Introduction to Operating System:

Operating System (OS) is an important part of a computer, without operating system no

computer can be computed. An Operating System is system software that can be defined as
an interface between user and hardware. Different kinds of application software use specific
hardware resources of a computer like CPU, I/O devices and memory, as needed by the
application software. OS controls and coordinates the use of hardware among the different
application software and the users. It provides an interface that is convenient for the user to use,
and facilitates efficient operations of the computer system resources. It is responsible for the
execution of all the processes, Resource Allocation, CPU management, File Management and
many other tasks. The key functions of OS are—

 It provides an environment in which users and application software can do work.

 It manages different resources of the computer like the CPU time, memory space, file
storage, I/O devices etc. During the use of computer by other programs or users,
operating system manages various resources and allocates them whenever required,
efficiently.
 It controls the execution of different programs to prevent occurrence of error.
 It provides a convenient interface to the user in the form of commands and graphical
interface, which facilitates the use of computer.

Some available operating systems are Microsoft Disk Operating System (MS-DOS), Windows 7,
Windows 10, Windows 11, Windows XP, Linux, UNIX, and Mac OS X

It hides the details of hardware from the user or programmer or with convenient interface for
using the system. Operating system controls and coordinates the use of hardware among various
applications programs for various users.

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The user gives the command to the computer through input devices, the operating system accepts
these commands and does the necessary task and gives the result in the form of output.

Objectives of Operating System:

The objectives of the operating system are −

Operating system is system software that controls and coordinates the use of hardware among
the different application software and users. OS intermediates between the user of computer and
the computer hardware. The user gives a command and the OS translates the command into a
form that the machine can understand and execute. OS has two main objectives
1. To make the computer system convenient and easy to use, for the user, and
2. To use the computer hardware in an efficient way, by handling the details of the
operations of the hardware.
 OS hides the working of the hardware from the user and makes it convenient for
the user to use the machine. The application program used by the user requires
the use of the hardware during processing. Some examples are—display of
application’s user interface, loading a program into memory, using I/O devices,
allocating CPU to different processes during execution, and store or load data
from hard disk. When using the machine, the user gives the command to perform
the required actions to the OS and the OS handles all the operational steps. The
user is not bothered about how these actions will be performed. This is the job of
OS. OS provides an interface to the application programs to interact with the
hardware. The user need not get into the details of this interaction.
 At the other end, the different resources of computer hardware have to be
managed and controlled. This includes managing the communication between
different devices, controlling the sequence and execution of processes, allocating
space on hard disk, providing error handling procedures etc. OS supervises and
manages the hardware of the computer.
 To keep track of who is using which resource, granting resource requests, and
mediating conflicting requests from different programs and users.
 To provide efficient and fair sharing of resources among users and programs.
Types of Operating System:

OS are classified into different types depending on their capability of processing

1. Single user OS
2. Multiuser OS
3. Multitasking OS
4. Multiprocessing OS
5. Real time OS
6. Embedded OS

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 1. Single user and Single Task OS:

These Operating Systems allow only one user to operate at a time. It is for use by a single
user for a standalone single computer for performing a single task. Operating system for
Personal Computers (PC) are single user OS. For example, if the user is editing a document,
then a document cannot be printed on the printer simultaneously. Single user OS are simple
operating system designed to manage one task at a time. MS-DOS is an example of single
user OS.

Figure: A single user performing a single task

2. Single User and Multitasking:

It allows execution of more than one task or process concurrently. For this, the processor
time is divided amongst different tasks. This division of time is also called time sharing. The
processor switches rapidly between processes. For example, the user can listen to music on
the computer while writing an article using word processor software. The user can switch
between the applications and also transfer data between them. Windows 95 and all later
versions of Windows are examples of multitasking OS.

Figure: A single user performing multitasking (issuing print command and making drawings)

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 3. Multiuser OS: It is used in computer networks that allow same data and applications to
be accessed by multiple users at the same time. The users can also communicate with
each other. Linux, UNIX, and Windows 7 are examples of multiuser OS.
4. Multiprocessing OS: have two or more processors for a single running process.
Processing takes place in parallel and is also called parallel processing. Each processor
works on different parts of the same task, or, on two or more different tasks. Since
execution takes place in parallel, they are used for high speed execution, and to increase
the power of computer. Linux, UNIX and Windows 7 are examples of multiprocessing
OS.
5. Multiprogramming OS:
In multiprogramming OS more than one job resides in main memory and hence the
memory is utilized. The CPU picks one job and starts executing it, when the job requires
to perform input/output operation, the does not sit idle and picks the next job and start
executing its instruction. In this way a single CPU is in demand all the time and hence it
is fully utilized.
6. Real Time OS: are designed to respond to an event within a predetermined time. These
operating systems are used to control processes. Processing is done within a time
constraint. OS monitors the events that affect the execution of process and respond
accordingly. They are used to respond to queries in areas like medical imaging system,
industrial control systems etc. LynxOS is an example of real time OS.
Types of Real-time operating system are:
a. Hard Real Time OS:
In Hard RTOS, all critical tasks must be completed within the specified time duration,
i.e., within the given deadline. Not meeting the deadline would result in critical
failures such as damage to equipment or even loss of human life.

Let's take an example of airbags provided by carmakers along with a handle in the driver's seat.
When the driver applies brakes at a particular instance, the airbags grow and prevent the driver's
head from hitting the handle. Had there been some delay even of milliseconds, then it would
have resulted in an accident.

Similarly, consider an on-stock trading software. If someone wants to sell a particular share, the
system must ensure that command is performed within a given critical time. Otherwise, if the
market falls abruptly, it may cause a huge loss to the trader.

b. Soft Real Time OS:

Soft RTOS accepts a few delays via the means of the Operating system. In this kind
of RTOS, there may be a closing date assigned for a particular job, but a delay for a
small amount of time is acceptable. So, cut off dates are treated softly via means of
this kind of RTOS.

For example, this type of system is used in Online Transaction systems and Livestock price
quotation Systems.

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 7. Embedded OS: is embedded in a device in the ROM. They are specific to a device and
are less resource intensive. They are used in appliances like microwaves, washing
machines, traffic control systems etc.

FUNCTIONS OF OS:

Operating system is large and complex software consisting of several components. Each
component of the operating system has its own set of defined inputs and outputs. Different
components of OS perform specific tasks to provide the overall functionality of the operating
system. Main functions of the operating system are as follows:

a. Process Management— Every software that runs on a computer, whether in the

background or in the frontend, is a process. Processor management is an execution unit in
which a program operates. The operating system determines the status of the processor and
processes, selects a job and its processor, allocates the processor to the process, and de-
allocates the processor after the process is completed.When more than one process runs on
the system the OS decides how and when a process will use the CPU. Hence, the name is
also CPU Scheduling. The process management activities handled by the OS are—(1)
control access to shared resources like file, memory, I/O and CPU, (2) control execution
of applications, (3) create, execute and delete a process (system process or user process),
(4) cancel or resume a process (5) schedule a process, and (6) synchronization,
communication and deadlock handling for processes.

b. Memory Management—The operating system handles the responsibility of storing any

data, system programs, and user programs in memory. This function of the operating
system is called memory management. The activities of memory management handled
by OS are—(1) allocate memory, (2) free memory, (3) re-allocate memory to a program
when a used block is freed, and (4) keep track of memory usage.

c. File Management— The operating system manages resource allocation and de-allocation.
It specifies which process receives the file and for how long. It also keeps track of
information, location, uses, status, and so on. These groupings of resources are referred to
as file systems. The files on a system are stored in different directories. The OS:

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  Keeps records of the status and locations of files.
 Allocates and deallocates resources.
 Decides who gets the resources.
 The file management tasks include—(1) create and delete both files and directories,
(2) provide access to files, (3) allocate space for files, (4) keep back-up of files, and
(5) secure files.
d. Device Management—An Operating System manages device communication via their
respective drivers. It does the following activities for device management −

Keeps tracks of all devices. Program responsible for this task is known as the I/O
controller.
 Decides which process gets the device when and for how much time.
 Allocates and De-allocates the device in the efficient way.
 The device management tasks handled by OS are—(1) open, close and write
device drivers, and (2) communicate, control and monitor the device driver.
e. Protection and Security—OS protects the resources of system. The operating system
uses password protection to protect user data and similar other techniques. User
authentication, file attributes like read, write, encryption, and back-up of data are used
by OS to provide basic protection.
f. User Interface or Command Interpreter—Operating system provides an interface
between the computer user and the computer hardware. The user interface is a set of
commands or a graphical user interface via which the user interacts with the applications
and the hardware.

Open Source Operating System:

Open Source operating systems are released under a license where the copyright holder
allows others to study, change as well as distribute the software to other people. This can
be done for any reason. The different open source operating systems available in the
market are:

1. Linux Kernel
Linux kernel was developed by Linus Torvalds. It is best known and most used open
source operating system. Linux is software that sits underneath all of the other software
on a computer receiving requires from those programs and relaying these requests to the
computer’s hardware.

2. Linux mint
Linux Mint is a powerful Linux-based operating system that exudes modernity and
power. It is simple to use and includes complete multimedia capabilities, making it a
user-friendly open-source operating system. It is an Ubuntu-based distribution that is
popular among both beginners and experts. It is built on the Debian platform and includes

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 one of the most powerful software managers. It is more stable and has better visual
aesthetics than Ubuntu.
3. React OS
React OS is another free and open-source operating system that has nearly 1 million
downloads in over 100 countries. This community-based OS may run Windows apps,
making it an excellent alternative to the Windows operating system. Although React OS
is still growing, users, who love highly customizable operating systems, can select React
OS. However, the operating system is developer-focused.

4. Cosmos:
This is an open source operating system written mostly in programming language C#. Its
full form is C# Open Source Managed Operating System. Till 2016, Cosmos did not
intend to be a fully-fledged operating system but a system that allowed other developers
to easily build their own operating systems. It also hid the inner workings of the hardware
from the developers thus providing data abstraction.

5. FreeDOS:
This was a free operating system developed for systems compatible with IBM PC
computers. FreeDOS provides a complete environment to run legacy software and other
embedded systems. It can booted from a floppy disk or USB flash drive as required.
FreeDos is licensed under the GNU General Public license and contains free and open
source software. So there is no license fees required for its distribution and changes to the
system are permitted.

6. Genode:
Genode is free as well as open source. It contains a microkernel layer and different user
components. It is one of the few open source operating systems not derived from a
licenced operating system such as Unix. Genode can be used as an operating system for
computers, tablets etc. as required. It is also used as a base for virtualisation, interprocess
communication, software development etc. as it has a small code system.

7. Ghost OS:
This is a free, open source operating system developed for personal computers. It started
as a research project and developed to contain various advanced features like graphical
user interface, C library etc. The Ghost operating system features multiprocessing and
multitasking and is based on the Ghost Kernel. Most of the programming in Ghost OS is
done in C++.

8. ITS:
The incompatible time-sharing system was developed by the MIT Artificial Intelligence
Library. It is principally a time sharing system. There is a remote login facility which
allowed guest users to informally try out the operating system and its features using
ARPAnet. ITS also gave out many new features that were unique at that time such as
device independent graphics terminal, virtual devices, inter machine file system access
etc.

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 9. OSv:
This was an operating system released in 2013. It was mainly focused on cloud
computing and was built to run on top of a virtual machine as a guest. This is the reason it
doesn't include drivers for bare hardware. In the OSV operating system, everything runs
in the kernel address space and there is no concept of a multi-user system.

10. Phantom OS:

This is an operating system that is based on the concepts on persistent virtual memory
and is code oriented. It was mostly developed by Russian developers. Phantom OS is not
based on concepts of famous operating systems such as Unix. Its main goal is simplicity
and effectiveness in process management..

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