDOS to distributed multi-user systems like windows and
             Linux, which support graphical user interface. Every new version of the
             operating system tries to address the hidden loopholes and to improve the
             efficiency and security. The file allocation systems and the security
             implementation are also different between these operating systems. Today's
             multi user environment has literally stomped out the simple standalone
             operating system like MSDOS. Windows has also evolved a long way from 16
             bit OS to 32-bit operating system. Linux being an open source system is
             evolving at a faster pace. A comparative study of these three operating
             systems in context of the important features like user interface, file
             management, memory management, security implementation would help us
             discern the similarities and differences between them.
             MS-DOS was a purely text based operating system before the Dosshell
             with minimal graphical features was introduced in MS-DOS version 4. Windows
             is a GUI operating system, which uses a standard display mode for the
             desktop. Linux by default was a text based (command line) operating system
             but now users can choose from a variety of graphical user interfaces that
             are provided now by the X window based graphical display. Two of the common
             interfaces being the GNOME, KDE. The KDE has a comprehensive office suit,
             web browser and text editor. The configurability of these interfaces is
             what differentiates Linux from windows allowing for highly customizable
             desktop environments. Another key difference between windows and Linux is
             that the Linux operating system offers graphical user interface
             abstraction' at the network level as against the hardware level
             abstraction' offered by windows and other operating systems. [Nathan's
             Both Linux and windows use the process model. The...