An Operating System (OS) stands as another major Software component which provides management and control of a computers’ hardware and software resources and also offers services to other programs. It plays an important role of organizing the users and their request and translating them into the language that computer hardware can understand and respond to without compromising the security of the system.
Here are some of the main roles of an OS:It also controls the central processor, memory, disk units, and printers that are used in an organization in order to optimize their utility. This implies putting into consideration time, processes involved, and control of interruptions to achieve the best results. Furthermore, the OS deals with the system’s memory, providing space for the programs in the RAM, and avoiding their overlap. It also controls the storage by creating directories and file systems on different storages and organizing the files.
The OS carries out yet another function of offering a user interface. This can be graphical user interface (GUI) where the user interface is graphical; they see a picture on the screen and point at it with the mouse, or command line interface (CLI) where user has got to type the command and press the enter button. Some of the commonly used operating systems are, Microsoft Windows, Mac Operating system and various distributions of the Linux Operating Systems which provide different varieties of User Interfaces for the different types of users.
Another important criterion for any Operating system is the question of the security. It needs to be safeguarding the system from all outside intruders, Viruses, worms, Trojan horses, and other bugs. This include applying user access and authentication and regularly updating the to remove exploits.
Moreover, OS is also involved in the handling of application software as well as the system software. It is where applications execute and also acts as a link between the software and hardware. The OS allows multiple applications to be executed at the same time, without a negative impact on the other through such concepts as multitasking and process scheduling.
To recap, an Operating System can be described as a fundamental component of a computer system. This oversees hardware forces, controls the user interphase, security, and application software force. Basically, without an operational system the users do not have an effective means of operating a computer system and the effectiveness, and security of the computer processes will be gravely affected.
