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How43 Operating Systems Work

An operating system manages hardware and software resources and provides a consistent interface for applications. Operating systems allow devices to serve multiple purposes, interact with users in complex ways, and adapt to changing needs over time. Common operating systems include Windows, MacOS, and UNIX.

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41 views4 pages

How43 Operating Systems Work

An operating system manages hardware and software resources and provides a consistent interface for applications. Operating systems allow devices to serve multiple purposes, interact with users in complex ways, and adapt to changing needs over time. Common operating systems include Windows, MacOS, and UNIX.

Uploaded by

ozzne
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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How Operating Systems Work

BY CURT FRANKLIN & DAVE COUSTAN

What is an Operating System?

Not all computers have operating systems. The computer that controls the
microwave oven in your kitchen, for example, doesn't need an operating system. It
has one set of tasks to perform, very straightforward input to expect (a numbered
keypad and a few pre-set buttons) and simple, never-changing hardware to control.
For a computer like this, an operating system would be unnecessary baggage,
driving up the development and manufacturing costs significantly and adding
complexity where none is required. Instead, the computer in a microwave oven
simply runs a single hard-wired program all the time.

For other devices, an operating system creates the ability to:

 serve a variety of purposes


 interact with users in more complicated ways
 keep up with needs that change over time
All desktop computers have operating systems. The most common are the
Windows family of operating systems developed by Microsoft, the Macintosh
operating systems developed by Apple and the UNIX family of operating systems
(which have been developed by a whole history of individuals, corporations and
collaborators). There are hundreds of other operating systems available for
special-purpose applications, including specializations for mainframes, robotics,
manufacturing, real-time control systems and so on.

In any device that has an operating system, there's usually a way to make changes
to how the device works. This is far from a happy accident; one of the reasons
operating systems are made out of portable code rather than permanent physical
circuits is so that they can be changed or modified without having to scrap the
whole device.

For a desktop computer user, this means you can add a new security update,
system patch, new application or even an entirely new operating system rather
than junk your computer and start again with a new one when you need to make a
change. As long as you understand how an operating system works and how to get
at it, in many cases you can change some of the ways it behaves. The same thing
goes for your phone, too.

Regardless of what device an operating system runs, what exactly can it do?

OPERATING SYSTEM FUNCTIONS

The operating system controls every task your computer carries out and manages
system resources.
©2008 HOWSTUFFWORKS

At the simplest level, an operating system does two things:

1. It manages the hardware and software resources of the system. In a


desktop computer, these resources include such things as the processor,
memory, disk space and more (On a cell phone, they include the keypad,
the screen, the address book, the phone dialer, the battery and the network
connection).
2. It provides a stable, consistent way for applications to deal with the
hardware without having to know all the details of the hardware.
The first task, managing the hardware and software resources, is very important,
as various programs and input methods compete for the attention of the central
processing unit (CPU) and demand memory, storage and input/output (I/O)
bandwidth for their own purposes. In this capacity, the operating system plays the
role of the good parent, making sure that each application gets the necessary
resources while playing nicely with all the other applications, as well as husbanding
the limited capacity of the system to the greatest good of all the users and
applications.
The second task, providing a consistent application interface, is especially
important if there is to be more than one of a particular type of computer using the
operating system, or if the hardware making up the computer is ever open to
change. A consistent application program interface (API) allows a software
developer to write an application on one computer and have a high level of
confidence that it will run on another computer of the same type, even if the
amount of memory or the quantity of storage is different on the two machines.

Even if a particular computer is unique, an operating system can ensure that


applications continue to run when hardware upgrades and updates occur. This is
because the operating system -- not the application -- is charged with managing
the hardware and the distribution of its resources. One of the challenges facing
developers is keeping their operating systems flexible enough to run hardware
from the thousands of vendors manufacturing computer equipment. Today's
systems can accommodate thousands of different printers, disk drives and special
peripherals in any possible combination

The operating system controls every task your computer carries out and manages
system resources.
©2008 HOWSTUFFWORKS

At the simplest level, an operating system does two things:

1. It manages the hardware and software resources of the system. In a


desktop computer, these resources include such things as the processor,
memory, disk space and more (On a cell phone, they include the keypad,
the screen, the address book, the phone dialer, the battery and the network
connection).
2. It provides a stable, consistent way for applications to deal with the
hardware without having to know all the details of the hardware.
The first task, managing the hardware and software resources, is very important,
as various programs and input methods compete for the attention of the central
processing unit (CPU) and demand memory, storage and input/output (I/O)
bandwidth for their own purposes. In this capacity, the operating system plays the
role of the good parent, making sure that each application gets the necessary
resources while playing nicely with all the other applications, as well as husbanding
the limited capacity of the system to the greatest good of all the users and
applications.
The second task, providing a consistent application interface, is especially
important if there is to be more than one of a particular type of computer using the
operating system, or if the hardware making up the computer is ever open to
change. A consistent application program interface (API) allows a software
developer to write an application on one computer and have a high level of
confidence that it will run on another computer of the same type, even if the
amount of memory or the quantity of storage is different on the two machines.

Even if a particular computer is unique, an operating system can ensure that


applications continue to run when hardware upgrades and updates occur. This is
because the operating system -- not the application -- is charged with managing
the hardware and the distribution of its resources. One of the challenges facing
developers is keeping their operating systems flexible enough to run hardware
from the thousands of vendors manufacturing computer equipment. Today's
systems can accommodate thousands of different printers, disk drives and special
peripherals in any possible combination

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