7.1.1 Operating System Basics

7.1.1 Operating System Basics A computer operating system is a piece of software that manages computer hardware and software resources, and provides common services for computer programs. Operating systems are all around us. They're in computers, laptops, tablets, and cell phones. You can also find them in smart TVs, gaming consoles, and even cars. One of the main jobs of anoperating system (OS)is to allow the user to interact with the computer.A computer can't do much without an operating system. It's the foundation of any computing device because it's the software that gets the hardware to run. Most people know what an operating system looks like, but not many know how it works. Learning about operating systems will help you expand your understanding of technology.A computer needs both hardware and software to be usable. Without hardware, you can't type, see the screen, or interact with the computer at all. Without software, the hardware is just a bunch of metal, plastic, and silicon. Interfaces Operating systems provide an interface, or point where a human and a computer interact. You interact with an OS through either acommand line interface (CLI)or agraphical user interface (GUI).The strengths of a CLI are better control over programs and the whole system, quick navigation, and using scripts for faster results. A CLI also uses fewer system resources, which is great for older computers. However, there are challenges too. It's easy to mistype characters, which can cause mistakes, and you get little feedback as you type. CLIs are harder to learn than GUIs because you have to remember many commands. This lesson will talk about both types of interfaces. Ease of Use An operating system creates an environment where different software applications can run. The application software is the program or group of programs that lets you accomplish different tasks, like browsing the web, sending emails, or designing graphics. Thanks to the OS, software developers don't need to worry about writing code to access the hard disk or to send a graphic to a printer; they can rely on the OS to do these things for them. The OS acts as a go-between for the hardware and applications, letting developers focus more on improving programs or building better pieces of hardware.Because of this convenience, there are only a few operating systems available today, owing to the fact that it's difficult to make software that works across many different platforms. And over time, an operating system might change so much that old software doesn't work anymore. For this reason, changes to an OS have to be done very carefully. Manage Drivers Another core function of an operating system is to "drive" the computer hardware and manage system utility applications. A "driver" is a piece of softwaremade to control a specific piece of hardware on a certain OS. For example, a printer will have a driver for that specific model, and that model will have drivers for different operating systems like Windows, macOS, and Linux.The OS identifies which hardware parts are in the PC and then loads the drivers for those parts. Sometimes, however, the OS can't identify the hardware, and you or a technician will need to find the correct driver on the manufacturer's website and then download and install it. Processing Instructions One fundamental difference between operating systems is the amount of instructions that thecentral processing unit (CPU)can handle. This difference applies to the OS, too.Computer hardware and software is designed to operate with either 32 bits or 64 bits of instructions at one time (and that "one time" is as short as one billionth of a second). Operating systems work similarly, able to manage 32 bits or 64 bits at one time.As systems have advanced, 64 bits has become the standard size for today's CPUs and OSs. One significant benefit of 64-bit systems is the ability to address more memory, where 32-bit systems were limited to 4GB of memory, 64-bit systems jumps to 16 exabytes, which is equal to one billion gigabytes (GB). This is enough memory for systems in the foreseeable future.One way to look at the difference is through an analogy. Imagine trucks going down a highway carrying goods across the country. If there were 32 lanes on this highway and 32 trucks moving in tandem, each going 65 miles per hour (mph), when they reach their destination, they would have moved 32 loads. Now imagine the same highway, except this one has 64 lanes and 64 trucks, also going 65 mph. When they reach the same destination, they would have moved twice as much cargo.This is how CPUs and operating systems compute, but with 32 or 64 bits of data at one time. This is why a 64-bit processor at 3GHz is going to be faster than a 32-bit processor also with 3GHz speed.