Operating System Basics

Operating System (OS)

It is a low-level software program that enables the computer hardware to communicate and operate with the computer
software. Without a computer operating system, a computer and software programs would be useless.It is a collection of
software that manages computer hardware resources and provides common services for computer programs.
Examples of Operating Systems:
o Microsoft Windows 7
o Apple MacOS
o Ubuntu Linux
o Google Android
o Ios

Characteristics of Operating System:

Multiprocessing - An operating system capable of supporting and utilizing more than one computer processor.
Multitasking - An operating system that is capable of allowing multiple software processes to run at the same time.
Multithreading - Operating systems that allow different parts of a software program to run concurrently.
Real – time - responds to input instantly. General-purpose operating systems, such as DOS and UNIX, are not real-time.
Operating system jobs:

o It runs tests to make sure everything is working correctly.

o It checks for new hardware.
o It then starts up the operating system.
o It manages all of the software and hardware on the computer
o Protected and supervisor mode.
o Allows disk access and file systems Device drivers Networking Security.
o Program Execution.
o Memory management Virtual Memory Multitasking.
o Handling I/O operations.
o Manipulation of the file system.
o Error Detection and handling.
o Resource allocation.
o Allows you to hide details of hardware by creating an abstraction
o Easy to use with a GUI
o Offers an environment in which a user may execute programs/applications
o The operating system must make sure that the computer system convenient to use
o Operating System acts as an intermediary among applications and the hardware components
o It provides the computer system resources with easy to use format
o Acts as an intermediator between all hardware's and software's of the system
 Types of operating system:

Microsoft Windows
Apple Mac OS X
Linux
Each operating system's GUI has a different look and feel. Switching to a different operating system may seem unfamiliar at first. However,
modern operating systems are designed to be easy to use, and most of the basic principles are the same
Modern operating systems use a graphical user interface, or GUI (pronounced gooey). A GUI lets you use your mouse to click icons,
buttons, and menus, and everything is clearly displayed on the screen using a combination of graphics and text.
Microsoft Windows:
Microsoft created the Windows operating system in the mid-1980s. Over the years, there have been many different versions of
Windows, but the most recent one sare Windows 10 (released in 2014), Windows 8 (released in 2012), Windows 7 (2009),and
Windows Vista (2007). Windows comes preloaded on most new PCs, which helps to make it the most popular operating system in the
world.If you're buying a new computer or are upgrading to a newer version of Windows, you can choose from several different editions
of Windows, such as Home Premium, Professional, and Ultimate. You may need to do some research to decide which edition is right for
you.
Microsoft Windows (also referred to as Windows or Win) is a graphical operating system developed and published by Microsoft. It provides a way
to store files, run software, play games, watch videos, and connect to the Internet. Microsoft Windows, commonly referred to as Windows, is a
group of several proprietary graphical operating system families, all of which are developed and marketed by Microsoft. Each family caters to a
certain sector of the computing industry. Active Microsoft Windows families include Windows NT .
Window 10 and 7:

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 Apple Mac OS X

Mac OS is a line of operating systems created by Apple Inc. It comes preloaded on all new Macintosh computers, or Macs.
All of the recent versions are known as Mac OS
X (pronounced Mac O-S Ten), and their specific version include Yosemite (released in 2014), Mavericks (2013), Mountain Lion
(released in 2012), Lion (2011), and Snow Leopard (2009).
Apple also offers a version called Mac OS X Server, which is designed to be run on servers.

According to StatCounter Global Stats, Mac OS X users account for 9.5% of the operating systems market as of September
2014—much lower than the percentage of Windows users (almost 90%). One reason for this is that Apple computers tend to
be more expensive. However, many people prefer the look and feel of Mac OS X.
MAC OS X Mountain Lion
 Linux

Linux (pronounce LINN-ux) is a family of open source operating systems, which means that they can be modified and distributed by
anyone around the world. This is very different from proprietary software like Windows, which can only be modified by the company
that owns it (Microsoft).
The advantages of Linux are that it is free, and there are many different distributions (or versions) that you can choose from. Each
distribution has a different look and feel, and the most popular ones include Ubuntu, Mint, and Fedora.
According to StatCounter Global Stats, Linux users account for less than 2% of the operating systems market as of
September 2014. However, most servers run Linux because it's relatively easy to customize.Just like Windows, iOS, and Mac OS,
Linux is an operating system. In fact, one of the most popular platforms on the planet, Android, is powered by the Linux operating
system. An operating system is software that manages all of the hardware resources associated with your desktop or laptop. To put it
simply, the operating system manages the communication between your software and your hardware. Without the operating system
(OS).

The Linux operating system comprises several different pieces:

o Bootloader – The software that manages the boot process of your computer. For most users, this will simply be a splash screen that
pops up and eventually goes away to boot into the operating system.
o Kernel – This is the one piece of the whole that is actually called Linux The kernel is the core of the system and manages the CPU,
memory, and peripheral devices. The kernel is the lowest level of the OS.
o Init system – This is a sub-system that bootstraps the user space and is charged with controlling daemons. One of the most widely
used init systems is system which also happens to be one of the most controversial. It is the init system that manages the boot process,
once the initial booting is handed over from the bootloader (i.e., GRUB or GRand Unified Bootloader).
o Daemons – These are background services (printing, sound, scheduling, etc.) that either start up during boot or after you log into the
desktop.
o Graphical server – This is the sub-system that displays the graphics on your monitor. It is commonly referred to as the X server or
just X.
 Ubuntu-Linux

Ubuntu
 UNIX

UNIX is an operating system which was first developed in the 1960s, and has been under constant development
ever since. By operating system, we mean the suite of programs which make the computer work. It is a stable,
multi-user, multi-tasking system for servers, desktops and laptops. UNIX systems also have a graphical user
interface (GUI) similar to Microsoft Windows which provides an easy to use environment.

Three parts of UNIX:

• The kernel. The kernel of UNIX is the hub of the operating system: it allocates time and memory to programs and handles the
filestore and communications in response to system calls.
• The shell. The shell acts as an interface between the user and the kernel. When a user logs in, the login program checks the
username and password, and then starts another program called the shell The shell is a command line interpreter (CLI).

• Process is an executing program identified by a unique PID (process identifier). A file is a collection of data. They are created by users
using text editors, running compilers etc.

Operating System on Mobile Devices:

Mobile devices such as phones, tablet computers, and mp3 players are very different from desktop and laptop computers, so they run
operating systems that are designed specifically for mobile devices. Examples of mobile operating systems include Apple
iOS, Windows Phone, and Google Android.
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Qno2 CLI and graphical user interface ?
Command Line Interface (CLI):
The command line interface is a user
interface that is navigated by typing commands at prompts, as opposed to using the mouse to perform a command.
Because a command line interface requires unique commands, this interface is often more difficult to learn because of the need to
memorize dozens of different commands.

CLI is a command line program that accepts text input to execute operating system functions.

In the 1960s, using only computer terminals, this was the only way to interact with computers.

, command line input was commonly used by Unix systems and PC systems like MS-DOS and Apple DOS.

Today, with graphical user interfaces (GUI), most users never use command-line interfaces (CLI).

However, CLI is still used by software developers and system administrators to configure computers, install software, and access features that
are not available in the graphical interface.

Examples

The software package manager npm uses command line input to install software:
 Graphical User interface:
Short for Graphical User Interface, a GUI Operating System contains graphics and icons and is commonly navigated by using a
computer mouse.

Graphical user interface design principles conform to the model–view–controller software pattern, which separates internal representations of
information from the manner in which information is presented to the user, resulting in a platform where users are shown which functions are
possible rather than requiring the input of command codes. Users interact with information by manipulating visual widgets, which are designed
to respond in accordance with the type of data they hold and support the actions necessary to complete the user’s task.

The appearance, or “skin,” of an operating system or application software may be redesigned at will due to the nature of graphical user
interfaces being independent from application functions. Applications typically implement their own unique graphical user interface display
elements in addition to graphical user interface elements already present on the existing operating system. A typical graphical user interface
also includes standard formats for representing graphics and text, making it possible to share data between applications running under common
graphical user interface design software.

Graphical user interface testing refers to the systematic process of generating test cases in order to evaluate the functionality of the system and
its design elements. Graphical user interface testing tools, which are either manual or automated and typically implemented by third-party
operators, are available under a variety of licenses and are supported by a variety of platforms. Popular examples include: Tricentis Tosca,
Squish GUI Tester, Unified Functional Testing (UFT), Maveryx, Appium, and eggPlant Functional.

Graphical User Interface Examples

Sketchpad, believed to be the first graphical computer-aided design program, was developed in 1962 by Ivan Sutherland while he was at MIT,
and consisted of a light pen that enabled users to create and manipulate objects in engineering drawings in real time with coordinated
graphics.

Modern operating systems and graphical user interfaces are incorporated into nearly every interactive application, such as ATMs, self-service
checkouts, airline self-ticketing and check-in, video games, smartphones, and desktops. Some popular, modern graphical user interface
examples include Microsoft Windows, macOS, Ubuntu Unity, and GNOME Shell for desktop environments, and Android, Apple's iOS,
BlackBerry OS, Windows 10 Mobile, Palm OS-WebOS, and Firefox OS for smart.