Originally published on JS PACS, March 5, 2009. Part of the PACS IT Skills series.
Operating systems, also known by the acronym OS, are the next topic in the IT Skills section.
Most people are familiar with the Microsoft Windows platform; however, not all PACS systems run on Windows. This is why, as a PACS administrator, you will need to understand the different systems.
The OS is the software on which any workstation, server, laptop, PDA, or other computing device runs. The OS is responsible for sharing and coordinating all of the hardware resources on the device and allowing them to talk to each other.
There are three major OSs in use today: Windows, Unix/Linux, and Macintosh OS X.
Each has its advantages. Windows is the most widely used OS; Unix/Linux is open source, so you can use it for free; and Mac OS X is very stable and has outstanding graphics capabilities.
Each also has distinct disadvantages. Windows crashes fairly easily and has many security vulnerabilities; Unix/Linux is not a mainstream system and is therefore more difficult to adapt to widespread use in an organization; and Mac OS X runs on proprietary hardware from Apple, meaning you can’t put OS X on any hardware you would like.
Some lesser-known systems include Solaris, BSD, QNX, and VxWorks. To my knowledge, there are no PACS systems running on any of these.
As a PACS administrator, I would recommend focusing on the Microsoft Server, XP, and Vista platforms, and learning Unix and Linux when you have the opportunity. Learning to operate in the Unix/Linux environment is a great way to build text-based computing skills. Anybody working as a PACS administrator at an Emageon PACS site can attest to that.