Operating system

Operating system
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An operating system (abbreviated to OS) comprising of a subset of basic programs which act as an interface between hardware and user and provide them with a set of tools enabling program design, application programming, execution of applications while managing the system's resources for efficient operation. Operating systems offer an environment in which a user can execute other applications (e.g. Management information system) in a comfortable and efficient manner.

Topology of operating systems according to type

Operating system can be divided according to type into:

• on-line processing systems - interactive systems
  • users and the system can interact directly
  • user activities are immediately executed after being fed in
• off-line processing systems - batch processing
  • there is a noticeable delay after a task has been fed in and executed
  • a user cannot interfere with a task already in execution

Typology of operating systems according to applications

• Non-multitasking - new tasks cannot be executed until previous one has finished
• Multitasking - many tasks (processes) can run concurrently, sharing the time of central processing unit (CPU) according to a given schedule

Other types of operating systems

• Real-time systems - process data to meet a certain deadline
• Network and distributed systems - enable management of a number of distributed processing systems, which together form a computer network but each have their own private resources
• Embedded systems - for small scale systems such as PDA or mobile phones, in which resources are very limited.

References

• Operating system @ Wikipedia

Author: Anna Opalińska