Operating Systems

Operating Systems

1. What is an operating system?

   • It is software that manages computer hardware and software resources and provides common services for computer programs.

2. What is the purpose of operating systems?

   • Operating systems provide a software platform on top of which other programs, called application programs, can run. The application programs must be written to run on top of a particular operating system.

3. What are the most common operating systems in use today?

   • Most desktop and laptop computers use either Apple OS Microsoft Windows, while most supercomputers use Linux. In other categories, such as smartphones and servers, there is more diversity.

4. Functions of an operating system;

   • It provides a user interface Booting the computer File Management, it manages the hardware and software and works by booting the computer. It also performs basic computer tasks eg managing the various peripheral devices eg mouse, keyboard and provides a user interface, e.g. command line, graphical user interface (GUI)

5. What is a GUI?

   • It stands for graphical user interface is a type of interface that allows users to interact with electronic devices through graphical icons and visual indicators such as secondary notation, as opposed to text-based interfaces, typed command labels or text navigation.
   • Advantages (only when it is properly built) - it can be user-friendly and speed up the user's work. - it can be more attractive for non-technical people. - in general, it looks more professional (but this does not mean it is always the best solution). Disadvantages - when it is not properly built, it can be very difficult to work with. - it generally requires more memory resources than a non-graphical one. - it might require the installation of additional software, e.g., the "runtime environment" in the case of java. - depending on the programmer, it might require more time to be implemented.

6. What is CLI?

   • The CLI was the primary means of interaction with most computer systems until the introduction of the video display terminal in the mid-1960s, and continued to be used throughout the 1970s and 1980s on Unix systems and personal computer systems including MS-DOS, CP/M and Apple DOS.