What is an Operating System?
An operating system (OS) is a collection of software that manages computer hardware resources and provides common services for computer programs. The operating system is the most important type of system software in a computer system.
Functions of Operating System
The operating system performs several functions including:
- Resource management: The OS manages the hardware resources of the computer, such as the CPU, memory, and disk space. It allocates these resources to the various programs that are running on the computer.
- Memory management: The OS manages the memory of the computer and decides which programs should be loaded into memory and when they should be removed.
- Process management: The OS manages the execution of programs and coordinates the processing of tasks. It creates and terminates processes, and assigns them to the CPU for execution.
- I/O management: The OS manages the input and output operations of the computer, such as reading and writing to disk, displaying data on the screen, and communicating over the network.
- File management: The OS manages the files on the computer and controls access to them. It organizes the files on the disk and provides a way for programs to access them.
Examples Operating System
An example of an operating system is Microsoft Windows, which is a popular OS for personal computers. Other examples include macOS, which is used on Apple computers, and Linux, which is a free and open-source OS that can be used on a wide variety of devices.