Learn about what an operating system is in this article.
An operating system, sometimes abbreviated to an OS, is the most important piece of software installed on IT systems that allows the hardware to communicate with and manage all the programs on the computer. It basically allows users to interact with the computer, control the operation, and manage all the resources. Without an operating system, a computer would be useless.
Note:
An operating system may also be known as 'operating software'. However, it is more accurate to say 'operating system'.
Functions Of Operating Systems
The main functions of operating systems are:
To manage all the hardware inside the computer and all the connected peripherals, like the printers, keyboards, mouses, etc.
To handle all the data generated by programs.
To handle the launch and management of every program installed on the computer. Operating systems are also responsible for assigning memory to each program running to allow them to run.
To handle all input and output. The operating system is responsible for allowing peripheral devices to input and output data to the computer.
To support an API, which developers can access when building applications.
To manage networking capabilities, including connecting to the internet.
Types Of Operating Systems
The five main types of operating systems are:
General-purpose operating system - An operating system that can be used to run a wide range of programs and functions and not just specific ones. It can also be programmed to perform a large number of tasks. Windows and macOS are examples of general-purpose operating systems.
Mobile operating system - A type of operating system specifically designed to run on mobile devices, like smartphones and tablets. Compared to traditional PCs, computing resources are more limited and the operating system must be of an appropriate size and complexity to minimise its usage of resources. Android and iOS are examples of mobile operating systems.
Real-time operating system - Monitors external events and automatically processes data as soon as it enters the computer system. It provides fast response and is most suited when inputs must be immediately responded to. Real-time operating systems are mostly used in embedded devices, like traffic lights, air traffic control systems, and automatic braking systems.
Single-user, single-task operating system - This type of operating system can only be used by one user at a time and only one application can run at a time. This operating system requires fewer resources and is best used on devices that have limited processing power and memory.
Single-user, multi-tasking operating system - This type of operating system can only be used by one user at a time. However, it can run multiple applications at the same time. For example, Windows 10 is a single-user, multi-tasking operating system because it can only be used by one user at a time, but multiple programs, like word processors, web browsers, and file explorers, can run at the same time.
Multi-user operating system - This type of operating system allows multiple users to use the computer at the same time. The processing power and resources of the computer are shared by multiple users. UNIX is an example of a multi-user operating system.
Examples Of Operating Systems
Examples of operating systems are:
Microsoft Windows - The most widely used operating system on computers today. The first version of Windows was introduced in 1985 as Windows 1.0. Since then, lots of versions have been released, with Windows 11 being the most recently released Windows version.
macOS - The operating system for Apple Macintosh PCs. It integrates well with iOS devices and is the second most widely used desktop operating system.
Android - A mobile operating system developed by Google used for touchscreen devices. It is based on a modified version of the Linux kernel.
Apple iOS - A mobile operating system that Apple touchscreen devices, including iPhones and iPads run. The first version of iOS was released on 29th June 2007 as iPhone OS 1.0.
Linux - An open-source Unix-like operating system first released on 17th September 1991. Today, Linux is used by millions of people around the world.
History
In the 1940s, the first electronic digital systems had no operating systems. At that time, electronic systems were programmed on rows of mechanical switches or by jumper wires on plugboards. These systems served a specific purpose, such as producing ballistics tables for the military or managing the printing of payroll checks using data from punched paper cards.
In the field of operating systems for mainframe computers, a number of major advances were made throughout the 1950s, including batch processing, input/output interruption, buffering, multitasking, spooling, runtime libraries, link-loading, and programmes for sorting data in files. Instead of being included in the separate operating system that all applications use, these features were either included or not in the application software at the choice of the application authors.
With earlier computers, the user interacted with operating systems using a command-line interface (CLI). A CLI was the standard way of interacting with a computer. At that time, computers only had keyboards for input and the screens could only display text as output. During the 1980s and 1990s, the introduction of the Apple Macintosh and the Microsoft Windows operating systems led to the CLI as the standard user interface replaced by the GUI.
