OPERATING SYSTEMS
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Let's talk about operating systems, a fundamental part of the software of
any PC, Tablet or Smartphone for it to function correctly. We will see
what the operating system is, what it is used for, the types that exist,
compatibility, a little of its history... In short, everything you need to
know about Operating Systems (OS), explained clearly and simply.
Table of Contents:
- What is the Operating System?
- What is the Operating System for?
- Parts of an Operating System-
Types of Operating
Systems- Operating Systems for
PC- Operating Systems for Mobile Phones or Cell Phones-
OS According to the Computer and the Type of Applications-
Compatibility of the OS-
History and Evolution of the
OS- Video about the OS.
What is the Operating System?
An Operating System (OS) is a program (software) that, when we start
or start the computer, is responsible for managing all the
resources of the computer system, both the hardware (physical
parts, hard drive, screen, keyboard, etc.) and the software (programs
and instructions), thus allowing communication between the user
and the computer.
All PCs, laptops, tablets, smartphones and
https://www.areatecnologia.com/Que-es-un-smartphone.htm servers
have and need an operating system.
The other programs are called applications. In summary, an OS is
responsible for managing the software and hardware of a computer.
In its most general sense, an OS is software that allows a user to
run other applications on a computing device (computer, smartphone,
tablet, etc.).
Operating systems usually come pre-loaded on any computer when we
buy it. Most people use the operating system that comes with their
computer or mobile phone, but it is possible to upgrade or even change
the operating system to a different one.
What is the Operating System
for?
Operating systems use images and buttons to communicate with the
computer in a simple and easy way to tell it what we want to do at any
given time.
Its main function is to give us the necessary tools to control our
computer and use it in the most comfortable and simple way possible.
The basic functions of the Operating System are to manage the
computer's resources, coordinate the hardware and organize files and
directories on the storage devices of our computer.
Some more specific things that an Operating System can do are:
- The operating system is the single major piece of software that runs
programs and takes care of everything else. For example, the
operating system controls which files and other resources these
programs can access once they are run.
- When we have multiple programs that can run at the same time, the
operating system determines which applications should run in what
order and for how long.
- Manages internal memory sharing between multiple applications.
- It handles the input and output of data to and from connected
hardware devices, such as hard drives, printers, communication ports,
keyboards, etc.
- It sends messages to each application or user (or to a system operator)
about the operating status and any errors that may have occurred.
- On computers that can provide parallel processing, an operating
system can handle how to split up the program so that it runs on more
than one processor at a time.
An example: when an application wants to print something, it hands
that task over to the operating system. The operating system sends
instructions to the printer, using the printer drivers to send the correct
signals. The application that is printing does not have to worry about
which printer it has to print to or understand how that printer works. The
operating system handles all the details.
Another Example: When the OS runs a game, for example Minecraft, it
runs it on an operating system, the one that our computer has.
The game, in this case Minecraft, does not have to know exactly how
each different hardware component that our PC has works. What
Minecraft does is use a variety of functions from the operating system
itself, and the operating system translates them into instructions to
control our hardware. This saves Minecraft developers, and all other
programs running on an operating system, a lot of trouble.
Parts of an Operating System
The operating system consists of many components or parts and many
different features. The features that are defined as part of the operating
system vary with each operating system. However, the three parts of
the OS that are most easily defined and used by all OS are:
- Kernel: This is the OS program that we could say is the heart of your
operating system, for that reason it is also called the "core" of the OS.
Kernel is the first thing loaded when the OS boots and provides basic
level control over all of the computer's hardware devices. Main functions
include reading data from and writing data to memory, processing
execution commands, determining how devices such as the monitor,
keyboard, and mouse work, how they receive and send data, and how to
interpret data received from networks.
The kernel usually runs in an isolated area to prevent other software
on the computer from tampering with it. The operating system kernel is
very important, but it is only one part of the operating system.
- User interface: This component allows interaction with the user, which
can occur through graphical icons and a desktop or through a command
line.
- Application programming interfaces: This component allows
application developers to write modular (piece-by-piece) code.
Linux is just a kernel. However, Linux is often called an operating
system. Android is also called an operating system and is built around
the Linux kernel. Linux distributions like Ubuntu take the Linux kernel
and add additional software. They are also known as operating systems.
Types of Operating Systems
At the PC user level, we can say that there are two types of Operating
Systems: PC OS and Mobile Phone OS.
But there is also a broad family of operating systems categorized by
the types of computers they control and the types of
applications they support. The 4 categories for this type of OS are:
Real-Time OS, Single User Single Task OS, Single User Multitasking OS,
and Multi-User OS.
Let's look at the different types one by one.
PC Operating Systems
There are many different operating systems for PCs or desktop
computers, but the most commonly used are Windows, Mac and
LINUX. Here we leave you an image with the most used OS for PC:
The use of windows is the hallmark of the Microsoft operating system,
Windows, the standard system for personal and business computers.
Introduced in 1985, it was largely responsible for the rapid evolution of
personal computing.
Mac OS is Apple's Macintosh operating system for personal computers
and workstations. The Apple logo is on the Macintosh operating
system.
Linux or GNU/Linux as an operating system was designed to provide
personal computer users with a free or very low-cost alternative.
Linux has a reputation for being a very efficient and fast system. There
are many different versions, the most popular being Ubuntu or
Fedora. Versions can be freely modified by any user.
Mobile Operating Systems
The most widely used operating systems for mobile phones and
tablets are Android and iOS, but you can see more in the image below.
If you want to know more about these operating systems, here is a link:
Mobile Operating Systems.
OS According to the Computer and the Type of Applications
Of this type we have:
- Real-time operating system (RTOS): real-time operating systems are
used to control machinery, scientific instruments and industrial systems.
A very important part of an RTOS is to manage the computer's resources
so that a particular operation is executed in exactly the same amount of
time, every time it occurs.
- Single User, Single Task: As the name suggests, this operating
system is designed to manage the computer so that a user can do one
thing at a time.
- Single user, multitasking: This is the type of operating system that
most people use on their desktop and laptop computers today.
Microsoft's Windows and Apple's MacOS platforms are examples of
operating systems that will allow a single user to have multiple
programs running at the same time.
- Multi-user: A multi-user operating system allows many different users
to take advantage of the computer's resources simultaneously. Unix,
VMS, and mainframe operating systems such as MVS are examples of
multi-user operating systems.
OS Compatibility
Most software programs are designed to work with only one company's
operating system, such as Windows only (Microsoft) or macOS only
(Apple).
A software will clearly state which operating systems it supports
and will be very specific if necessary including the version or
versions of that OS it supports. For example, a video production
software program might say it is compatible with Windows 10, Windows
8, and Windows 7, but it is not compatible with older versions of
Windows such as Windows Vista and XP.
Software developers also often release additional versions of their
software that work with other operating systems or different versions.
Going back to the video production software example, that company
could also release another version of the software with exactly the same
features but to work with macOS instead of Windows.
It is also important to know whether your operating system is 32-
bit or 64-bit. It's a common question you get asked when downloading
software. Below you can see how to know if your computer is 32-bit or
64-bit in Windows.
There is a special type of software called "virtual machines" that
imitate "real" computers and run different operating systems from them.
History and Evolution of
Operating Systems
The first computers did not have operating systems. Every program that
ran on these early computers had to include all the code necessary to
run on the computer, communicate with the connected hardware, and
perform the calculation the program was intended to perform. This
situation made even the simplest programs become very complex.
In response to this problem, mainframe owners began developing
system software to make it easier to write and run the programs
that came with the computer, and the first operating systems were
born.
The first operating system was created by General Motors in 1956 to run
a single IBM mainframe computer. In the 1960s, IBM was the first
computer manufacturer to take on the task of developing operating
systems and began distributing operating systems included with its
computers.
The first operating systems were developed in the 1950s, when
computers could only run one program at a time. Later in the following
decades, computers began to include more and more software
programs, sometimes called libraries, which came together to create the
beginnings of today's operating systems.
In the late 1960s, the first version of the Unix operating system was
developed. Written in the C programming language, it was available
for free during its first few years. Unix adapted easily to new systems
and quickly achieved wide acceptance.
Many modern operating systems, including Apple OS X and all the
different versions of Linux, trace back to or are based on the Unix
operating system.
Microsoft Windows was developed in response to a request from IBM
for an operating system to run its range of personal computers, or PCs.
The first operating system created by Microsoft was not called
Windows, it was called MS-DOS and was built in 1981 by purchasing
the 86-DOS operating system from Seattle Computer Products and
modifying it to meet IBM's requirements.
The name Windows was first used in 1985 when a graphical user
interface was created and paired or merged with MS-DOS.
Today Apple, OS X, Microsoft Windows, and various forms of Linux
(including Android) dominate the vast majority of the modern operating
system market, as we've seen above.
Video Operating
Systems Below we leave you a video that explains very well everything
about operating systems in a very simple way and which OS to choose.
Once you have studied the operating system, we recommend that you
do the following exercise in the form of a Test: Operating Systems Test.
