Operating System, The Soul Of A Computer.

We know about different operating systems. WINDOWS released their latest operating system WINDOWS 7 recently. A strong competition is in this field. A general purpose operating system is a program which makes the computers easier to use. Operating system is an interface which acts between user and computer hardware. The operating system manages the resources of the computer in an attempt to meet overall system goals such as efficiency. The operating system acts as an interaction between the hardware and software., which oversees all the operations of the computer. The operating system allows the user to create, print, copy, delete, display and in other ways to work with files. It also allows a user to load and execute other programs. The operating system insulates the user from needing to know the intricate hardware details of the system in order to use it. The operating system is closest to the hardware and application of programs are farthest from the hardware. When the system is turned on, the operating system is in charge of the system and stays in the background and provides channels of communications to application programs. Operating systems are classified based on different ways. The most common way is based on the kind of user interface provided. The user interface is meant to serve the needs of various groups of people who must deal with the computer. Another way of classifying operating system is concerned with the number of users the system can support at one time. The system is referred to as multiprogramming, in which the operating system takes care of switching the CPU among the various user jobs. A multiprocessing system is similar to a multiprogramming system except there is more than one CPU available. The multiprogramming improve the performance of the system by allowing the resources to be shared among several jobs. Operating system are also classified by the type of access provided to a user. In a batch processing system, a job is described by a sequence of control statements stored in a machine-readable form. A time sharing system provides interactive or conversational access to a number of users. A real time system is designed to respond quickly to external signals such as those generated by data sensors. Each computer has its own operating system. In the 1970s when most computers were designed using a 8-bit microprocessors, the CP/M ( control program/ monitor) operating system was in common use. 1980s began the era of personal computers based on 16-bit microprocessors. The CP/M was replaced by MS-DOS which is almost similar to CP/M. In the 1990s, 32 bit processors were being used widely in microcomputers, and therefore, MS-DOS is being replaced gradually by the new operating systems such as, IBM OS/2, UNIX and LINUX. MS-DOS is a 16 bit operating system developed by MICROSOFT. WINDOWS is a powerful operating system developed by MICROSOFT which is widely used in computers all over the world. It is a 32 bit graphical user interface operating system. OS/2 is a 32 bit single-user multitasking operating system developed by the IBM to exploit powerful features of recent 32 bit and 64 bit microprocessors. It is compatible with DOS and window application programs. It is well suited with for multimedia applications of CD-ROM, and support various telecommunication features such as e-mail, fax and telephone voice mail. UNIX is a multiuser, multitasking operating system. It is independent of any particular hardware structure and is widely used in engineering, scientific, and research environments and is not limited by any memory constraints. LINUX is very rugged and a very stable operating system developed by Linus Torvalds. It is gaining popularity day by day because of its many features. Linux can run on most common desktop and network platforms. Linux, with its power and performance, is gradually outshining the windows operating system. It is still evolving and improving. Major IT players are extending their support to the Linux platform. Interested in technical news/ want to know how to interconnect computers http://expertscolumn.com/content/computer-networking-and-methods-inter-connecting-computers Look for the inside components of your computer http://expertscolumn.com/content/what-inside-your-computer-simple-explanations-about-parts-inside-computer Planning to buy a laptop or desktop, some tips http://expertscolumn.com/content/read-buying-new-computer