Operating system: what is it?

Many people use electronic devices such as PCs, laptops, smartphones or tablets on a daily basis. We are therefore constantly encountering operating systems. However, very few users actually know what this software can do and why it is installed on all of these devices. While laptops and desktops primarily use Windows, MacOS, or Linux, most mobile devices run on iOS or Android. Albeit these working frameworks vary in numerous ways, their errands and construction are on a basic level basically the same.
Why do you need an operating system?
By turning on the PC, one would first be able to perceive how the framework boots. Contingent upon the working framework you pick, Windows, Linux or macOS fires up. Only when this system, so important for the operation of the device , is loaded, can you get to work and launch programs, connect to the Internet or open files. However, the operating system is not responsible for starting the device. It is preceded by the BIOS , which is responsible for the actual boot process.
However, the BIOS only has very rudimentary capabilities, which are mainly related to the boot process. During the latter, the BIOS also starts the operating system, which then takes over the complete administration of the computer. Much of this activity takes place in the background. Windows and Co. are also available as interfaces between the user and the computer. The comprehensive software allows you to make settings on devices, install and uninstall programs and run software.
Today, most operating systems are designed graphically and focus on usability. The most important functions should be accessible to users with a few mouse clicks; menu navigation should be as intuitive as possible. At the very beginning, when the first computers were used for scientific and military purposes, then there was no operating system. At that time, everything was done directly with the machine itself, there was no intermediate system yet. But by the time the first PCs appeared, that is, computers that were no longer the size of a cabinet, operating systems were also standard equipment.
Early operating systems did not yet have a graphical user interface. Instead, they worked with a command line , which you can still find today in Windows PowerShell . It was only when computers could be used in the home that simpler user interfaces became mainstream. The two companies Microsoft (with Windows) and Apple (with macOS) are at the origin.
Tasks of an operating system
The operating system is virtually the heart of every computer. Without this complex software, other programs cannot function. Some things are happening completely in the background and many more are happening simultaneously.
Material management
One of the most important tasks of the operating system usually runs invisibly to users in the background. For this purpose, the system uses drivers provided by the hardware manufacturers. Thanks to the drivers, it is possible to receive and transmit commands from peripherals and to transmit commands to the hardware itself. This is how the keyboard, mouse, monitor, hard drive, graphics card, and all the other components that make up a computer work.
Software management
When downloading software from the Internet, the download page usually offers a choice of versions for different operating systems. This shows how closely the programming of applications is related to the specifications of the operating system. Basic computer systems have interfaces that control communication with different applications. Thus, it is possible that an application is allocated memory, is allowed to use the resources of the processor and can process the data entered with the keyboard and the mouse.