What is an Operating System?

What is an Operating System?


An Operating System (abbreviated as "OS") is system software that helps us to operate a computer system. The operating system gets loaded into the computer's memory as soon as we start the computer and resides there all the time till we switch it OFF. The process that loads the operating system into the main memory (RAM) of the computer is termed booting. The Operating system performs many tasks to help users work on the computer. 


The three most important tasks that an operating system performs are as follows:

1. Operating system controls and coordinates the internal working of the computer. The functioning of all the input, output, storage devices, and CPU is controlled by the operating system.


2. The Operating system acts as an interface or intermediary between the user and the computer hardware devices, allowing them to communicate with each other. This makes it possible for users to work on the computer and give commands to the computer hardware through software applications.


3. The Operating system provides a platform for the application software to run on the computer. No software can run on the computer if it does not have an operating system.


Functions of the Operating System


    1. Processor (CPU) Management

A running program is called a Process. The operating system keeps track of the processor and the status of the processes. Part of the operating system responsible for this task is known as the function called process scheduling. Operating System decides which program gets the processor, when, and for how much time. This Operating System allocates the processor (CPU) to a process and de-allocates it when the process no longer needs it so that it can be allocated to some other process.


    2. Memory Management 

Operating System keeps track of the primary memory, i.e., which part of the primary memory is in use, which program is using the memory and which parts of the memory are free, etc. Operating System decides the memory requirements of the various programs and allocates them memory accordingly.

Operating System de-allocates the memory when a program is closed and makes the freed-up memory available to another program. Thus, the operating system enables the sharing of memory by applications.


    3. File Management

• Operating System organizes files through a hierarchy of directories/folders for easy navigation. 

• It keeps track of information, location, uses, status, etc. of the data files and directories. 

• It performs operations like creating, deleting, storing, organizing, and locating files and folders. It manages requests from processes and application programs to access and update files.

It controls access to the files through file access authentication and authorization.


    4. Device Management

Operating System keeps track of all the input and output devices attached to the computer through a program known as the I/O controller.

It allocates and de-allocates devices to the processes and applications in the most efficient way to optimize the working of the computer system.


  • The operating system also performs many other important functions. It provides a platform for the applications program like MS Word, MS Excel, etc. to run on the computer. It provides an interface for the user to work on the computer. It ensures data security by letting on authorized persons work on the computer. It also detects and debugs errors that may arise during the computer's working.


Commonly Used Operating Systems


All types of personal computers (desktop computers, laptops, tablets, smartphones, etc.) must have an operating system to let users interact with the hardware components. Let us learn about some popular operating systems available these days.


1. UNIX

UNIX is a popular multi-user, multi-tasking operating system. It is widely used in servers, workstations, and distributed networks but has never been popular as an operating system for personal computers. UNIX operating system is primarily a Character User Interface (CUI) based operating system that allows users to interact with the computer by typing commands.


2. LINUX

Linux is an open-source operating system that is freely distributable and can be installed on a variety of devices including PCs, laptops, netbooks, mobile and tablet devices, video game consoles, servers, supercomputers, and more. The core of Linux is the Linux Kernel which was developed by Linus Torvalds in 1991. The Linux Kernel was combined with the GNU tools developed by Richard Stallman in 1983 to create the operating system we now know as LINUX.


3. Windows Operating System

Windows or MS Windows is a family of popular Graphical User Interface (GUI) based operating systems developed by Microsoft Corp. USA. According to some estimates around 90 percent of personal computers around the world run on the Windows Operating system. Windows 7, Windows 8.1, and Windows 10 are some popular versions of the Windows operating system.


4. Mobile Operating Systems

A mobile operating system, also referred to as mobile OS, is an operating system that is specifically designed to operate a mobile device such as a mobile phone, smartphone, tablet, PDA, and other handheld devices.


Modern mobile operating systems combine the features of a personal computer operating system with other features, including a touchscreen, cellular, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, speech recognition, GPS navigation, camera, music player, etc. Here is a brief description of some mobile operating systems.


a) Android: Android is a Linux-based open source and free operating system developed by Google Inc. It is the most popular mobile operating system in the world today and runs the most number of mobile devices. Android operating system provides its users access to lakhs of innovative and useful applications and games on their mobile devices. Android 10.0 is the latest version of the android operating system.


b) iOS: iOS is a family of mobile operating systems derived from the Mac OS X developed by Apple Inc. It is the second most popular operating system for mobile devices and is used to run Apple iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch, and second-generation Apple TV.


c) Symbian: The Symbian Operating System was developed by Nokia for certain models of smartphones. The operating system was discontinued in 2012, although a slimmed-down version for basic phones was still developed until July 2014. However, after acquiring Nokia, Microsoft completely stopped the development of this operating system.


Types of Operating Systems


Based on the User Interface there are two types of operating systems- one that provides Command Line Interface (CLI) and the one which provides Graphical User Interface (GUI). In the command line, interface-based operating systems users are needed to remember many commands to work on the computer. MS-DOS and Unix are CLI-based operating systems.


In GUI-based operating systems users can click on graphical icons and work on the computer with relative ease. The user is not required to remember any textual commands. MS Windows, Mac OS, and Linux are examples of GUI-based operating systems.

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