One thing that has been established though, UNIX is quite a bit more reliable than Windows, and less administration and maintenance is needed in maintaining a UNIX system. This is a huge cost saver for any organization. Rather than employing many individuals to maintain a Windows based system, one part-time employee would be needed for the upkeep of a typical size UNIX system. One key difference between UNIX and Windows is the implementation of multiple users on one computer. When a user logs onto a UNIX system, a shell process is started to service their commands. Keeping track of users and their processes, a UNIX operating system is able to keep track of processes and prevent them from interfering with each other. This is extremely beneficial when all the processes run on the server, which demands a greater use of resources - especially with numerous users and sizeable applications.
Another main difference between UNIX and Windows is the process hierarchy which UNIX possesses. When a new process is created by a UNIX application, it becomes a child of the process that created it. This hierarchy is very important, so there are system calls for influencing child processes. Windows processes on the other hand do not share a hierarchical relationship. Receiving the process handle and ID of the process it created, the creating process of a Windows system can maintain or simulate a hierarchical relationship if it is needed. The Windows operating system ordinarily treats all processes as belonging to the same generation.
UNIX uses daemons, Windows has service processes. Daemons are processes that are started when UNIX boots up that provide services to other applications. Daemons typically do not interact with users. A Windows service is the equivalent to a UNIX daemon. When a Windows system is booted, a service may be started. This is a long running application that does not interact with users, so they do not have a user interface. Services continue running during a logon session and they are controlled by the Windows Service Control Manager.
UNIX has a novel approach to designing software. Since UNIX is open-sourced, it attracts some very intelligent programmers who develop many applications free of charge. With this in mind, many designers choose to resolve software problems by creating simpler tools that interconnect rather than creating large application programs. In contrast, Windows applications are all proprietary and costly. With UNIX, each generation extends, rather than replaces the previous like Windows it is rarely necessary to upgrade - old and new Unix are all compatible. The main reason for this is the way UNIX is built, which is on a solid theoretical foundation. There are many advantages to this, for instance, a book written 20 years ago that discusses programming UNIX can still be used today. Imagine trying to figure out how to run Windows XP with a Window 3.1 manual - it can't be done.
One argument to be made about UNIX is its lack of standardization. Some feel there are too many choices to be made regarding which GUI to use, or which combination of UNIX hardware and software to support. UNIX operating systems make great high-performance servers, but for end-users, every application on each arrangement of UNIX platform requires a different set, and each application has a different user interface. Microsoft has "the" Windows operating system; there simply isn't one standardized UNIX operating system, or for that matter, a single standardized UNIX GUI. One could argue and say this is a downfall for UNIX, but on the other hand, these variations add flavor and versatility to a solid, reliable operating system.
In summary, the best way to choose between UNIX and Windows is to determine organizational needs. If an organization uses mostly Microsoft products, such as Access, Front Page, or VBScripts, it's probably better to stick with Windows. But, if reliability, universal compatibility, and stability are a concern, UNIX would probably be the way to go.
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what are similarities and differences between linux and unix?
Since there isn't a UNIX 95 or UNIX 98 per se, I think you are referring to Windows 95 or Windows 98..
unix is a multiuser operating system but widows is a single user operating system.
tHE QUESTION WAS WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETEEN unix and windows 7, but i did not get the appropriate answer.
They are both administrator accounts and have privileges to do anything on the system.
UNIX is a command-based OS. In contrast, Windows is a menu-based OS.
No difference, really. Unix is an OS (Operating System)
If by 'Microsoft' you mean 'Windows', then the difference is the platform.
Unix is an operating system, Java is a language.
Both platforms are ASCII platforms, but the difference is the line termination character. In Windows, there is a two character sequence to denote the end of the line (CR/LF sequence, 0D0A) For Unix, the line termination character is the newline character (0A), to denote the end of the text line.
Windows in an operating system developed by Microsoft, which owns the patents upon which Widows is based. Widows is the grand-product of DOS, developed by Mr. Gates. Unix is an operating system developed by AT&T and many other companies. Some parts are typewritten or patented, but the main kinds of Unix are open source.
If you are asking about the graphical interface, windows XP comes with just 1 interface, and it can be customized to a point, but that is somewhat limited. Unix comes with multiple graphical desktop managers, not just one. Users can pick and choose which environment is best for them. With Windows, the choice is already made for the user. Handling of icons and desktops are very different in Unix and Windows. The list would be too long to detail in this answer.