Information Technology Center

The Operating System

The Operating System or OS is a suite of programs that control all computer resources. Both hardware and software resources.

This lecture focuses on:

  1. What an OS is
  2. OS examples
  3. OS Types
  4. Functions of an OS

What an OS is

The Operating System is the main system software on a computer. Without it a computer will not be able to perform any of its functions. It allows user programs to communicate with the computer hardware. We say, the OS drives the hardware.

OS Examples

A user may type a letter using a wordprocessing application such as Microsoft Word then click on the print icon. Microsoft Word will make the request of the OS. The OS checks to see if the printer is online then it sends a copy of the document to be printed.

Microsoft has many different types of operating systems. The most common and current versions are Windows 8.1 and Windows 10 and Windows 11. These versions all support touch screen laptops and tablets. Windows 7, a very early version of Windows,does not support touch screen devices and is no longer supported by Microsoft. If your PC is still running Windows 7 you really should upgrade to a more modern version or switch to Linux

Apple produces an OS called the Mac OS X. Another very powerful OS is Linux. Linux has many versions that you can download for free from the internet. You will no doubt find one to suite you.

OS Types

There are single user operating systems and multi-user operating systems. There are also operating systems that are designed to accept jobs submitted to it one after the other in batches.

Functions of an OS

The main functions of an operating system are :

  1. File (storage) Management
  2. Processor Management
  3. Memory Management
  4. Device Management
  5. Application interface
  6. Provide a user interface
  7. System Security management

On PCs and larger computers the operating system automatically starts as soon as the computer is switched on. This process is called booting-up the system. Booting refers to the process of loading part of the OS into the computer's main memory from disk. On smart phones and tablets the OS is embedded in a ROM chip.

Before you attempt any questions take a 20 minutes tour of Windows 10 - 17 mins

Compare Windows 10 vs Windows 11 - 14 mins

Test Yourself

Choose the correct answer
Questions Options Verify
 1)  Software is the power behind the computer True
False
 2)  The OS is the main application software. True
False
 3)  Microsoft Corporation developed Mac OS X True
False
 4)  Linux is an OS that comes in many flavours True
False
 5)  Microsoft Corporation developed both Windows 10 and Linux True
False
 6)  Cellphones have their OS on a ROM chip True
False
Lecturer:

The Tutor
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