An Operating System (OS) is a software that acts as an interface between computer
hardware components and the user. Every computer system must have at least one
operating system to run other programs. Applications like Browsers, MS Office,
Notepad Games, etc., need some environment to run and perform its tasks. The OS
helps you to communicate with the computer without knowing how to speak the
computer's language. It is not possible for the user to use any computer or mobile
device without having an operating system. Introduction to Operating System
operating system (OS) By An operating system (OS) is the program that, after
being initially loaded into the computer by a boot program, manages all of the
other application programs in a computer. The application programs make use of
the operating system by making requests for services through a defined application
program interface (API). In addition, users can interact directly with the operating
system through a user interface, such as a command-line interface (CLI) or a
graphical UI (GUI). Why use an operating system? An operating system brings
powerful benefits to computer software and software development. Without an
operating system, every application would need to include its own UI, as well as
the comprehensive code needed to handle all low-level functionality of the
underlying computer, such as disk storage, network interfaces and so on.
Considering the vast array of underlying hardware available, this would vastly
bloat the size of every application and make software development impractical.
Instead, many common tasks, such as sending a network packet or displaying text
on a standard output device, such as a display, can be offloaded to system software
that serves as an intermediary between the applications and the hardware. The
system software provides a consistent and repeatable way for applications to
interact with the hardware without the applications needing to know any details
about the hardware.
