Operating Systems: Demand based Modularity

Traditional PC based operating systems load most of its components during the boot process along with the kernel. This mechanism though effective for a broader objective, is seldom utilized fully by a majority of users as they usually perform a specific job which does not require every component of OS. It has been observed that operating systems which are designed keeping in mind the nature of job, achieve better performance than standard systems even on an inferior hardware. Sony's PlayStation 4 gives better performance per watt when compared to a PC having similar graphics configuration. The prime cause of this weak performance is wasting of resources due to generic purpose OS design. This paper proposes a novel technique which will enable more efficient utilization of the hardware. Many choices are available to the user and each choice corresponds to a different mode of operation. This is achieved using modular shell design wherein the resource deployment is done according to the requirements of module. There is an uniform base module to allow easy and fast access to user allowing him to perform most basic tasks. Each module of the operating system shall be loaded to perform a specific task and will provide user with an enhanced access to perform a job. The user can switch among the modules according his requirements. This will also allow specific components in a kernel to allocate resources only according to the needs of the program. This mechanism will provide the benefits of real time OS in a time shared environment and will allow coordinated control of resources not possible in a traditional UNIX based operating system.