What is an Operating System?
An Operating System (OS) is a system software that acts as an intermediary between computer hardware and user of a computer. It provides an environment where users can interact with the computer and run software programs effectively. The primary purpose of an operating system is to manage hardware resources, provide essential services, and ensure that software applications can run smoothly on the hardware.
Notes
- Every general-purpose computer must have an operating system to run other programs and applications.
- OS manages computer hardware resources and provide common services for application software.
- Without an operating system, a user cannot run an application program on their computer
- The OS coordinates multiple applications and users (multiple processes) in a fair and efficient manner.
Teacher Instruction Manual Definition
An operating system (OS) is a system software that provides a virtual machine (hides hardware details, provides an interface to applications and end users), manages computing resources (keeps track of resource usage, grants/revokes permissions for resources), and executes application software.
Common examples of operating systems include
- Microsoft Windows,
- MacOS,
- Various Linux distributions,
- Unix variants,
- Mobile operating systems like Android and iOS.
Each type of OS caters to different computing environments, from personal computers to servers and mobile devices.
