what a user needs to be able to interact with an operating system to accomplish tasks
What is an operating organization?
An operating system (OS) is the program that, later existence initially loaded into the computer past a boot program, manages all of the other awarding programs in a computer. The awarding programs make utilize of the operating system by making requests for services through a defined application program interface (API). In addition, users can interact directly with the operating system through a user interface, such every bit a control-line interface (CLI) or a graphical UI (GUI).
Why use an operating system?
An operating system brings powerful benefits to computer software and software development. Without an operating system, every application would need to include its own UI, besides as the comprehensive lawmaking needed to handle all low-level functionality of the underlying computer, such as deejay storage, network interfaces and and so on. Because the vast array of underlying hardware available, this would vastly bloat the size of every application and make software development impractical.
Instead, many common tasks, such as sending a network packet or displaying text on a standard output device, such equally a display, can exist offloaded to arrangement software that serves as an intermediary between the applications and the hardware. The organisation software provides a consistent and repeatable way for applications to interact with the hardware without the applications needing to know whatever details nearly the hardware.
Equally long as each application accesses the same resource and services in the same mode, that arrangement software -- the operating system -- tin service most any number of applications. This vastly reduces the amount of time and coding required to develop and debug an awarding, while ensuring that users can control, configure and manage the system hardware through a common and well-understood interface.
In one case installed, the operating system relies on a vast library of device drivers to tailor Os services to the specific hardware environment. Thus, every application may make a common telephone call to a storage device, but the OS receives that call and uses the respective commuter to translate the phone call into deportment (commands) needed for the underlying hardware on that specific computer. Today, the operating system provides a comprehensive platform that identifies, configures and manages a range of hardware, including processors; memory devices and memory management; chipsets; storage; networking; port advice, such as Video Graphics Array (VGA), Loftier-Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI) and Universal Series Coach (USB); and subsystem interfaces, such every bit Peripheral Component Interconnect Express (PCIe).
Functions of an operating system
An operating organization provides three essential capabilities: It offers a UI through a CLI or GUI; it launches and manages the application execution; and it identifies and exposes organization hardware resource to those applications -- typically, through a standardized API.
UI. Every operating organization requires a UI, enabling users and administrators to interact with the OS in order to fix, configure and even troubleshoot the operating system and its underlying hardware. At that place are two primary types of UI available: CLI and GUI.
The CLI, or concluding style window, provides a text-based interface where users rely on the traditional keyboard to enter specific commands, parameters and arguments related to specific tasks. The GUI, or desktop, provides a visual interface based on icons and symbols where users rely on gestures delivered by human interface devices, such as touchpads, touchscreens and mouse devices.
The GUI is almost frequently used by coincidental or end users that are primarily interested in manipulating files and applications, such as double-clicking a file icon to open the file in its default application. The CLI remains popular among advanced users and organisation administrators that must handle a series of highly granular and repetitive commands on a regular basis, such every bit creating and running scripts to set new personal computers (PCs) for employees.
Application management. An operating organization handles the launch and direction of every application. This typically supports an array of behaviors, including timesharing multiple processes, or threads, then that various tasks can share the available processors' time; handling interruptions that applications produce to gain a processor's immediate attention, ensuring there is enough retention to execute the application and its corresponding information without interfering with other processes; carrying out error treatment that tin can gracefully remove an application'due south processes; and performing memory management without disrupting other applications or the OS.
An operating organization tin can also support APIs that enable applications to employ Os and hardware functions without the need to know anything most the depression-level OS or hardware state. Equally an example, a Windows API can enable a program to obtain input from a keyboard or mouse; create GUI elements, such equally dialog windows and buttons; read and write files to a storage device; and more. Applications are virtually e'er tailored to use the operating system on which the application intends to run.
Additionally, an operating system tin can perform the following services for applications:
- In a multitasking operating organisation, where multiple programs tin exist running at the same fourth dimension, the Bone determines which applications should run in what order and how much time should be allowed for each application earlier giving another application a turn.
- Information technology handles input/output (I/O) to and from attached hardware devices, such every bit hard disks, printers and punch-upwardly ports.
- It sends messages to each application or interactive user -- or to a organization operator -- about the status of operation and whatever errors that may accept occurred.
- Information technology can offload the management of batch jobs -- for example, press -- so that the initiating application is freed from this piece of work.
- On computers that tin provide parallel processing, an operating system can manage how to dissever the programme then that information technology runs on more than one processor at a time.
All major figurer platforms (hardware and software) crave, and sometimes include, an operating organisation, and operating systems must be adult with dissimilar features to come across the specific needs of various form factors.
Device direction. An operating system is responsible for identifying, configuring, and providing applications with common access to underlying figurer hardware devices. Equally the OS recognizes and identifies hardware, the OS will install corresponding device drivers that enable the OS and applications running on the OS to use the devices without any specific knowledge of the hardware or devices.
An operating organization is responsible for identifying the correct printer and installing the advisable printer drivers then that an application needs to just make calls to the printer without having to use codes or commands that are specific to that printer -- that is the operating system'south task. The situation is similar for other devices, such every bit USB ports; networking ports; graphics devices, such as graphics processing units (GPUs); motherboard chipsets; and storage devices, such as Serial-Attached SCSI (SAS) deejay adapters and disks that are formatted with a suitable file arrangement.
The Os identifies and configures physical and logical devices for service and typically records them in a standardized structure, such as Windows Registry. Device manufacturers periodically patch and update drivers, and the OS should update them to ensure best device operation and security. When devices are replaced, the Bone likewise installs and configures new drivers.
Operating organization types and examples
Although the fundamental roles of an operating organization are ubiquitous, there are countless operating systems that serve a wide range of hardware and user needs.
General-purpose operating system. A general-purpose Bone represents an array of operating systems intended to run a multitude of applications on a broad pick of hardware, enabling a user to run i or more applications or tasks simultaneously. A general-purpose Bone can be installed on many unlike desktop and laptop models and run applications from bookkeeping systems to databases to web browsers to games. Full general-purpose operating systems typically focus on process (thread) and hardware management to ensure that applications can reliably share the wide range of computing hardware present.
Common desktop operating systems include the following:
- Windows is Microsoft's flagship operating system, the de facto standard for habitation and business computers. Introduced in 1985, the GUI-based OS has been released in many versions since and then. The user-friendly Windows 95 was largely responsible for the rapid evolution of personal computing.
- Mac OS is the operating arrangement for Apple tree's Macintosh line of PCs and workstations.
- Unix is a multiuser operating system designed for flexibility and adaptability. Originally developed in the 1970s, Unix was ane of the first operating systems to be written in the C language.
- Linux is a Unix-like operating system that was designed to provide PC users a costless or low-cost alternative. Linux has a reputation as an efficient and fast-performing system.
Mobile operating system. Mobile operating systems are designed to accommodate the unique needs of mobile computing and advice-axial devices, such every bit smartphones and tablets. Mobile devices typically offer limited calculating resources compared to traditional PCs, and the OS must be scaled back in size and complication in social club to minimize its own resource utilise, while ensuring adequate resources for 1 or more than applications running on the device. Mobile operating systems tend to emphasize efficient performance, user responsiveness and close attending to data handling tasks, such every bit supporting media streaming. Apple iOS and Google Android are examples of mobile operating systems.
Embedded operating system. Not all computing devices are full general purpose. A huge assortment of dedicated devices -- including abode digital assistants, automatic teller machines (ATMs), airplane systems, retail point of sale (POS) terminals and internet of things (IoT) devices -- includes computers that require an operating system. The principal deviation is that the associated computing device just does one major thing, and so the OS is highly stripped downward and dedicated to both performance and resilience. The Os should run quickly, non crash, and handle all errors gracefully in order to continue operating in all circumstances. In most cases, the OS is provided on a scrap that is incorporated into the actual device. A medical device used in a patient's life support equipment, for example, will employ an embedded Bone that must run reliably in order to keep the patient alive. Embedded Linux is ane instance of an embedded OS.
Network operating system. A network operating system (NOS) is another specialized OS intended to facilitate communication between devices operating on a local area network (LAN). A NOS provides the communication stack needed to understand network protocols in order to create, exchange and decompose network packets. Today, the concept of a specialized NOS is largely obsolete because other OS types largely handle network advice. Windows 10 and Windows Server 2019, for example, include comprehensive networking capabilities. The concept of a NOS is still used for some networking devices, such as routers, switches and firewalls, and manufacturers may employ proprietary NOSes, including Cisco Internetwork Operating Organization (IOS), RouterOS and ZyNOS.
Real-fourth dimension operating organisation. When a computing device must collaborate with the real world inside constant and repeatable time constraints, the device manufacturer may opt to employ a real-time operating system (RTOS). For case, an industrial command organization may straight the operations of a sprawling factory or power plant. Such a facility will produce signals from myriad sensors and also ship signals to operate valves, actuators, motors and countless other devices. In these situations, the industrial command system must reply quickly and predictably to changing real-earth conditions -- otherwise, disaster may result. An RTOS must function without buffering, processing latencies and other delays, which are perfectly acceptable in other types of operating systems. Two examples of RTOSes include FreeRTOS and VxWorks.
The differences between operating organization types are non absolute, and some operating systems can share characteristics of others. For case, general-purpose operating systems routinely include the networking capabilities found in a traditional NOS. Similarly, an embedded operating system commonly includes attributes of an RTOS, while a mobile operating organization can still typically run numerous apps simultaneously similar other full general-purpose operating systems.
This was last updated in June 2021
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Source: https://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/operating-system-OS
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