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Operating System
Ok, so everyone knows that they have this big electronic thing
in front of them. It runs on something called hardware. But what tells
the computer what to do. Well, I have the answer for you. The principle
"activist" in your computer’s daily function is your operating system (OS).
Yes, it is the thing that crashes all the time, but down worry about it,
it is your friend no matter how many times you curse at it.
The operating system is responsible for everything on your
computer. It gives the commands. Think of it like a football team. The
coach is sitting there yelling all kinds of instructions at the players.
Well, that is like the relationship of the operating system with the rest
of the computer. The operating system analyzes input and then processes
the correct output. It controls your computer, both the internal and external
components. Due to this huge job, it is inevitable that everyone once in
a while it will run into a small problem (crashing, blue screen of death).
An operating system can have various jobs. For large systems
that run on operating systems like Unix and NT server, it controls multiple
users. All the users connected to these big systems create a big traffic
problem, and the operating system is responsible for controlling it. In
addition, the operating system has a responsibility to keep the computer
restricted to only what the user meant it to do. Therefore, it is responsible
for security.
Operating Systems are grouped into types:
Multi-User: An operating system developed to support
multiple users accessing the same system.
MultiProcessing: An operating system that supports running
a program on multiple CPUs.
Multitasking: An operating system designed to allow
the user to run multiple programs at one time.
Multithreading: Allows different parts of a single program
to be run concurrently.
Real-time: Responds to input automatically.
When building an operating system, the programmer(s) design
the software platform. This platform is used when other programmers develop
programs for the operating system. The software platform (also called a
kernel) limits the type of applications a computer can run. For example,
the Linux operating system does not support window’s based programs.
Operating systems run commands from the command processor.
These commands are what the processor allows the user to do. For example,
in DOS copy, rename, and format are examples of commands that the command
processor can do.
A few examples of popular operating systems:
386BSD, AIX, AOS, Amoeba, Angel, Artemis microkernel,
BEOS, Brazil, COS, CP/M, CTSS, Chorus, DACNOS, DOSEXEC 2, GCOS, GEORGE
3, GEOS, ITS, KAOS, LynxOS, MPV, MS-DOS, MVS, Mach, Macintosh operating
system, MINIX, Multics, Multipop-68, Novell NetWare, OS-9, OS/2, Pick,
Plan 9, QNX, RISC OS, STING, System V, System/360, TOPS-10, TOPS-20, TRUSIX,
TWENEX, TYMCOM-X, Thoth, Unix, VM/CMS, VMS, VRTX, VSTa, VxWorks, WAITS,
Windows 95, Windows98, Windows NT.
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