Page 15 - Viva ICSE Computer Studies 8 : E-book

Operating System

The hardware of a computer system cannot function
on its own. When a computer is switched on, it needs Application Monitor
to be instructed by the user on what to do next. A
computer needs instructions for every operation
and we know that a computer understands only
machine language. Hence, an interface between the Operating
user and computer, through which the computer can System
be instructed to perform the required operation, is Keyboard
Hard Drive
required. This interface is called an operating system & Mouse
software, which acts as a link between the user and Printer
computer, and provides an environment to the users.
DOS, Windows, Unix and Linux are some common
operating systems.

Learn More

Apart from providing the environment, operating system software can perform many
other tasks as well. It manages the memory, the CPU time and also the fi le systems.

Need for an Operating System

A hardware is of no use unless it is guided about the tasks it needs to perform. An operating
system knows what to do, how to do and when to do it.
We need an operating system for the following purposes.
• It helps to run multiple applications on a single system at the same time, thus saving our
time.

• It helps with the allocation of resources to diff erent applications.
• It can share a single resource or hardware among diff erent applications, saving hardware
resources.
• It helps in sharing a single system with multiple users.

Features of an Operating System

The most popular operating systems are: Windows XP, Windows 8, Windows 8.1, Windows 10,
Mac and Linux. Most of the operating systems have certain common features and functions.
Let’s learn about them.
Resource Management

An operating system manages all the resources that are attached to the system. Memory,
processor, input and output devices that are attached to a computer are called the resources
of a computer system. The operating system decides which operation is to be performed at
what time by the CPU and in what time the memory will be used by which programs.

Windows 95 was the fi rst operating system to support Internet connection sharing.

3