Operating System

                                                               OPERATING SYSTEM

         Operating System (OS) is a set of programs containing instructions that work together to coordinate all the activities among computer hardware resources. Most operating systems perform similar functions that include starting and shutting down a computer, providing a user interface, managing program, managing memory, coordinating task, configuring devices, establishing an Internet connection, monitoring performance, providing file management and other utilities, and automatically updating itself and certain utility programs,

OPERATING SYSTEM FUCTIONS

Many Different operating systems exist, designed for all types of computers. regardless of the size of the computer, however, most operating systems provide similar functions. The following sections discuss functions common to most operating systems. The operating system handles many of these fuctions automatically, without requiring any instructions from user.

- Starting and shutting down a computer
   The process of starting a computer is called booting. when turn on a computer that has been powered off completely, you are performing a cold boot. A warm boot , by contrast, is the process of using operating system to restart.

- Providing a User interface
   you interact with software through its user interface. That is, a user interface controls how you enter data and instructions and how information is displayed on the screen. two types of user interfaces are graphical and command line. operating systems ofthen use a combination of these interfaces to define how user interacts with a computer.

  a.  Graphical user Interface
       most users today work with a graphical user interface . with a Graphical user Interface (GUI), you interact with menus and visual images such as buttons and other graphical objects to issue commands. Many Current GUI Operatoing systems incorporate features similiar to those of a web browser, such as links and navigation buttons (i.e., Back Button and Foward Button). some GUI Operating Systems provide acces to command line interfaces, wich are discussed in the next section.