What Is an Operating System?

The operating system controls the operations and resources of the computer by controlling the access to the central processor unit (CPU) memory, file storage and input/output device. It is responsible for tasks like scheduling resource usage to avoid conflicts and interference between processes, managing the structure and content of files stored in non-primary storage media, and determining which programs are able to use hardware components such as disk drives or Wi -Fi adaptors. It also allows for interactive users to connect to the system with either an Graphical User Interface (GUI) or a Command-Line Interface (CLI).

Process Management

The operating system manages the start, stop and resumption process of applications. It decides which application should be run first, for how long the CPU can be used, and also when to end. It also can split the program into several threads, allowing it to run on a variety of processors simultaneously. Each of these actions is controlled by an operating system routine called the process control block.

File management

Operating systems manage the structure and content of files within nonprimary data storage. They know the location where each piece of information in a file is and navigate to this web-site can transfer it between storage and memory when needed. They can also map virtual memory pages onto physical memory pages to speed up access. This process is known as demand paging.

It also interacts with the computer hardware via drivers and other interfacing software. If, for instance an application wants to use specific hardware, like an adapter for WiFi, the operating system will give the driver, and then let it access the hardware. This lets the programmers not write a piece of code for every Wi-Fi adapter, disk drive or other type hardware.