What Is an Operating System?
11/05/2024 2024-05-16 0:28What Is an Operating System?
An operating system is the software that runs in the background of an individual computer, and manages the hardware components, including memory as well as file systems and input/output devices like keyboards monitors, printers, and modems. It also controls access to the central processor unit, or CPU.
Multitasking is the term used to describe a technique that allows multiple programs to run concurrently on an OS. This is possible because the OS allocates system resources such as memory space and CPU time for a program in execution. It monitors the amount of memory and CPU time a program consumes and makes sure that it does not interfere with other applications that are using the same resources.
Operating systems also monitor the file’s location and status on the hard drives of computers. They create the virtual directory structure and record the locations of each file and other metadata such as the date it was created or modified. An OS also makes it easy for an application to access the hardware on a computer by using drivers. These drivers translate the proprietary language of the hardware into a standard language that an operating system can recognize.
When an application must save a file, it switches to the operating kernel of the system. This is because the application cannot directly access the disk drive, which requires a driver in order to communicate with it. The operating system then creates and transforms the request for data into a rational operation, and the hardware is then utilized as instructed.