In this chapter, we start our study with the introduction of operating system and it's types and also we will look at the objectives and functions of operating system.
Operating System
An operating system is a software that provides an interface between the user and computer hardware. It is a medium by which a user can interact with computer directly without knowing any computer language to communicate. Every device such as mobile, smart phones, tablets, laptops or computers have their own operating system to performs all the basic tasks like file management, memory management, process management, handling input or output and controlling peripheral devices such as hard-disk and printer.
Following are the most commonly used operating system:
- MS-Windows.
- Ubuntu.
- Mac OS.
- Linux.
- Apple ios.
- Solaris.
- Unix.
- Chrome OS.
- Android OS.
- Fedora.
Types of Operating System
As the times changed, the operating system also evolved with time. There are some types of most commonly used operating system.
- Batch Operating System
- Multitasking/Time Sharing OS
- Multiprocessing OS
- Real Time OS
- Distributed OS
- Network OS
- Mobile OS
Some Functions of OS
It is impossible to imagine to run a computer without operating system. An operating system performs many important functions in the computer. Some such of important functions are given below.
| Functions | Activities |
|---|---|
| File management |
|
| Memory management |
|
| Process management |
|
| Device management | Device management keeps tracks of all devices. This module also responsible for this task is known as the I/O controller. It also performs the task of allocation and de-allocation of the devices. |
| I/O system management | One of the main objects of any OS is to hide the peculiarities of specific hardware devices from the user. |
| Security | Security module protects the data and information of a computer system against malware threat and authorized access. |
| Command Interpretation | This module is interpreting commands given by the user and acting system resources to process that commands. |
Operating System Services
- Program execution:
- I/O operation:
- File-system manipulation
- Communication
The system must be able to load a program into memory and to run that program.
A running program may require I/O. This I/O may involve a file or an I/O device.
Tge file-system is of particular interest. Obviously, programs need to read & write files. Programs also need to create & delete files by its name.
One process need to exchange information with another process. Such communication can occur in two ways-
The first takes place b/w processes that are executing on the same computer.
The second takes place b/w processes that are executing on different computer system.
In the next chapter we will see the evolution of operating system.
