An Operating System is the
application that controls every aspect of a computer. The most commonly used operating
systems are Windows, UNIX and Macintosh. For simplicity, an operating system
carries out two basic functions:
(1) It serves as a manger for
the hardware and software resources held in the system; and
(2) It deals with hardware
without the applications having to know every aspect along the way.
The duties of the operating
system fall into six different categories: processor management, memory
management, device management, storage management, application interface and
user interface.
Processor Management
Processor management involves the certainty that all applications and processes get the appropriate amount of time from the processor so that it can function properly. It also involves taking advantage of as many processor cycles as it possibly can to make everything work together properly. The operating system uses the process or thread of the processor to carry out these functions and it continuously switches between processes at the rate of thousands of processes per second.
Memory Management
Memory management is the process of ensuring that each process has the amount of memory needed to execute the task so that processes do not steal memory from each other. Another part of memory management is managing each type of memory so that it is used properly.
Device Management
Every piece of hardware uses a driver, a special program, to communicate with the system. The operating system uses the drivers as a translator between the electrical signals from the hardware and the programming code found in applications. The driver takes data from the operating system to the device and vice versa. The operating system controls this process by calling on the appropriate driver when it is needed.
Application Program Interface
Just like hardware has drivers, applications have application program interfaces (APIs). APIs allow the programmers to use parts of the operating system and computer to carry out certain functions. The operating system holds all of the APIs that are recognizable to the computer and plays the role of interpreter for the APIs. It then sends the data required so that the function is carried out.
User Interface
The user interface aspect of the operating system manages the interaction between the user and computer. Many operating systems use graphical user interfaces, which mean that it uses images and icons to communicate with the user. The operating system once again plays the role of interpreter to communicate with both the user and the computer in languages that they both understand.
Processor Management
Processor management involves the certainty that all applications and processes get the appropriate amount of time from the processor so that it can function properly. It also involves taking advantage of as many processor cycles as it possibly can to make everything work together properly. The operating system uses the process or thread of the processor to carry out these functions and it continuously switches between processes at the rate of thousands of processes per second.
Memory Management
Memory management is the process of ensuring that each process has the amount of memory needed to execute the task so that processes do not steal memory from each other. Another part of memory management is managing each type of memory so that it is used properly.
Device Management
Every piece of hardware uses a driver, a special program, to communicate with the system. The operating system uses the drivers as a translator between the electrical signals from the hardware and the programming code found in applications. The driver takes data from the operating system to the device and vice versa. The operating system controls this process by calling on the appropriate driver when it is needed.
Application Program Interface
Just like hardware has drivers, applications have application program interfaces (APIs). APIs allow the programmers to use parts of the operating system and computer to carry out certain functions. The operating system holds all of the APIs that are recognizable to the computer and plays the role of interpreter for the APIs. It then sends the data required so that the function is carried out.
User Interface
The user interface aspect of the operating system manages the interaction between the user and computer. Many operating systems use graphical user interfaces, which mean that it uses images and icons to communicate with the user. The operating system once again plays the role of interpreter to communicate with both the user and the computer in languages that they both understand.
Types
of Operating Systems
There are four types of Operating System that you can use. Choosing one depends on the kind of task you want to perform on the computer.
- Single User, Single Task
- Single User, Multi-Task
- Multi-User
- Real-Time Operating Systems
Microsoft and Apple companies strive to get the best OS out on the market, giving it a good competitive edge, but you may also want to go for freeware Operating Systems like Linux.
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