Operating system
hideAn operating system (commonly abbreviated to either OS or O/S) is an interface between hardware and user; an OS is responsible for the management and coordination of activities and the sharing of the resources of the computer. The operating system acts as a host for computing applications that are run on the machine. As a host, one of the purposes of an operating system is to handle the details of the operation of the hardware. This relieves application programs from having to manage these details and makes it easier to write applications. Almost all computers (including handheld computers, desktop computers, supercomputers, video game consoles) as well as some robots, domestic appliances (dishwashers, washing machines), and portable media players use an operating system of some type. Some of the oldest models may however use an embedded operating system, that may be contained on a compact disk or other data storage device.
Operating systems offer a number of services to application programs and users. Applications access these services through application programming interfaces (APIs) or system calls. By invoking these interfaces, the application can request a service from the operating system, pass parameters, and receive the results of the operation. Users may also interact with the operating system with some kind of software user interface (UI) like typing commands by using command line interface (CLI) or using a graphical user interface (GUI, commonly pronounced “gooey”). For hand-held and desktop computers, the user interface is generally considered part of the operating system. On large multi-user systems like Unix and Unix-like systems, the user interface is generally implemented as an application program that runs outside the operating system. (Whether the user interface should be included as part of the operating system is a point of contention.)
Common contemporary operating system families include BSD, Darwin (Mac OS X), GNU/Linux, SunOS (Solaris/OpenSolaris), and Windows NT (XP/Vista/7). While servers generally run Unix or some Unix-like operating system, embedded system markets are split amongst several operating systems.
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This text uses material from Wikipedia and is available under the GNU Free Documentation License.
News tagged with operating system
Should I buy a PC or Mac?
Nov 25, 2009 |
2.4 / 5 (21) |
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Q. Our 6-year-old PC computer is dying a slow death and we are considering moving to a new iMac but have a few concerns. First, of all, we have several Word documents on our disk drive now that we want to keep and add to ...
Microsoft's cloud computing system is growing up
Nov 17, 2009 |
2.5 / 5 (10) |
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(AP) -- Microsoft Corp. leads its industry in part because a vast army of outside computer programmers design software that only runs on its Windows operating system. Now, the company is fighting to keep those programmers ...
Google's Chrome OS to be ready for 2010 holidays (Update)
Nov 19, 2009 |
4.6 / 5 (5) |
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(AP) -- Consumers will have to wait until next year's holiday shopping season to find out if Google Inc.'s new operating system can deliver on its promise to make low-cost computers run faster.
Windows 7 debut a hit: NPD
Nov 06, 2009 |
1.3 / 5 (13) |
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Microsoft's new-generation Windows 7 operating system hit the ground running, with US sales in its opening days blasting past those of its Vista predecessor, according to NPD Group.
Court rules against Microsoft in China font case
Nov 17, 2009 |
5 / 5 (1) |
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A Chinese court has ruled Microsoft Corp. infringed a Chinese company's intellectual property rights by including certain fonts in its operating systems, the companies confirmed Tuesday.
Microsoft CEO: Windows 7 Japan sales 'fantastic'
Nov 05, 2009 |
1 / 5 (2) |
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(AP) -- Sales of Microsoft Corp.'s new Windows 7 operating system have been "fantastic" in Japan since its launch last month, CEO Steve Ballmer said Thursday.
Microsoft's monthly security fixes spare Windows 7
Nov 10, 2009 |
1 / 5 (2) |
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(AP) -- Microsoft's newest computer operating system has survived its first few weeks on the market without needing any security fixes.
Future bright for Microsoft cloud computing, server president says
Nov 19, 2009 |
1 / 5 (1) |
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All this week at the Professional Developers Conference, Microsoft has talked about cloud computing, what many consider the next frontier. Bob Muglia, president of the company's Server and Tools business, sat down to talk ...
Palm's webOS hasn't gotten the attention it deserves
Nov 11, 2009 |
not rated yet |
1
Lost in the recent deluge of smart-phone news -- Apple's iPhone store hitting 100,000 applications, and the launches of the new Droid phone and the BlackBerry Storm, among other things -- have been the efforts ...
Microsoft unleashes lawsuits, raids in piracy crackdown
1hour ago |
not rated yet |
0
Microsoft Corp. said Thursday it has unleashed a series of lawsuits and is cooperating in criminal prosecutions worldwide in an effort to stem piracy of its software.
