Operating Systems

Operating Systems

1. A collection of programs that manages the hardware and software of a computer system including sharing the computer's time, memory, hardware and other resources.

2. File management

   • Creates a file system to organise files and directories - hierarchy of directories

3. Hardware Management

   • Manages peripherals - opens, closes and writes to peripheral devices such as storage attached to the computer
   • Manages memory - transfers programs in and out of memory, allocates free space between programs and keeps track of memory usage.
   • Drivers are software that allow us to use the actual hardware components.

4. User Management

   • Graphical User Interface - The OS on most computers and smartphones provides an environment with tiles, icon and/or menus. This type of interface is called the GUI. The user interacts with images through a mouse, keyboard or touchscreen.
   • Command Line Interface - An OS provides a method of interaction that is non-graphical called the CLI. This is a text only service with feedback from the OS appearing in text. Using a CLI requires knowledge of the commands available on a particular machine.
   • Security - provides security through user accounts and passwords

5. Process Management

   • Manages the CPU - runs applications and executes and cancels processes
   • Multi-tasks - allows multiple applications to run at the same time

6. Utilities Software

   • Utilities - provides tools for managing and organising hardware
   • Examples: deleting data, software updates, system cleanup, encryption/decryption

Images and files in the map