The Operating System

Operating Systems play a crucial role in managing the computer’s resources and providing a user-friendly interface. Some key points:

Manage Hardware and Software: Operating systems manage computer’s hardware and software resources including memory, CPU, devices, and applications.
User Interface: Provides a user-friendly way to interact with the computer. This may be a graphical user interface (GUI), with windows, icons and a cursor, or a command-line interface (CLI), where commands are typed.
Multitasking: Supports multi-tasking by allowing multiple programs to run at the same time.
Memory Management: Controls how memory is accessed, and helps to optimise the computer’s performance.
Disk Management: Handles the reading and writing of data to the system’s storage.
File Management: Provides a system for storing, organising, and retrieving files.
Security: Responsible for managing access to the computer and its files, protecting the system against threats, and ensuring that software is updated to protect against the most recent threats.
Device Drivers: Operating systems interacts with peripherals (like scanners, printers) using programs called drivers. A device driver allows the OS and a hardware device to communicate with each other.

Popular Operating Systems

Learning the features of some widely used operating systems can be beneficial:

Windows: Developed by Microsoft, Windows is the most used operating system worldwide on PCs. It provides a GUI and supports a wide range of software.
MacOS: Developed by Apple for their Mac computers, MacOS also offers a GUI and is praised for its design and robust security.
Linux: An open-source operating system used primarily by developers and server systems. Comes in many different versions, or “distributions”, with a choice of GUIs, but can be run entirely from a CLI.
iOS and Android: Operating systems designed specifically for mobile devices like smartphones and tablets.

Kernel

At the core of the operating system is the kernel:

The kernel has complete control over everything that occurs in the system.
It is the part of the operating system that interfaces with hardware.
Its key roles include managing the system’s resources (such as the CPU and memory) and handling system calls from software.

Remembering key functions of an operating system and various types of interfaces can prove useful in mastering the subject. Familiarise yourself with the concept of kernel and understand how the operating system interacts with hardware.