Distributed operating systems allow applications to run across multiple connected computers. They extend traditional network operating systems to provide greater communication and integration between machines on the network. While appearing like a regular centralized OS to users, distributed OSs actually run across multiple independent CPUs. Early research in distributed systems began in the 1970s, with many prototypes introduced through the 1980s-90s, though few achieved commercial success. Design considerations for distributed OSs include transparency, inter-process communication, resource management, reliability, and flexibility.