The role of operating systems (OS).

Operating systems

The role of an operating system is to link the hardware with the user and any program running on the computer. The operating system has many functions like the following:

-          Managing files – by copying, renaming, deleting them and using folders.

-          Managing hardware – by loading programs, allocating them resources, and using drivers to link specialist hardware such as a video card.

-          Allocating resources – by sending keyboard/mouse inputs to programs, as well as accesing other resources such as printing and the hard disk.


-          Handling security issues, such as restore points ((to return system files and settings back to an earlier state), backups and access to files when multiple used share a PC.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The main components of a computer with brief descriptions.

Main components of a computer Motherboard – The main printed circuit board (PCB) where all the other system components plug in. CPU – Central processing unit, each computer has at least one CPU or a microprocessor, which runs instructions contained in computer programs and undertakes input/output operations. The CPU has many parts, including arithmetic and logic (ALU) unit, control unit, registers, etc. Arithmetic and logic unit – This completes basic calculations (arithmetic) and comparisons (logic). Comparisons are used in sorting and searching operations. Control Unit – Each machine code instruction is extracted from memory. Decoded and run calling on the ALU when necessary. The output is either written  to the register for fast recall as part of subsequent instructions or back to main memory. The control unit is there to make the rest of the computer hardware do whatever is the result of the completed instruction. Registers – There are several types of register whithin the CPU a
Read more

Programming concepts, high-level programming languages, low-level programming languages, machine code, hardware, characteristics of high/low level programming, and flow charts.

Programming concepts Professional programmers use specialised skills and creativity to write programs. Some people find programming easy and fun.  The programming concept you need to understand are described below. Application software package This is the end result of programming. When an application is running, the user interface is what you see and interact with by typing or using buttons. Applications software packages are created by programming with a high-level programming language and are used to solve problems and to entertain. High-level programming language A high-level programming language is one that is quite close to natural human language (rather then computer language, aka machine code). This is what most programmers use to write programs.  Examples of high-level programming language are C# (pronounced ‘C Sharp’), C++, Java, and Visual Basic. Microsoft Office applications, including excel also offer high-level programming functionality using VBA (virtual basic for applic
Read more

Factors you need to consider before installing or upgrading an operating system or productivity application.

Software installation and upgrades There are some factors you need to consider before installing or upgrading an operating system or productivity application to ensure it will work. You should make sure that the application you wish to install is compatible with your operating system. Hardware technology systems – This is the computer specification, particularly the CPU, video systems, amount of RAM and free disk space. If any of these are not good enough for the new software the installation will fail. Accessibility  features – If these are important to the user they should be checked to ensure they are included in the software before it is installed. Cost of the software – An organization needs to check the full cost of the software before installation. The full cost will be the cost of the licences needed for all the computers plus the cost of setting the software up, training staff and paying for any support and maintenance. Speed – this is important especially when new software
Read more