You may have heard of UNIX, Windows and Mac OS, but what is an operating system and what does it do? The operating system is like the backbone of the computer. An operating system is the primary software that organizes and controls all the hardware, functions, operations and software programs of a computer.
The kind of operating system a computer uses is dependent on what kind of computer it is and what it is going to be used for. Most computers come pre-loaded with the operating system when you purchase them. Personal computers usually come pre-loaded with Windows, Apple computers usually are pre-loaded with the Macintosh operating system and servers use such operating systems as Linux and UNIX however there are hundreds of operating systems available if you have specific needs for them.
Not only computers make use of operating systems. They come in many electronic devices like cell phones, video game consoles and even in high tech fridges and coffee machines.
Software and hardware are managed by the operating system which controls all the functions and features of them. It manages the communication between applications and the computer hardware. It also makes sure that software and hardware will not run into conflicts while running on a computer system.
The operating system manages all the computer's hardware by loading so called drivers which are used to interact with the hardware.
The software programs that run on the operating system receive the hardware information from it without having to use their own functions to interact with the hardware directly. All hardware of the computer is managed by the operating system.
As the central component of a computer system the operating system manages data transfer between hardware and software. Pressing a key on the keyboard is for instance directed to several hardware components like the processor and video card so that the result can be outputted on the computer screen.
Operating systems make use of user groups and users. This is being used to give users access to specific parts of the operating system. It can also prevent certain users and user groups from accessing parts of the operating system, software or hardware.
The kind of operating system a computer uses is dependent on what kind of computer it is and what it is going to be used for. Most computers come pre-loaded with the operating system when you purchase them. Personal computers usually come pre-loaded with Windows, Apple computers usually are pre-loaded with the Macintosh operating system and servers use such operating systems as Linux and UNIX however there are hundreds of operating systems available if you have specific needs for them.
Not only computers make use of operating systems. They come in many electronic devices like cell phones, video game consoles and even in high tech fridges and coffee machines.
Software and hardware are managed by the operating system which controls all the functions and features of them. It manages the communication between applications and the computer hardware. It also makes sure that software and hardware will not run into conflicts while running on a computer system.
The operating system manages all the computer's hardware by loading so called drivers which are used to interact with the hardware.
The software programs that run on the operating system receive the hardware information from it without having to use their own functions to interact with the hardware directly. All hardware of the computer is managed by the operating system.
As the central component of a computer system the operating system manages data transfer between hardware and software. Pressing a key on the keyboard is for instance directed to several hardware components like the processor and video card so that the result can be outputted on the computer screen.
Operating systems make use of user groups and users. This is being used to give users access to specific parts of the operating system. It can also prevent certain users and user groups from accessing parts of the operating system, software or hardware.
About the Author:
Martin writes regularly about the soon to be released Windows operating system Windows 7. You can find more information about the Windows operating system like the one about Windows 7 Wallpapers at his blog.
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