GUI based Operating System

 

Introduction to GUI based Operating System

Personal computer has advanced a lot in a short period of time, and much of the advancement is due to ongoing progresses in operating systems. Evolution of operating systems had made PCs easier to use and understand, flexible and reliable. This chapter is the study of primary operating systems currently used in personal computers and network servers, and their basic features.

This topic presents a broad survey of concepts and terminologies related to operating systems like: Basics of operating system, user interface, basic settings of operating system, file & directory management, and types of files.

Basics of Operating System

Operating System

Operating system is a software that controls system’s hardware and interacts with user and application software.

In short, an operating system is computer’s chief control program.

Functions of Operating System

The operating system performs the following functions −

• It offers a user interface.

• Loads program into computer’s memory.

• Coordinates how program works with hardware and other software.

• Manages how information is stored and retrieved from the disk.

• Saves contents of file on to disk.

• Reads contents of file from disk to memory.

• Sends document to the printer and activates the printer.

• Provides resources that copy or move data from one document to another, or from one program to another.

• Allocates RAM among the running programs.

• Recognizes keystrokes or mouse clicks and displayes characters or graphics on the screen.

Sr.No.	Operating System Concepts & Description
1	Types of Operating System There are four types of operating systems.
2	Basics of Popular Operating Systems Windows Operating System is developed by Microsoft Corporation, Linux is a multitasking operating system that supports various users and numerous tasks. It is open source, i.e., code for Linux is available for free of cost
3	User Interface While working with a computer, we use a set of items on screen called "user interface". In simple terms, it acts as an interface between user and software application or program
4	Running an Application The operating system offers an interface between programs and user, as well as programs and other computer resources such as memory, printer and other programs.
5	Operating System Simple Setting We will learn different settings in Operating System such as changing system date and time, changing display properties, etc.
6	File and Directory Management File is nothing but a collection of information. The information can be of numbers, characters, graphs, images, etc. Directory is a place/area/location where a set of file(s) will be stored.
7	File Management System The file management system is a software which is used to create, delete, modify and control access and save files.
8	Types of Files There are five types of files such as Ordinary files, Directory files, Device files, FIFO files

Hardware and Software

 

Concept of Hardware and Software

Hardware

The term hardware refers to mechanical device that makes up computer. Computer hardware consists of interconnected electronic devices that we can use to control computer’s operation, input and output. Examples of hardware are CPU, keyboard, mouse, hard disk, etc.

Hardware Components

Computer hardware is a collection of several components working together. Some parts are essential and others are added advantages. Computer hardware is made up of CPU and peripherals as shown in image below.

Software

A set of instructions that drives computer to do stipulated tasks is called a program. Software instructions are programmed in a computer language, translated into machine language, and executed by computer. Software can be categorized into two types −

• System software
• Application software

System Software

System software operates directly on hardware devices of computer. It provides a platform to run an application. It provides and supports user functionality. Examples of system software include operating systems such as Windows, Linux, Unix, etc.

Application Software

An application software is designed for benefit of users to perform one or more tasks. Examples of application software include Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Oracle, etc.

Differences between Software and Hardware are sorted out below −

Sr.No.	Software	Hardware
1	It is a collection of programs to bring computer hardware system into operation.	It includes physical components of computer system.
2	It includes numbers, alphabets, alphanumeric symbols, identifiers, keywords, etc.	It consists of electronic components like ICs, diodes, registers, crystals, boards, insulators, etc.
3	Software products evolve by adding new features to existing programs to support hardware.	Hardware design is based on architectural decisions to make it work over a range of environmental conditions and time.
4	It will vary as per computer and its built-in functions and programming language.	It is mostly constructed for all types of computer systems.
5	It is designed and developed by experienced programmers in high-level language.	The hardware can understand only low-level language or machine language.
6	It is represented in any high-level language such as BASIC, COBOL, C, C++, JAVA, etc.	The hardware works only on binary codes 1’s and 0’s.
7	The software is categorized as operating system, utilities, language processor, application software, etc.	The hardware consists of input devices, output devices, memory, etc.