Operating System (O.S)

An operating system is the complete set of programs written to utilize the computer resources in an optimal manner. The operating system supervises the sequencing and processing of programs, takes part in file management and helps to cut down the idle time of the CPU to a bare minimum. To execute a job successfully, the user needs a variety of assistance from the O.S. which can be specified in the following steps:

•     Indicate to the system, the particular programing language in which the program has been written.
•     Request the use of peripheral devices.
•     Request the execution of a program.

The motivation for the development of the Operating System is related to the basic difference in speed between computer systems and human operator. Operating System was designed basically to automate the computer operations.

Depending on the type of operating systems, various facilities like Batch Processing, Multiprograming, Time Sharing, Virtual Memory may be made available to a user.