Introduction to Computer Operating System

A Computer Operating System or Computer OS is the most important program which is required to run a computer.

Basically it is the first program which is loaded into the computer’s memory when it is turned on.

Computer OS is required to manage the computer hardware and all the other programs that are installed on a computer which are known as Application Programs or Applications.

Users can interact directly with the operating system through a User Interface (UI) which can be either a Command Line Interface (CLI) or a Graphical User Interface (GUI).

A Computer Operating System performs the following tasks for Applications:

1. Manages the sharing of internal memory by various applications.
2. Handles the input – output operations from various Hardware devices which are attached to it such as- mouse, keyboards, printers etc.
3. Helps to run the multiple programs at the same time like- watching movie and downloading software from the Internet at the same time.
4. OS divides the program so that it can run on multiple OS at the same time (Parallel Processing).
5. Sends message to each Application about the status of operation and any errors that may have occurred.

Some of the widely used Computer OS is-

Windows 7, Windows 8/ 8.1, Linux Mint, Ubuntu, Linux Mint, Android, Macintosh OSX, Windows 10, Mac OS X Leopard etc.

Different people or companies use different operating systems based on their requirement.

Computer Operating System has various features that may vary and user can pick any of them, depending upon his need.