The Operating System's Job

 

Windows Operating System Loading You've probably heard the phrase boot your computer, but do you know what that means? Booting is the process that occurs when you press the power button to turn your computer on. At the end of at process, the operating system loads.

From this point, the operating system begins to do its job of controlling the way in which the computer functions. The operating system is responsible for managing the computer's hardware and software resources.

Basically, the operating system serves as the boss, or manager, and makes sure all the various parts of the computer get what they need.

Mac OS Loading When you use your personal computer, you may work on a Word document, print an email, and have your Internet browser open for web surfing, all at the same time. These three programs need attention from the central processing unit (CPU) to do whatever task that you, the user, are telling it to do.

These programs need memory and storage, and need to be able to send messages to devices such as the mouse and the printer to accomplish these tasks.

The operating system is responsible for handling these areas, as well as processor and network management.

What Makes This Job So Difficult?

Let's say you went to your local electronics store and bought language software to learn Spanish. How did the computer programmer who developed the software know that it would work on your computer?

The operating system provides a consistent way for software applications to work on various computers without needing to know specific details about each computer's hardware. It doesn't matter that each computer may have a different amount of memory or processor speed.