Content
- Features
- Structure of the OS
- Classification of the operating systems
- The history of Windows
- Operating systems on the Internet
Is a OS that set of programs that allows a user to execute one or more tasks on the computer. In this way, the operating system is the intermediary between the user and the computer, being the basic software that provides the interface between all the rest of the programs and the hardware devices (such as the monitor, the keyboard, the speakers or the microphone).
Features
In this way, the functions that every operating system comes to fulfill are several, but the first of all stands out, which is initialize hardware of the computer; then provide basic routines to control devices; manage, rearrange and interact tasks with each other; and above all maintain system integrity. Both threats (viruses) and prevention tools (antivirus) are designed precisely for the security of operating systems.
Structure of the OS
In effect, the structure of an operating system is made up of five large 'layers' or stages, each of which has a series of associated functions:
- The nucleus It is the tool that manages all processes, being in charge of keeping track of all assets and planning them. This includes the selection of the processor time that each one will occupy, so it is a very important stage that must have a lot of intelligence.
- Basic input and output provides primitive functions associated with secondary memory management, providing the necessary tools for locating and interpreting blocks of data on the hard disk, but without giving much detail.
- The memory management manages RAM memory, allocating and freeing processes from a part of the computer's memory.
- The filing system provides the functions that are necessary to store information in files.
- The last stage is the command interpreter, where the interface visible to the user is located. This is being perfected and configured according to the comfort of the users.
Classification of the operating systems
There are different ways to classify and subdivide operating systems. The criteria will be listed below, and then the different groups that are formed based on them:
- According to the task management mode:
- Single task: You can only run one at a time. You cannot interrupt the processes in action.
- Multitask: It is capable of executing several processes at the same time. It is capable of allocating resources alternately to the processes that request them, so that the user perceives that they all work at the same time.
- According to the user administration mode:
- Single user: Only allow one user's programs to run at the same time.
- Multi user: If you allow several users to run their programs simultaneously, accessing the computer's resources at the same time.
- According to the form of resource management:
- Centralized: If it allows to use the resources of a single computer.
- Distributed: If you can use the resources of more than one computer at the same time.
The history of Windows
Different operating systems are offered on the market, each of which has its own set of advantages and disadvantages. Among all, the most popular is the system Windows, which was founded in 1975 by Bill Gates and introduced the first version of an operating system that rapidly evolved and incorporated functions. The first version came in 1981 with a few features, but only four years later the system became popular in the first version of Windows, 1.0.
Since then benefits were increasing at an exponential speed, and versions of Windows such as 98, 2000 or XP were very popular: the most recent is Windows 7, released in 2008 with notable advancements such as support for virtual hard drives and improved performance on multi-core processors. Something similar happened with the advancement of other operating systems, among which the open Linux system stands out.
Operating systems on the Internet
Of course, the conventional definition of operating systems predates the existence of Internet, which came to reconfigure all the vision that we have about computers. Different operating systems may yield to a single Internet operating system, where it all depends on the 'cloud'. In this way, the use of computers would notably change because it would not be necessary to download or install any type of program, as happens in servers like Orkut.
Based on the existence of an Internet network, a new classification of operating systems is opened, referring to the way in which users access services: network operating systems are those that have the ability to interact with operating systems of other computers in order to exchange information, while distributed operating systems they cover network services, but also integrate resources in a single virtual machine that the user accesses transparently.
