A computer system has many resources
(hardware and software), which may be require to complete a task. The commonly
required resources are input/output devices, memory, file storage space, CPU
etc. The operating system acts as a manager of the above resources and
allocates them to specific programs and users, whenever necessary to perform a
particular task. Therefore operating system is the resource manager i.e. it can
manage the resource of a computer system internally. The resources are
processor, memory, files, and I/O devices. In simple terms, an
operating system is the interface between the user and the machine.
Two
Views of Operating System
1.
User's View
2.
System View
Operating
System: User View
The user view of the computer refers to
the interface being used. Such systems are designed for one user to monopolize
its resources, to maximize the work that the user is performing. In these
cases, the operating system is designed mostly for ease of use, with some
attention paid to performance, and none paid to resource utilization.
Operating
System: System View
Operating system can be viewed as a
resource allocator also. A computer system consists of many resources like -
hardware and software - that must be managed efficiently. The operating system
acts as the manager of the resources, decides between conflicting requests,
controls execution of programs etc.
Operating
System Management Tasks
1.
Processor
management which involves putting the tasks
into order and pairing them into manageable size before they go to the CPU.
2.
Memory
management which coordinates data to and
from RAM (random-access memory) and determines the necessity for virtual
memory.
3.
Device
management which provides interface between
connected devices.
4.
Storage
management which directs permanent data
storage.
5.
Application which allows standard communication between software
and your computer.
6.
User interface which allows you to communicate with your computer.
Functions
of Operating System
1.
It boots the computer
2.
It performs basic computer tasks e.g.
managing the various peripheral devices e.g. mouse, keyboard
3.
It provides a user interface, e.g.
command line, graphical user interface (GUI)
4.
It handles system resources such as
computer's memory and sharing of the central processing unit(CPU) time by
various applications or peripheral devices.
5.
It provides file management which
refers to the way that the operating system manipulates, stores, retrieves and
saves data.
6.
Error Handling is done by the operating
system. It takes preventive measures whenever required to avoid errors.