What Is an Operating System?

The operating system is responsible for managing the general resources and operations of a computer, by controlling access to the central processing unit (CPU) as well as computer memory as well as file storage and input/output devices. It manages tasks such as scheduling resources to avoid conflicts and interfering between processes, regulating the content and structure of files stored on non-primary media and determining which applications get to use hardware components such as disc drives or WiFi adaptors. It also allows interactive users to connect with the system via the use of a Graphical User Interface or Command-Line Interface.

Process Management

Operating systems manage the starting, stopping, and re-starting of applications. It decides which application will be executed first, for how long the CPU will be used, and also when to stop. It also can split the program into multiple threads so that it can run pop over to this website on a variety of processors simultaneously. Each of these actions are controlled by a program in the operating system known as a process block.

File management

Operating systems maintain the structure and contents of files stored in nonprimary storage. They know the location where each piece of information in a file is stored and can transfer it between memory and storage when required. They can also map virtual memory pages into physical memory pages to speed up access. This process is called demand paging.

It also interacts with hardware on the computer using drivers and other interfacing software. For example when an application needs to utilize a particular piece of hardware, such as a Wi-Fi adaptor the operating system will provide the driver, and allow the process to access it. This is all accomplished without the programmer having to write a new piece of code for each Wi-Fi adaptor disk drive or other type of hardware.