What Is an Operating System? | Grupo EKonomiKa

The operating system controls the general resources and operations of a computer through controlling access to the central processing unit (CPU), computer memory, file storage, and input/output devices. It is responsible for scheduling resource usage to VDR solutions avoid conflicts and interfering between processes, managing the structure and contents of files in nonprimary storage media and determining which applications can use hardware components such as disk drives or Wi-Fi adaptors. It also provides a means for interactive users to connect to the system with either the Graphical User Interface (GUI) or a Command-Line Interface (CLI).

Process Management

The operating systems handles the start, stopping and resumption processes of applications. It decides which application is to run first, how long it can make use of the CPU, as well as when it is time to stop. It also can split the program into several threads so that it can run on a variety of processors simultaneously. Each of these actions is controlled by a routine within the operating system known as the process block.

File management

Operating systems keep track of the structure and content of files in non-primary data storage. They can move data between storage and memory in the event of need. They can also convert virtual memory pages onto physical memory pages for faster access. This is referred to as demand paging.

It also interacts with the hardware in the computer via drivers and other interfacing software. If, for instance an application needs to use a specific piece of hardware, like a WiFi adaptor, the operating system will install the driver, and then let it access the hardware. This is all done without the developer having to write an entirely new piece of code for each Wi-Fi adaptor disk drive, or any other type of hardware.