DEFINATION AND APPLICATIONS OF OPERATING SYSTEM

Q. Define operating system? What are the purposes of an operating system? What are the components of a computer system?

Ans: Operating System: An operating system is a program that acts as an intermediary between a user of a computer and the computer hardware.

Purposes of an operating system: The purpose of an OS is to provide an environment in which a user can execute program.

The primary goal of an operating system is thus to make the computer system convenient to user.
A secondary goal is to use the computer hardware in efficient manner.

Component of computer system: A computer system can be roughly divided into four components:

• The hardware


• The OS


• The applications programs

• The users

Fig: Abstract view of the components of a computer system

The hardware provides the basic computing resources. The applications programs define the ways in which there resources are used to solve the computing problems of the users. The OS controls and coordinates the use of the hardware among the various application programs for the various users.

Q. Discuss about the operating system.

Ans: Operating system: An OS is similar to a government. Like a government the OS performs no useful function by itself. It simply provides an environment within which other programs can do useful work. We can view an OS as a resource allocator. A computer system has many resources to solve a problem. The OS acts as the manager of these resources and allocates them to specific programs and users as necessary for the latter’s tasks.

The OS must decide which requests are allocated resources to operate the computer system efficiently fairly.

An OS is a control program. A control program controls the execution of user programs to prevent errors and improper use of the computer.

The fundamental goal of computer system is to execute user programs to make solving user problems easier. The common functions of controlling and allocating resources are then brought together into one piece of software: the operating system.

A more common definition is that the operating system is the one programming running at all times on the computers with application programs.

Q. What are the main goals of an operating system?

Ans: Goals of operating system:

The primary goal of an operating system is convenience for the user. Operating system exists because they are supposed to make it easier to compute with them than without them.
A secondary goal is efficient operation of the computer system. This goal is particularly important for large, shared multiuser systems. These systems are typically very expensive and so it is desirable to make them as efficient as possible.