Operating Systems

An interface between the user and hardware

What is an Operating System?

An Operating System (OS) is an interface between a computer user and computer hardware. An operating system is software which performs all the basic tasks like file management, memory management, process management, handling input and output, and controlling peripheral devices such as disk drives and printers.

An operating system is a software that enables applications to interact with a computer’s hardware. The software that contains the core components of the operating system is called the kernel.

The primary purposes of an Operating System are to enable applications (software) to interact with a computer’s hardware and to manage a system’s hardware and software resources.

Some popular Operating Systems include Linux Operating System, Windows Operating System, VMS, OS/400, AIX, z/OS, etc. Today, Operating systems are found almost in every device like mobile phones, personal computers, mainframe computers, automobiles, TV, Toys etc.

Why Use an Operating System?

The operating system helps in improving the computer software as well as hardware. Without OS, it became very difficult for any application to be user-friendly. Operating System provides a user with an interface that makes any application attractive and user-friendly. The operating System comes with a large number of device drivers that makes OS services reachable to the hardware environment. Each and every application present in the system requires the Operating System. The operating system works as a communication channel between system hardware and system software. The operating system helps interact an application with the hardware part without knowing about the actual hardware configuration. It is one of the most important parts of the system and hence it is present in every device, whether large or small device.

History of Operating System:

The operating system has been evolving through the years. The following table shows the history of OS.

Features of the Operating system

• Convenient to use: One of the objectives is to make the computer system more convenient to use in an efficient manner.
• User Friendly: To make the computer system more interactive with a more convenient interface for the users.
• Easy Access: To provide easy access to users for using resources by acting as an intermediary between the hardware and its users.
• Management of Resources: For managing the resources of a computer in a better and faster way.
• Controls and Monitoring: By keeping track of who is using which resource, granting resource requests, and mediating conflicting requests from different programs and users.
• Fair Sharing of Resources: Providing efficient and fair sharing of resources between the users and programs.

The architecture of the Operating system

We can draw a generic architecture diagram of an Operating System which is as follows:

Types of Operating Systems

• Batch Operating System: Sequence of jobs in a program on a computer without manual interventions. There is an operator who takes similar jobs having the same requirements and groups them into batches.
• Time-sharing operating System: Allows many users to share computer resources. (Max utilization of the resources).
• Distributed Operating System: Manages a group of different computers and makes appear to be a single computer.
• Network operating system: computers running in different operating systems can participate in a common network (It is used for security purposes).
• Real-time operating system: Used where any or all the jobs have strict time constraints.
• Single-User Operating Systems: Single-User Operating Systems are designed to support a single user at a time. Examples include Microsoft Windows for personal computers and Apple macOS.
• Multi-User Operating Systems: Multi-User Operating Systems are designed to support multiple users simultaneously. Examples include Linux and Unix.
• Embedded Operating Systems: Embedded Operating Systems are designed to run on devices with limited resources, such as smartphones, wearable devices, and household appliances. Examples include Google’s Android and Apple’s iOS.

Examples of Operating Systems

• Windows (GUI-based, PC)
• GNU/Linux (Personal, Workstations, ISP, File, and print server, Three-tier client/Server)
• macOS (Macintosh), used for Apple’s personal computers and workstations (MacBook, iMac).
• Android (Google’s Operating System for smartphones/tablets/smartwatches)
• iOS (Apple’s OS for iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch)

How To Choose the Correct Operating System?

There are so many factors to be considered while choosing the best Operating System for our use. These factors are mentioned below.

• Price Factor: Price is one of the factors to choose the correct Operating System as there are some OS that is free, like Linux, but there is some more OS that is paid like Windows and macOS.
• Accessibility Factor: Some Operating Systems are easy to use like macOS and iOS, but some OS are a little bit complex to understand like Linux. So, you must choose the Operating System in which you are more accessible.
• Compatibility factor: Some Operating Systems support very less applications whereas some Operating Systems supports more application. You must choose the OS, which supports the applications which are required by you.
• Security Factor: The security Factor is also a factor in choosing the correct OS, as macOS provide some additional security while Windows has little fewer security features.

Functions of the Operating System

• Resource Management: The operating system manages and allocates memory, CPU time, and other hardware resources among the various programs and processes running on the computer.
• Process Management: The operating system is responsible for starting, stopping, and managing processes and programs. It also controls the scheduling of processes and allocates resources to them.
• Memory Management: The operating system manages the computer’s primary memory and provides mechanisms for optimizing memory usage.
• Security: The operating system provides a secure environment for the user, applications, and data by implementing security policies and mechanisms such as access controls and encryption.
• File Management: The operating system is responsible for organizing and managing the file system, including the creation, deletion, and manipulation of files and directories.
• Device Management: The operating system manages input/output devices such as printers, keyboards, mice, and displays. It provides the necessary drivers and interfaces to enable communication between the devices and the computer.
• Networking: The operating system provides networking capabilities such as establishing and managing network connections, handling network protocols, and sharing resources such as printers and files over a network.
• Backup and Recovery: The operating system provides mechanisms for backing up data and recovering it in case of system failures, errors, or disasters.

Conclusion

In conclusion, an operating system is the most important software which runs on a computer. It controls the computer’s memory, processes and all software and hardware. Several computer programs normally run at the same time, all of which need to access the computer’s processor (CPU), memory, and storage.