A3 Computer software in an IT system GapFill

The operating system is the bridge between you, your application software and your device’s  resistorssoftwarehardwarecapacitors. We take a lot of the functions of an operating system for granted – it just works – without many of us realising what it does.

On a most basic level, the OS will manage the  extensionprinterdisknetwork connections – such as sending and receiving data to and from your router via Ethernet or Wi-Fi network and passing it to programs such as your web browser. If your PC is connected to a file server, the OS also passes the files to and from your word processor or other software.

When you log in to your device, the OS might ask you for a username and password or PIN (or even use a photo of your face). This is to make sure it’s really you – a  securitybitmapviraldesktop feature. The OS will also have inbuilt software that manages file permissions and fends off unwanted attackers.

The OS also manages the  power supplymemorysoftwareprinter known as RAM by breaking it up into blocks which it maps and gives to the running applications. If the RAM fills up, the OS will use the hard disk – swapping between disk and RAM, but performance takes a hit!

Early computers could only run one application at once, which wasn’t very helpful. Now, the processor can be shared between many applications at once, a process called  page filingsingle coremultitaskingvirtual memory. The method used has changed over the years – one application crashing could freeze the whole system, but there is now much greater isolation between the applications, allowing the rest to keep running.

Every hardware device needs a small piece of software called a  cardrivervantaxi in order to work. This allows the hardware to interface with the OS and application (and application software in turn) and means that devices newer than the OS can be used. For example, when you but a new printer, you need to install software before it will work, unless the drivers are already within the  operating systemdrivedevicesoftware.

In order to use a device, it must have  RAMa power LEDan interfacea vector display, for example a  GloriousGenericGraphicalGiant User Interface (GUI) or a  CanCADCOMCommand Line Interface (CLI).

You might be viewing this package on a  RAMCLIcomputerserver running Windows 10, MacOS or Linux. You will have a desktop, icons, menus, etc. which are all parts of a GUI. This environment is much easier to learn and use than a  multitasking interfaceprinting presscommand lineadapted interface where you must memorise each command (no typos allowed!). While experts find this interface faster to use, you could easily cause a lot of damage (e.g. deleting thousands of files with a single command) and they have a steep learning curve. Within GUIs, you can often still access a command line, such as  a utility suiteCommand PromptNotepada computer game or PowerShell in Windows, or Terminal in MacOS and Linux.

A  windowmousemenuWIMP based interface can be found on specialised devices such as MP3 players, some phones, and printers where options are given – when you select one, you might be given more options.

Finally is the  sizingoldmodernadaptive interface which changes size and orientation, for example, when you rotate your phone or tablet from portrait to landscape.