How an Operating System Works
Any desktop or laptop PC that you buy normally comes pre-loaded with
Windows XP. Macintosh computers come pre-loaded with OS X. Many
corporate servers use the Linux or UNIX operating systems. An
Operating System could be found in smaller devices also. For example a
Mobile Phone.
The purpose of an operating system is to organize and control hardware
and software. I a PC it controls things like the CPU, hard drive and
memory etc. In simpler systems, like mobile phones the operating
system could control the keypad and battery or the connection to the
service provider.
[IMAGE]Its also provides a stable, consistent way for applications to
deal with the hardware without having to know all the details of the
hardware.
An operating system is mainly designed to be a task manager. It
manages the hardware and software resources of various programs, which
compete for the attention of the CPU and demand memory, storage and
bandwidth for their own purposes.
Text Box: Apple Mac OS X ScreenshotIt also provides an interface for
the user to run the application, called application program interface
(API). This enables the programs to run on the computer. Even if a
particular computer is unique, an operating system can ensure that
applications continue to run when hardware upgrades and updates occur.
It is not just Microsoft who has created Operating Systems, although
they are the most popular. Other operating systems include Apple,
Linux, 3Com and Sun Solaris etc.
Device Management - Input and output Management
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Drivers in the Device management part of the software manage the
pathway between the motherboard and the hard drive. The driver's
function is to be the translator between the electrical signals of the
hardware subsystems and the highlevel programming languages of the
operating system and application programs. The majority of hardware is
used only occasionally and the drivers do not often need to be run by
the operating system permanently. The operating system will frequently