What is an operating system?

Fundamentals of information Technology

What is an operating system?

• An operating system is the most important software that runs on a computer.
• It manages the computer’s memory, processes, and all of its software and hardware. It also allows you to communicate with the computer without knowing how to speak the computer language.
• Without an operating system, a computer is useless.

The operating system’s job

• Your computer’s operating system (OS) manages all the software and hardware on the computer.
• Most of the time, there are many different computer programs running at the same time, and they all need to access your computer’s central processing unit (CPU), memory, and storage.
• The operating system coordinates all of this to make sure each program gets what it needs.

Types of operating systems

• Operating systems usually come preloaded on any computer you buy.
• Most people use the operating system that comes with their computer, but it’s possible to upgrade or even change operating systems.
• Some very high end computers can run two operating systems at the same time.

Three most common types of operating systems

• Microsoft Windows
• Apple Mac OS X
• Linux

Operating systems continued...

• Modern operating systems use a graphical user interface, or GUI.
• A GUI lets you use your mouse to click icons, buttons, and menus, and everything is clearly displayed on the screen using a combination of graphics and text.
• Each operating system has a different look and feel, so if you switch to a different operating system it may seem unfamiliar at first.
• Modern (OS) are designed to be easy to use, and most of the basic principles are the same.

Windows or Mac?

• Before GUIs, computers had a command-line interface, which meant users had to type every single command to the computer and the computer would only display text.

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DOS

• What does DOS stand for?

Microsoft Windows

• Microsoft created the Windows operating system in the mid-1980s. Over the years, there have been many different versions of Windows.
• Most recent Windows 10 (2015) Windows 8 (2012) Windows 7 (2009), and Windows Vista (2007).
• Windows comes preloaded on most new PCs, which helps make it the most popular operating system in the world.

Mac OS X

• Mac OS is a line of operating systems created by Apple. It comes preloaded on all new Macintosh computers, or Macs.
• All recent versions are known as OS X (pronounced O-S Ten)
• Mac users account for 9.5% of the OS market as of September 2014.
• Much lower that the % of Windows users (almost 90%).
• Apple computers tend to be more expensive. However, many people prefer the look and feel of Mac OS X.

Linux

• Linux (pronounced LINN-ux) is a family of open-source operating systems, which means they can be modified and distributed by anyone around the world.
• This is different from proprietary software like Windows, which can only be modified by the company that owns it (Microsoft).
• The advantages of Linux are that it is free, and there are many different distributions—or versions—you can choose from.

Linux continued...

• Each distribution has a different look and feel, and the most popular ones include Ubuntu, Mint, and Fedora.
• Linux is named after Linus Torvalds, who created the Linux kernel in 1991. The kernel is the computer code that is the central part of an operating system.
• Linux is named after Linus Torvalds, who created the Linux kernel in 1991. The kernel is the computer code that is the central part of an operating system.

Linux continued….

• According to StatCounter Global Stats, Linux users account for less than 2% of the operating systems market as of September 2014. However, most servers run Linux because it's relatively easy to customize.

Linux continued….

• Linux looks similar to?

Operating systems for mobile devices

• The operating systems we've been talking about were designed to run on desktop or laptop computers.
• Mobile devices such as phones, tablet computers, and MP3 players are different from desktop and laptop computers, so they run operating systems that are designed specifically for mobile devices.
• Examples of mobile operating systems include Apple iOS, Windows Phone, and Google Android.

Operating systems for mobile devices

• Operating systems for mobile devices generally aren't as fully featured as those made for desktop and laptop computers, and they aren't able to run all of the same software.
• You can still do a lot of things with them, like watch movies, browse the Web, manage your calendar, type documents, and play games.

iPad operating system

Review

• What is an operating system?
• What operating system does your computer use?
• Visit the Microsoft and Apple websites to learn more about each operating system.
• Search the Internet for articles that compare Windows and Mac OS X.

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