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What is an Operating System? What is a computer operating system? What are the common and popular computer operating systems? What are the different types of computer operating systems available today? What computer operating system do you have? What is a Microcomputer? What’s Inside a Microcomputer? |
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An operating system is a group of programs that manage all activities on the computer.
When you turn on a computer, the operating system programs run and check to be sure all the parts of the computer are functioning properly. Once loaded, the operating system manages all activities on the computer and the interactions with input (keyboard, mouse, etc.) and output devices (printers, monitors, etc.). The operating system is a component of the system software in a computer system. The operating system is the most important program that runs on a computer. Every general-purpose computer must have an operating system to run other programs and applications. Operating systems perform basic tasks, such as recognizing input from the keyboard, sending output to the display screen, keeping track of files and directories on the disk, and controlling peripheral devices such as disk drives and printers. For large systems, the operating system has even greater responsibilities and powers. It is like a traffic cop -- it makes sure that different programs and users running at the same time do not interfere with each other. The operating system is also responsible for security, ensuring that unauthorized users do not access the system. The Classification of Operating systems •Multi-user: Allows two or more users to run programs at the same time. Some operating systems permit hundreds or even thousands of concurrent users. •Multiprocessing : Supports running a program on more than one CPU. •Multitasking : Allows more than one program to run concurrently. •Multithreading : Allows different parts of a single program to run concurrently. •Real time: Responds to input instantly. General-purpose operating systems, such as DOS and UNIX, are not real-time. Operating systems provide a software platform on top of which other programs, called application programs, can run. The application programs must be written to run on top of a particular operating system. Your choice of operating system, therefore, determines to a great extent the applications you can run. For PCs, the most popular operating systems are DOS, OS/2, and Windows, but others are available, such as Linux. Interacting With the Operating System As a user, you normally interact with the operating system through a set of commands. For example, the DOS operating system contains commands such as COPY and RENAME for copying files and changing the names of files, respectively. The commands are accepted and executed by a part of the operating system called the command processor or command line interpreter. Graphical user interfaces allow you to enter commands by pointing and clicking at objects that appear on the screen. Recommended Reading: Webopedia study guides are designed to help high school, IB (International Baccalaureate) and entry-level university or college students prepare for computer science tests, quizzes and exams. Top 5 Operating System Related Questions 1. What is mobile operating system? 2. What is network operating system? 3. What is Operating System Virtualization? 4. What is Operating System-Level Virtualization? 5. What is system? An operating system or OS is a software on the hard drive that enables the computer hardware to communicate and operate with the computer software. Without a computer operating system, a computer and software programs would be useless. |
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What is operating system and types of operating systems? How do I know which operating system my computer is running? |
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What is operating system and types of operating systems? •Real-time operating systems (RTOS) are used to control machinery, scientific instruments, and industrial systems. In general, the user does not have much control over the functions performed by the RTOS. On a microcontroller operating system (typically a real-time operating system), the operating system may be responsible for handling interrupts and task switching and simple and primitive Inter-task communication (IPC). It’s possible that a very basic OS might not even provide IPC. Usually even a very basic OS provides a task control mechanism (setting task priorities and scheduling) and usually provides some sort of system console mechanism and perhaps a per task console mechanism. • Single-user, single task operating systems allow one user to do one thing at a time. And example of a single-user, single task operating system is the operating system used by personal digital assistants (PDAs), also known as handheld computers. • Single-user, multi-tasking operating systems allow a single user to simultaneously run multiple applications on their computer. This is the type of operating system found on most personal desktop and laptop computers. The Windows (Microsoft) and Macintosh (Apple) platforms are the most popular single-user, multi-tasking operating systems. • Multi-user operating systems allow multiple users to simultaneously use the resources on a single computer. Unix is an example of a multi-user operating system. The three most common operating systems for personal computers are Windows, Apple Mac OS X, and Linux. Linux OS Operating System For Desktop, Laptop & Servers  Product Description Key FeaturesLow cost: You don’t need to spend time and money to obtain licenses since Linux and much of its software come with the GNU General Public License. You can start to work immediately without worrying that your software may stop working anytime because the free trial version expires. Additionally, there are large repositories from which you can freely download high quality software for almost any task you can think of. Stability: Linux doesn’t need to be rebooted periodically to maintain performance levels. It doesn’t freeze up or slow down over time due to memory leaks and such. Continuous up-times of hundreds of days (up to a year or more) are not uncommon. Performance: Linux provides persistent high performance on workstations and on networks. It can handle unusually large numbers of users simultaneously, and can make old computers sufficiently responsive to be useful again. Network friendliness: Linux was developed by a group of programmers over the Internet and has therefore strong support for network functionality; client and server systems can be easily set up on any computer running Linux. It can perform tasks such as network backups faster and more reliably than alternative systems. Flexibility: Linux can be used for high performance server applications, desktop applications, and embedded systems. You can save disk space by only installing the components needed for a particular use. You can restrict the use of specific computers by installing for example only selected office applications instead of the whole suite. Compatibility: It runs all common Unix software packages and can process all common file formats. Fast and easy installation: Most Linux distributions come with user-friendly installation and setup programs. Popular Linux distributions come with tools that make installation of additional software very user friendly as well. Full use of hard disk: Linux continues work well even when the hard disk is almost full. Most people use the operating system that comes with their computer, but it's possible to upgrade or even change operating systems. How do I know which operating system my computer is running? You may have an uncommon operating system or an operating system such as Linux. Or you may have an operating system with a customized desktop. First read through the instructions for Windows and then Mac and attempt to identify the steps which work with your computer. Check your computer manual. Request further help on our community forums Press Icon windows + R 1.Open a run box. 2.Type msinfo32 and click OK... 
Example opening a run box and typing MSINFO32 (click for larger view): 
3.From this screen you can identify important items of information: A.Operating system name B.Service pack (if installed) C.System type. A system type of 'x64-based PC' means you have a '64-bit' operating system. 'X86-based PC' means you have a '32-bit' operating system. Confirm the version of Mac OS X From the Mac menu bar select the Apple icon and then click on 'About This Mac'...  A new window will open which shows the exact version of Mac OS X that is installed... 
In the example above the version of Mac OS X is 10.7.3 Here are further guidelines. |
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The operating systems we've been talking about were designed to run on desktop or laptop computers. Mobile devices such as phones, tablet computers, and MP3 players are different from desktop and laptop computers, so they run operating systems that are designed specifically for mobile devices. Examples of mobile operating systems include Apple iOS, Windows Phone, and Android. In the screenshot below, you can see Apple iOS running on an iPad. Operating systems for mobile devices generally aren't as fully featured as those made for desktop and laptop computers, and they aren't able to run all of the same software. However, you can still do a lot of things with them, like watch movies, browse the Web, manage your calendar, and play games. 
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