OPERATING SYSTEMS

The fundamental core of a computer is its operating system : the software that controls its hardware. As its name suggests, the operating system operates the computer. It loads applications into the computer’s memory, run these applications, and manages peripheral devices, such as disk and printers.

A computer environment that consists of multiple computers and printers can be connected together to exchange data and information. Such a group of connected computers and devices is called a network.

Coordinating the numerous applications that run simultaneously on a network and managing the various peripheral devices attached to a network requires additional support. The network operating system provides this support in the form of networking features. Microsoft Windows is a new generation network operating system that provides improved infrastructure, management, and application support to network users and organizations.

Microsoft Windows provides an array of tools to assist the network administrator in simplifying day to day administrative tasks and in configuring client computers. Microsoft Windows provides advanced capabilities for automating many of these tasks, thus decreasing overhead costs.

An operating system is software that provides the means for applications to interact with the computer’s hardware. An operating system manages four key aspects of a computer’s operation : hardware management, software management, memory management, and data management.

1. Hardware management

The operating system enables the computer to communicate with peripheral devices, such as a printer or a mouse. 

2. Software management

The operating system provides a mechanism for initiating processes that include programs, such as Microsoft Word and Microsoft Power Point.

3. Memory management

The operating system allocates memory to each application, without affecting the memory used by other applications. 

4. Data management

The operating system manages files stored on hard disks and other mass-storage devices. The operating system enables applications to create and open files, transfer data between devices, and perform such file-management tasks as renaming and deleting.

The operating system coordinates the interaction between the computer and applications that run on it. It controls the flow of data within the computer and provides the graphical user interface (GUI), a mean of interacting with the computer. The GUI provides an intuitive graphical way of issuing commands to the system, as compared to a text-based environment.