OPERATING SYSTEM
Operating System
Collection of operating programs that provides
an interface for the user to interact with the
computer
Such type of system software that allows
user to run other applications on
computer
Manages hardware resources and provides
services for computer programs
A computer can not do anything without
operating system (OS)
When the computer is started the OS first loaded
in to the main memory
Important operating systems
Windows, DOS, Unix and Linux
Objectives of Operating System
Convenience
To make the use of computer easy for user
Efficiency
Improves the performance of computer
Allows computer resources such as Input / Output
devices, CPU, Memory, Internet to be used in an
efficient manner
Functions of Operating System
There are five functions of operating system
Process Management
Memory Management
File Management
Input/Output Management
Resource Management
Process Management
A process is a program in execution
A process in execution needs resources like processing
resources (CPU, Memory, Input/ Output resources)
The OS must allocate resources to processes
Enables processes to share and exchange information
Creation and deletion of process, and scheduling of
system resources to different processes
Memory Management
The process of allocating memory space for user
programs in main memory(RAM)
When programs are run by users, the operating
system allocated portions of free memory to programs
When the program is closed, the operating system
will free the memory portion used by that program
for reuse
OS automatically loads user programs in available
memory space and executes them
Input/ Output Management
The process of controlling the operations of all the
input/output devices attached to the computer
OS Manages the I/O devices (mouse , keyboard monitor,
printer etc.) through which user communicates with
computer
File Management
A part of operating system that
Organizes, stores and keeps track of file and folders
File can be a document, programs, images, audio and
video
OS control the common operations performed on a file
Like Creating, Editing, Opening, Renaming, Copying,
Searching, Deleting
Resource Management
OS automatically manages the resources of a computer
when application program are executed by computer
user
Resources
Microprocessor
Memory
All devices attached to computer
Types of Operating System
On the basis of user interface there are two types of
Command Line Interface
Graphical User Interface
Command Line Interface
In Command line operating system, users need to write a
command to perform certain task
To write commands, user need to memorize them
These operating system provide textual interface
Examples
DOS (Disk Operating System)
Unix
Graphical User Interface
In GUI operating system, icons, windows and
buttons are used as visual components
These copmonents and objects are used to perform
different tasks
Users of these operating system are not required to
memorize the commands
Examples
Windows
Linux
Solaris
Utility Programs
A utility program is a type of system software that is used
for effective management of computer system
The user can use utility program to perform maintenance
tasks related to devices and programs
Utility programs keep the computer system running smoothly
Most operating system includes different built-in utility
programs
User can also buy stand alone utility programs
Device Drivers
A program that is used to operate and control a device
attached to computer
Provided by manufactures of devices
e.g. HP, DELL, TOSHIBA, SONY, etc.
Typical devices are keyboards, printers, scanners,
digital cameras, USB and other external storage
devices
Devices cannot function properly without device
drivers