The anatomy of any computer is both vast and intricate, whether it’s a full-scale setup or resting in the palm of your hand. There are all kinds of classifications used to help describe the various elements these essential machines entail. That being said, none is more important than the computer’s operating system. To most people though, including those of us who use computers multiple times a day, this vital piece remains a mystery.
What Is an Operating System?
Put simply, an operating system is an intermediary between the person using the computer and its hardware. You tell it, what you want the computer to do and the operating system translates. While you still need to know the operating system’s language, to some degree, it makes it much easier to communicate with the hardware.
A computer’s operating system also manages all its resources like applications, software, the various hardware, and more abstract examples. When you need it to, it can help locate the various resources. It also works to oversee and manage the various programs and applications you use.
On a large-scale computer system, an operating system may have an even harder job. It must guard the system against intruders while at the same time ensuring that everyone allowed to use the system is able to without preventing anyone else from doing so.
It might also do things like facilitating inter-process communication, keep an eye on server performance, resource allocation and much more.
Graphical User Interface
The most common type of it is known as Graphical User Interface which is abbreviated as GUI and pronounced, “gooey.â€Â Through a combination of text and graphics, everything gets displayed clearly right on your screen.
Prior to the advent of GUI, a command-line interface was the typical option. Users had to type in literally every command to the computer which would respond with nothing but text.
Application-Programming Interface
Another central part of it is its Application-Programming Interface (API). This set of programming standards and instructions accesses web-based software. Programmers who make certain programs will often release their API to the public. So that other programmers can use it to build new programs powered by the original.
For example, DirectX is an API that makes it possible for multimedia to work on Windows operating systems. It’s been especially helpful for game programming.
The reason APIs are so important to operating systems is because it is, in large part, how programmers can make software they know will not only work for a certain operating system but also work on various computers (provided they have the same operating system).
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Sources:
Operating System – Quick Guide
 Basic Operating System Concepts
How to Leverage an API for Conferencing
Photo cred: Flickr /Â naveg
1 Comment
Nice article.
Good Explaination with examples Thanx 🙂
Communication Techniques in os