What Is an Operating System?

Operating systems are the programs that run in the background of computers. They manage hardware components such as memory and file-systems as well as keyboards, printers and monitors. It also regulates access to the central processor unit, or CPU.

An OS allows multiple programs to be running at once, a concept called multitasking. This is because the OS assigns system resources to the program, for instance CPU and memory space during execution. It keeps track of the program’s use of these resources and ensures that the program doesn’t interfere with other programs using the same resources.

Operating systems also keep track of the locations and status of the files on the hard drives of computers. They create an virtual directory structure and store the location of each individual file in addition to other metadata such as the date it was created or modified. An OS also makes it possible for an application to connect with the myopendatablog.com/what-if-your-nintendo-switch-stops-turning-on hardware on a computer by using drivers. These drivers translate the hardware’s proprietary language into a standard language that an operating system can be able to comprehend.

If an application is trying to save a document it is switched to the kernel of the operating system. This is due to the fact that the application cannot directly access the disk drive, and therefore requires a driver to communicate with it. The operating system then creates the driver and converts the file request into a logic operation, and the hardware is then used according to instructions.