Operating System & Its Examples

What is an operating system? An operating system is a form of “low level” software that supports a computer's basic functions such as scheduling tasks and controlling peripherals. We can simply the operating system into three main functions which are: Manage computer resources. This will be things such as the central processing unit, memory, disk drives, and printers. Establish a user interface. This is an important part of an operating system, this is because the user need a way to communicate with the computer. Execute and provide services for applications software. This where is runs the application and allows the application to interact with other hardware it might need.

We need operating systems to translate the computers language into a user friendly interface making it much more useable. This is because only very few people can understand the complex streams of ones and zeros. Operating systems are very common as we use them every day. Example of an operating systems would be Windows, Apple iOS, Linux and Android. These all provide a friendly user interface and easily manage computer resources, this is why they were popular choices of operating systems. Different OS’s explained:

Windows OS

This is an operating system brought to us by microsoft, It is very popular and widely used. The name window comes from the fact is has a desktop that allows users to view files and folders in windows. Windows is used for computers.

Linux OS

Linux is a less discovered computer operating system.It is also free and open source. It is developed around Unix. Linux can be installed on PCs, laptops, netbooks, mobile and tablet devices. Users believe this interface to be more similar to a mobile device.

Apple iOS

This is an operating system used for mobile devices manufactured by Apple. This is only designed to be used on phones and is not compatible with computers. iOS is not an open source operating system and is only used in iphones. This also is a very user friendly OS and is controlled using touch. As iOS is controlled by apple it is very smooth to use.

Android OS

Android is a mobile operating system developed by Google, based on a modified version of the Linux kernel and other open source software. It is also designed for mobile devices and again is controlled by touch. As it is open source it is much more widely used in smartphones. Android is very good at multitasking ability.