What is an Operating System?
What is an Operating System?
The operating system is a piece software that manages all the hardware components of the computer. It distributes the amount of time each program is allowed to use the CPU and allocates disk storage space and secures data from unauthorized access. It also provides an interfacing between the hardware and applications programs. This allows the program to interact with a wide variety of hardware devices, including printers, Wi-Fi adapters and hard disk drives.
A OS also allows multiple software processes to run simultaneously on one processor. This is referred to as multitasking. It also allows users to communicate with the computer using a GUI (graphical) or command-line interface. The operating system may be an individual program that runs in memory, or a set of libraries and programs that are stored on the hard drive and are loaded into memory when needed.
Other essential functions of an operating system are error detection. The system constantly monitors input and output to identify errors and prevent the occurrence of further problems. It also has to manage network connections and develop security protocols in order to safeguard against unauthorised access.
The OS also records driver drivers in a standardized file format to allow for easy identification. It also installs and configures new drivers when hardware is replaced. In addition to that, the OS can translate a user program from high-level language to machine code by using loader and compiler. It can even move information on a disk when it detects bad sectors.