Operating System Basics
All the time a user spends working on a computer his or her work is supported by the operating system. Without the support of the operating system, the user would not be able to use any other software programs. All operating systems share certain basic components and features.
An important part of the operating system is the user interface, which allows the user to interact with the computer by inputting commands or information. A Graphical User Interface (GUI) allows the user to interact with the computer without having to learn complicated command control methods. The various versions of Microsoft's Windows operating systems are examples of GUI enable operating systems and makes use of mouse and keyboard input, drop-down menus, and scrolling content areas. The majority of Windows-based programs share many of the same commands for functions like adding and moving text and printing, opening, and saving files. This common approach saves time and effort, allowing both programmers and end users to concentrate on the task at hand rather than typing commands.
The operating system is responsible for creating and maintaining files, placing them on storage media, ensuring their integrity, reorganizing and erasing them as needed.
The operating system also interacts with the hardware components but requires drivers and command sequences to achieve this. It controls all of the hardware and its functions, tracking the status of communications ports, printer ports, and remote devices; providing memory management; interacting with any TSR (terminate-and-stay-resident) programs; and maintaining the integrity of its own operation.
Most operating systems are loaded as software. They must include boot sequence code that can be accessed during system startup so that they can be loaded into memory and made functional when the computer is turned on. They must also have installation routines as well as troubleshooting and recovery techniques for reinstallation in the event components become corrupted during use.
Problems ranging from severe damage to simple user error can cause a system to become unstable. A well-designed operating system will be able to detect such problems, display error messages to alert the user, and provide the ability to recover without significant loss of data or corruption of the operating system.
A complete operating system should also include software routines for defragmenting hard drives, scanning for viruses, and performing other tasks that keep the system performing optimally; as well as support for networking protocols.
Thus, the operating system is the center through which the hardware components, software applications, and the end user interact.