Operating systems (OS) are a set of integrated programs which manage computer resources and operations. The OS is not visible to the user, however it provides services that applications software can make hardware and software more user-friendly.
This is a basic operating system function. The OS must be able to organize the contents of files to improve speed, reliability and storage efficiency. This structure, also known as a file-system, permits files to be given attributes and names. They can also be organized into folders or directories to create a directory tree.
The majority of computers are equipped with a range of hardware devices, like keyboards, printers, mice, and other peripherals. These devices depend on the driver software of the device to communicate with the operating system. The operating system installs and configures these drivers to offer the right service to the applications. It also hides the hardware configuration from the user so that they can communicate with their system, without knowing the exact configuration of their hardware.
Process Management
An OS keeps track of all the applications running on the computer and decides the amount of time to be allocated to each one in a multitasking system. It also manages interruptions applications create to attract a processor’s attention and ensures there is enough memory for an application to perform its task without interfering with other processes.
Operating systems also perform other functions that are related to the overall operation of the computer, for example, maintaining the primary memory that contains huge byte arrays or word files that each have an address. The OS can monitor how many bytes are used by various programs and then move or delete these bytes to free up space.
