INTRODUCTION
WHAT IS AN OPERATING SYSTEM?
An
Operating System, or OS, is a basic program that is used to run and control
a computer and enables it to do many different things, such as multi-tasking,
file finds, run other programs, or may even have support for games or networking.
The OS is what is able to bridge the gap between the programs and telling
the computer what to do. In other words, the program tells the OS (eg. Windows
what to do, and windows relays the information to the screen, printer, or
whatever is required). This is useful as many programs are written in different
languages (Windows can interpret several) and more efficient. For example,
to use a printer, drivers are required in order for the computer to tell the
printer what to print. It would be inefficient to write in those drivers in
each program created, as there are many kinds of printers. Instead, it is
more viable to install printer drivers on the OS, and get the program to tell
the OS what to print. This saves time and memory space.
Up to date, there are several OS in the market, ranging from those that require a lot of memory and are able to perform many special functions, to those which are simple, sap up less system resources, task-oriented and, on the downside, provide less user-friendly features. A good example of a high-resource taking and yet secure, trustable and stable OS would be Windows 2000(Supports Direct X for games, multi-tasking, Internet Browsing and high-speed networking). An example of a low-memory requirement OS would be Windows 3.1 (which is able to run Microsoft Office).
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