IT1707

Operating System
Operating System – it is a collection of programs that handle many of the technical details related to using a computer, such
as executing applications, recognizing input from the keyboard, sending output to the display screen, and controlling
peripherals, such as printers. In many ways, an operating system is the most important type of computer program. Without
a functioning operating system, a computer is useless.
Functions of Operating Systems:
 Managing resources – operating systems coordinate all the computer’s resources including memory, processing,
storage, and devices such as printers and monitors. They also monitor system performance, schedule tasks, provide
security, and start up the computer.
 Providing user interface – operating system allows users to interact with application programs and computer
hardware through a user interface. Originally, operating systems used a character-based interface in which users
communicate with the operating system through written commands such as “Copy A: report.txt C:”. today, most
operating systems use a graphical user interface (GUI).
 Running applications – operating systems load and run applications such as word processors and spreadsheets.
Most operating systems support multitasking, or the ability to switch between different applications stored in
memory. With multitasking, a user could run Word and Excel at the same time and switch easily between the two
(2) applications. The program that a user is currently working on is described as running in the foreground. The
other programs are running in the background.
Booting – this is the starting or restarting a computer. There are two (2) ways to boot a computer: a warm boot and a cold
boot. A warm boot occurs when the computer is already ON and the user restarts it without turning OFF the power. Starting
a computer that has been turned OFF is called a cold boot.
Features common to most operating systems and application programs:
 Icons  Windows  Tabs  Help
 Pointer  Menus  Dialog boxes  Gesture control
Three (3) basic categories of operating system:
 Embedded operating systems – these are operating systems that are entirely stored within a device. They control
smart watches, smartphones, video game systems, and thousands of other small electronic devices. Typically
designed for a specific application, embedded operating systems are essential in the evolution of the Internet of
Things (IoT) where many everyday devices are able to communicate with one (1) another. For example, Watch OS
was developed by Apple exclusively for the Apple Watch and Android OS for Android smartphones.
 Stand-alone operating systems – also called desktop operating system, control a single desktop or laptop
computer. These operating systems are located on the computer’s hard disk. For example, Windows 10 Operating
System for laptop and desktop computers.
 Network operating system (NOS) – are used to control and coordinate computers that are networked or linked
together. Many networks are small and connect only a limited number of personal computers. Network operating
systems are typically located on one (1) of the connected computers’ hard disk, called the network server, this
computer coordinates all communication between the other computers. Popular network operating systems are
Linux, Windows Server, and UNIX.
The operating system is often referred to as the software environment or software platform. Almost all application
programs are designed to run with a specific platform. For example, Apple’s iMovie software is designed to run with the
Mac OS environment. Many applications, however, have different versions, each designed to operate with a particular
platform. For example, one (1) version of Microsoft Office is designed to operate with Windows. Another version is designed
to operate with Mac OS.
Desktop Operating System
Desktop Operating Systems – these are intended for use in a small office or home office with a limited number of users.
These runs single-user applications and shares files and folders on a small network. Every personal computer has an
operating system controlling its operations. The most widely used desktop operating systems are Windows, Mac OS, UNIX,
and Linux.
Examples of desktop operating systems:
 Windows – Microsoft’s Windows is the most widely used personal computer operating system. Because of its large
market share, more application programs are developed to run under Windows than any other operating system.
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Windows comes in a variety of different versions and is designed to run with a variety of different microprocessors.
 Mac OS – Apple develops powerful and easy-to-use personal computer operating systems. Apple operating systems
are designed to run only on Apple computers, Mac OS is not as widely used as the Windows operating system. As a
result, fewer application programs have been written for it. However, with increasing sales of Apple computers, the
use of Mac OS has been rapidly increasing and is widely recognized as one (1) of the most innovative operating
systems.
 Unix and Linux – The UNIX operating system was originally designed in the late 1960s to run in minicomputers. UNIX
is now widely used by servers on the web, mainframe computers, and very powerful personal computers. There are
a large number of different versions of UNIX. The users of UNIX can communicate with the operating system through
the shell or a command line interpreter. The Linux is an operating system that extended one (1) of the UNIX versions.
It was originally developed by Linus Torvalds in 1991. Linux is open source, Linus Torvalds allowed free distribution
of the operating system code and encourage others to modify and further develop the code. Linux can run on a
variety of platforms, including Intel-based desktops and netbooks, servers, and handheld devices. The Android, a
popular OS for smartphones and tablets, is a variant of Linux. Some of the most popular distributions of Linux include
SUSE Linux, Ubuntu Linux, and Red Hat Linux. Linux is a popular and powerful alternative to the Windows operating
system.
Two (2) ways to install multiple operating systems on a single personal computer:
 Multi-boot – this refers to a custom boot loader configuration on a computer’s primary drive which allows a user to
select an operating system during startup. Each operating system must be installed on a separate volume in order
to multi-boot. The disadvantage of multi-booting is that each time the users want to switch operating systems they
have to reboot the computer.
 Virtualization – this enables a user to create an entire virtual machine inside an application, this application is called
virtualization software. This allows the user to install different operating systems on the virtualization software.
The virtualization software is installed on a host operating system (physical machine) and the operating system for
each virtual machine is known as the guest operating system. Users can run two (2) operating systems
simultaneously without rebooting the computer. There are several programs that create and run virtual machines,
such as, Oracle VirtualBox, VMware, and Parallels
Mobile Operating System
Mobile Operating Systems – these are types of embedded operating system. Like other computer systems, mobile
computers including smartphones, tablets, and wearable computers require an operating system. These mobile operating
systems are less complicated and more specialized for wireless communication. There are numerous mobile operating
system, some of the best known are Android, iOS, and Windows Phone.
Examples of mobile operating systems:
 Android – this was introduced in 2007. It was originally developed by Android Inc. and later purchased by Google.
Android is widely used in many today’s smartphones and tablets from a host of manufacturers. It is based on the
Linux operating system. It is an open source OS which means developers are given access to unlocked hardware to
develop new programs. This is the most dominant platform for mobile devices.
 iOS – this was developed by Apple. It is based on Mac OS and is used as the platform for Apple’s iPad and iPhone.
This OS is distributed exclusively for Apple hardware.
 Windows Phone – this was developed by Microsoft Corporation. It is known for its user interface based on Metro
(a designed language created by Microsoft which aims to remove extra decoration and allow users to interact
directly with content). The home screen is made entirely of Live Tiles which are links. It offers full support for
Microsoft Office, allowing users to view, create, and edit documents, worksheets, and presentations.
Not all mobile applications will run on all smartphones. That is because an application is designed to run on a particular
software platform or operating system.
Utility Programs
Utility programs or utilities – these are specialized programs designed to make computing easier. These programs assist
with a wide range of system maintenance and security functions, such as checking storage disks for errors, blocking security
and privacy threats, and backing up important files. There are hundreds of different utility programs available, some of these
are built into the Operating Systems and there are utility programs that can purchase, such as Antivirus programs.

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Categories of utility programs:

 Troubleshooting or diagnostic programs – these utility programs recognize and correct problems before they
become serious. Windows Operating Systems comes with Windows Memory Diagnostic tool, Task Manager, System
Configuration utility, and etc.
 Antivirus programs – these programs protect the computer system against viruses or damaging programs that can
invade the computer system. Popular antivirus programs include Norton Security, BitDefender, and Kaspersky.
 Backup programs – these programs make copies of files to be used in case the originals are lost or damaged.
Windows 10 comes with a free backup program, the File History tool, and Backup and Restore tool, and Mac OS X
has a backup feature named Time Machine.
 File compression programs – these programs reduce the size of files so they require less storage space and can be
sent more efficiently over the Internet. Most operating systems handle unzipping files automatically when the user
open a .zip file. Some popular file compression programs are WinZip, The Unarchiver, and WinRAR.
Most operating systems provide some utility programs. Even more powerful utility programs can be purchased separately
or in utility suites.

REFERENCES:
O’Leary, T., O’Leary L., and O’Leary D. (2017). Computing essentials 2017. USA: McGraw-Hill Education.
Wempen, F. (2014). Computing fundamentals digital literacy edition. United Kingdom: John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
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