Operating Systems operating systems tips from Techmirrors
Learn what is Operating System in this animated video. This video covers 1. What is Operating System. 2. Examples of Operating System 3. Features of OS 4.
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What is a computer operating system and where can I find a list of them?
The question “What is an operating system?” is one I get asked often and I have even been told in the past while trying to sort out a customer’s problem that their operating system is Google when in fact that is the browser they are using not the operating system. (Google does have an open source operating system called Chrome OS I should state) That seems to be the problem people but computers and no one ever tells them the basics of what they are using. Once paid for you are kind of forgotten and left to fend for yourself.
So lets clear it and go through the main operating systems and exactly what they are and do.
What operating systems are there??
There are many different operating systems out there but the ones you will be familiar with by name will probably be:
Microsoft Windows 95
Microsoft windows XP
Microsoft windows ME
Microsoft Windows Vista
Microsoft Windows 7
Microsoft windows 8 (due for release later this year possibly October)
Mac OS 8
Mac OS 9
Mac OS X
Solaris
Ubuntu
Fedora
Open Suse
Free BSD
Symbian
Android
Palm
The list goes on but most of the well-known ones are there.
Ok but simply what is an operating system?
It is a complex set of programs that are designed to manage and control your computer hardware resources and software. This means they can provide services to programs you run on your computer.
OK so maybe that was not that simple. Think of it as the middle man between your physical hardware in your computer and the game or software you want to run.
You open your game or your program and this could be the conversation between your game/program, windows and the hardware.
Program: Hey windows I want to run can you sort me out some resources.
Windows: Sure what do you need?
Program: I could do with a bit of memory, a bit of processing power and some place to store my setting if that’s ok?
Windows: Let me have a chat with hardware and see what we can do. Program Pete: Cheers
*Windows goes to talk to Hardware*
Windows: Hey hardware hows it going down there? Program Pete is at it again “get me this get me that” do you have some free resources?
Hardware: He never leaves me alone does he. Tell him he can use 100% of the processor if he needs it as nobody else is using it at the minute but if anti-virus Annie comes in he will have to share it with her. Tell him he can have half the memory too and as much storage as he wants within reason.
Windows: Cheers hardware I will let him know and allocate it to him
*Windows goes back to Program Pete*
Windows: Right Pete here is what I can do for but is someone else comes along you are going to have to share the resources.
*Uri USB is plugged in and anti-virus Annie wakes up*
URI and Annie together: Can we please have some resources!!
Program Pete: *sigh* now its going to take me a nano second longer to do my task because I have to share with those two
And so the conversation continues….
It may sound silly but if you want to make it really basic this is pretty much what is happening although granted how it happens is very complex. Without the operating system the programs you use would not be able to run as they would not be able to talk to the hardware which is why you will find pretty much every desktop computer, laptop, mobile phone, iPad smart phone has an operating system.
Are there any free operating systems out there?
There are many free ones out there and over the years they have got more and more compatible with software we use on a regular basis. For example the new Raspberry pi comes with a Linux which is free and allows you to do all the basics such as go on the internet create documents.
Below is a list of some of the free Linux ones out there
Fedora
Open Solaris
Ubuntu
Free BSD
Chrome OS
Haiku
There are many more out there this is just a sample of the most popular. You will find arguments all over the internet on operating systems that cost vs free operating systems so I wont go into it here but I will say if you are going to move to free software be sure to do your research. The most important thing to remember is Linux is not windows and is very different so be ready for a learning curve.
Ok so these all go on my computer so what are mobile operating systems?
Mobile operating systems are much the same as an operating system for your desktop or laptop but they are designed for tablets, PDA`s or mobile phones. These tend to combine a number of features such as touch-screen, Bluetooth, GPRS, video cameras, cameras and many other features. The most common mobile operating systems are:
Android – Open source from Google
Blackberry iOS
Apple closed source used on iPhones, iPads.
Symbian – Used by Nokia
Windows phone – Closed source software from Microsoft.
How do I find out what operating system I am using
If using a smart phone or iPad you should be able to determine what you are running from the above list. On a Mac you are most likely to be using OS X snow leopard.
To find out what you are running on a windows based machine find the my computer Icon on your desktop (if it is not on your desktop press your start menu button/windows button and you should find My computer or computer on the right hand side). Use your right mouse button to click on it and select properties. The screen that comes up will tell you the operating system you are running.
What are the 5 operating system?
Five of the most common operating systems are Microsoft Windows, Apple macOS, Linux, Android and Apple’s iOS.
What are the 4 major types of operating system?
Related Articles
- Batch Operating System – This type of operating system does not interact with the computer directly. …
- Time-Sharing Operating Systems – Each task is given some time to execute so that all the tasks work smoothly. …
- Distributed Operating System – …
- Network Operating System – …
- Real-Time Operating System –
What are the types of operating system?
Following are the popular types of Operating System:
- Batch Operating System.
- Multitasking/Time Sharing OS.
- Multiprocessing OS.
- Real Time OS.
- Distributed OS.
- Network OS.
- Mobile OS.
What is an operating system in a computer?
An operating system (OS) is system software that manages computer hardware, software resources, and provides common services for computer programs. Operating systems are found on many devices that contain a computer – from cellular phones and video game consoles to web servers and supercomputers.
Which version of Windows 10 is best?
Windows 10 – which version is right for you?
- Windows 10 Home. Chances are that this will the be the edition best suited to you. …
- Windows 10 Pro. Windows 10 Pro offers all of the same features as the Home edition, and is also designed for PCs, tablets and 2-in-1s. …
- Windows 10 Mobile. …
- Windows 10 Enterprise. …
- Windows 10 Mobile Enterprise.
What is the best computer operating system?
10 Best Operating Systems in Market
- MS-Windows.
- Ubuntu.
- Mac OS.
- Fedora.
- Solaris.
- Free BSD.
- Chrome OS.
- CentOS.
