Operating System Software Essay

Submitted By caljay0195
Words: 907
Pages: 4

Operating system software LO1 - Understand the components of computer systems

Name

as many operating systems as you

can.

Starter

Look

at operating system software

◦ Develop knowledge of GUI and Command line interfaces ◦ Research the advantages and disadvantages of popular operating systems.

Objectives

An

operating system is the most important software that runs on a computer.

It

manages the computer's memory, processes, and all of its software and hardware. It

also allows you to communicate with the computer without knowing how to speak the computer's "language."

What is an operating system?

When

you boot a computer three things happen.. Tests

are ran to make sure everything is working correctly

Checks
It

for new hardware are carried out

then starts up the operating system

What does it do?

Once

the operating system has started up, it manages all of the software and hardware on the computer.

Most

of the time, there are many different programs running at the same time, and they all need to access your computer's central processing unit (CPU), memory, and storage

The

operating system coordinates all of this to make sure each program gets what it needs.

What does it do?

Most

modern operating systems use a GUI
(gooey)

These

are sometimes called WIMP
(windows, icons, mouse and pointer) and reflect how the user can interact with the operating system.

Graphical user interface (GUI)

GUI interface

Advantages


GUI are easier for novices



Only valid options are available •

Consistent layout





Disadvantages


Use more main & secondary memory •

Require a more powerful processor and better graphics display •

Slower executing a command because more interpretation is need



Can be too many steps to take for expert users



Complex to design

Comprehensive on-line help Can be customised by the user  The

system provides a command prompt (e.g. C:\>) where the user can type a command which runs a program or carries out housekeeping activities (e.g. copy a file, check IP settings)

Command line operating system



Advantages



Disadvantages



Easy to implement on basic displays



Unsuitable for inexperienced users



Cheap to produce



Command language errors can be made by user



Suitable for rapid expert use ◦

Command language must be learnt & remembered



System interaction is limited to the keyboard

The

operating system is at the heart of any computer system and there are various operating systems on offer.

The

most popular are

◦ Dos
◦ Linux
◦ Windows
◦ MAC OS

Operating systems

Any

hardware connects to the mother board runs through a driver before it connects to the operating system



Task sheet

Disk

operating system

Developed
Used

DOS

by Microsoft for IBM

a command line interface

Disadvantages

Advantages
 Extremely

small installation footprint

 Allows

direct access to hardware  Universally

compatible with all PC’s

 Uses

very little system resources Vs.

DOS
Windows

 Out-dated

now – not compatible with new software

 Only

one application can run at once

 Uses

command line so difficult to use unless trained/experienced  Max

of 2gb of HDD can be addressed  Produced

by Microsoft which was invented by Bill

Gates
 Invented

as an add-on to DOS

 Is

the most widely used OS on the planet 91% in 2009

 It

uses a GUI and WIMP (windows icon mouse pointer)

 There

have been many different versions of Windows, but the most recent ones are Windows 8 (released in
2012), Windows 7 (2009), and Windows
Vista (2007).

Windows

Advantages
◦ Use

of windows is widespread and a huge amount of commercial software is compatible Disadvantages


Source code is closed



Often buggy



Not secure enough for high end security needs



Large difference in operation between versions



Installation of later versions requires a large amount of HDD space ◦

Performance is