Overview of Computer Operating System

Operating system (OS) is a software program, but it is different from word processing program, spreadsheets, and all the other software programs on the computer. A computer operating system is its most important program it’s like master control program. OS is example for system software-software that control the system hardware and that interacts with the user and application software. When you use a tools (commands) that enable to interact with machine you use . The operating system also act as primary controlling mechanism for the computer hardware.

Operating system preform the following functions :
- Display the screen elements with which you interact – user interface
- Loads program (such as word processing & spreadsheet application) into the computer memory so that You can use them.
- Coordinates how program work with the computer hardware and other software.
- Manage the way information is stored on and retrieved from disks.

Operating systems can be classified as follows

• Real Time Operating Systems
• Single-User / single tasking Operating System
• Single-User / Multitasking Operating Systems
• Multi-User / Multitasking Operating Systems

Real Time Operating Systems – Real Time Operating Systems is a very fast, relatively small OS. They are also embedded OS’s. Real time operating system is needed to run Real time application, it may support multi simultaneous tasks or it have support only single tasking. Real time operating system are needed to run medical diagnostics equipment, Air tariff control, Reservations System. & industrial systems.

Single-User / single tasking Operating System – Operating system allow a single user to perform just one task at a time is called single user / single tasking operating system.MS-DOS is one example of single tasking.

Single-User / Multitasking Operating Systems – A Single-User / Multitasking Operating Systems is one s that allows a single user to perform two or more functions at once. The most commonly user personal computers usually run such OS’s, including Microsoft Windows, MAC OS. The multi tasking feature as been added, in a shorter period of time you can switch to multi application. it is mostly user at home & office worker.

Multi-User / Multitasking Operating Systems- Multi-User / Multitasking Operating Systems is an operating system that allows multi user to use program that are simultaneously running on single network server, called a Terminal server. The software that make this possible is called terminal client.Examples of multi user OS’s include UNIX, VMS and mainframe operating system such as MVS.

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