The operating system coordinates the activities of various computer hardware devices and provides a means for the user to interact with the computer. Modern computers typically run Microsoft’s Windows or Apple’s Mac OS. Parts of the operating system are copied into memory from the hard disk and remain there while the computer is in use. The program itself is written by a developer. Unlike software, an application has no way to communicate with an entire operating systems without its support.
Operating systems manage resources of the computer. These resources include the central processing unit (CPU), computer memory, input/output devices, and networking. They perform tasks such as scheduling resource use and avoiding interference. The operating system runs indefinitely and only shuts down when the user shuts down the computer. This process is completely separate from the application. Often, a computer’s operating system is the only component in its hardware.
Last Line
An operating system is a critical component of any computer. It manages the computer’s resources, including the central processing unit, memory, file storage, and input/output devices. It also maintains the order of these resources. It is responsible for managing these resources to ensure that the computer performs all the tasks its user needs to perform. It is also responsible for managing a computer’s graphical interface, which provides different menus, symbols, and catches for a user to perform various tasks.
