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What Is An Operating System

An operating system is a program that manages all other programs in a computer. It determines which applications run and in what order, manages sharing of memory between applications, handles input/output to hardware devices, sends status messages and errors to applications and users, and offloads tasks like printing. Common operating systems include Linux, Windows, VMS, OS/400, AIX, and z/OS.

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Jesús Reyes
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22 views

What Is An Operating System

An operating system is a program that manages all other programs in a computer. It determines which applications run and in what order, manages sharing of memory between applications, handles input/output to hardware devices, sends status messages and errors to applications and users, and offloads tasks like printing. Common operating systems include Linux, Windows, VMS, OS/400, AIX, and z/OS.

Uploaded by

Jesús Reyes
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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What is an operating system?

What is an operating system? An operating system (sometimes abbreviated as "OS") is the


program that, after being initially loaded into the computer by a boot program, manages all the
other programs in a computer. The other programs are called applications or application
programs. The application programs make use of the operating system by making requests for
services through a defined application program interface (API). In addition, users can interact
directly with the operating system through a user interface such as a command language or a
graphical user interface (GUI).

An operating system performs these services for applications:

In a multitasking operating system where multiple programs can be running at the same time, the
operating system determines which applications should run in what order and how much time
should be allowed for each application before giving another application a turn.
It manages the sharing of internal memory among multiple applications.
It handles input and output to and from attached hardware devices, such as hard disks, printers,
and dial-up ports.
It sends messages to each application or interactive user (or to a system operator) about the
status of operation and any errors that may have occurred.
It can offload the management of what are called batch jobs (for example, printing) so that the
initiating application is freed from this work.
On computers that can provide parallel processing, an operating system can manage how to divide
the program so that it runs on more than one processor at a time.
All major computer platforms (hardware and software) require and sometimes include an
operating system. Linux, Windows, VMS, OS/400, AIX, and z/OS are all examples of operating
systems.

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