Operating Systems Essay

996 Words2 Pages

Explain the purpose of operating systems (P2) The operating system whatever it may be (Windows or Linux) it is the most important program that runs on a computer. All general purpose computers require an operating system in order to run other programs. The Operating system performs essential basic tasks such as recognizing input from the keyboard, keeping track of files and their directories on the disk, the sending output to the display screen and the controlling of peripheral devices such as keyboards and printers. How Operating Systems work Multi-user It 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 the running of a program on more than a single CPU. Multitasking Allows more the a single program to run concurrently Multithreading Allows different parts of a single program to run concurrently. Real Time Responds to input instantly. A general purpose operating system. Like DOS and UNIX, is not real time. An Operating system provides a software platform on top of other programs, known as application programs can be run. The application programs have to be written to run on top of a particular operating system. The most popular operating systems are Windows and OS/2. Computers are useable without an operating system but only the experienced users can use the DOS interface to carry out tasks so the Operating system makes the simplest of tasks easier. It makes the computer more user friendly therefore allowing inexperienced users the capability of using computers. The main purposes of an operating system are the managing of software and hardware resources in the system. So if we were to use a desktop computer in th... ... middle of paper ... ... like roaming, cataloguing, copying, cutting, moving etc. Hex Editors: Allows the user to directly modify the data or text of a file. Memory testers: Regular checks for memory failures. Network utilities: Used to analyse and configure various aspects of computer networks. Registry Cleaners: Cleaning and optimizing of the windows Registry by removing old registry keys that are no longer in use. Screensavers: Moving images or patterns once the computer is idle (not used for a specific time period). Also used for entertainment or security. System Monitors: To monitor resources and performance in a computers system. System Profilers: Used to provide the user with detailed information about the hardware attached to the computer and its software. Compare the features and functions of different operating systems (M1) Android - 4.4 KitKat Windows 8

Open Document