The most outstanding features of the operating system are process management, memory and communication between applications. An operating system is a key software or set of programs that manages all the processes that occur in an electronic device.
These are not the programs and applications we usually use to process, for example, a computer, but the features that make it possible to use these applications.
One of the goals of the operating system is to manage the kernel, the location resources and the hardware of our equipment. Most of the electronic devices that have a microprocessor on the market have an operating system.
At the beginning of the development of operating systems, the biggest failure was that they had very low power and very low usage, so it was usually done manually using a batch. Within the batch, the Jobs that are required for the action were manually activated.
As the complexity of the operating systems increased, it was necessary to automate these tasks, thus showing the interpreters of the first team. With all the updates and discoveries made over the years, nothing has left of the first operating systems that had to be activated manually.
They become more sophisticated and more active to protect the machine and perform the necessary and everyday tasks.
What Are The Operating System Features?
As mentioned earlier, most operating systems are already equipped with a task list that needs to be done on our electronic device so that everything goes smoothly. It is only necessary to make minor adjustments to adapt the configuration to the needs of our device.
1. Process Management
Process management is one of the most important parts of the operating system. Processes are the resources that a program needs to implement. This includes using memory, CPU time (central processing), and files that the application needs to access to work well.
The operating system responsible for the correct operation of the machine is dedicated to the process of creating and destroying processes, stopping and resuming them, as well as assisting processes in communication mechanisms.
We can compare this task with the secretary’s work. If we compile a to-do list, the process management system will create a course of action in which the most important processes are prioritized, the intermediate in the intermediate stage and finally the least important in the last place.
The problem with it is that process management is done using a machine that determines arbitrary priorities for the tasks to be performed, and sometimes minor tasks remain incomplete.
Then you need to change the process management tool configuration and give more priority to the tasks you need or continue to perform them manually.
2. Main Memory Management
Another important part of the operating system is the main memory management. Memory consists of a data store shared by the CPU and applications that lose power when a failure occurs.
Therefore, it is important that the operating system is responsible for memory management so that it is not saturated and the data and information contained in it is lost.
The operating system ensures that part of the memory is used and why. Decide where to place the processes when there is free space, and specify and request the space that is required for it to be well used.
3. Secondary storage management
Memory is very volatile and in case of any error you may lose the information it contains. This requires a second storage module that can store data in the long run.
Like the main memory, the operating system is responsible for managing the free space and assigning the order of retention. It also ensures that everything is completely saved as well as how much space is free and where.
4. Management of the input and output system
The operating system is responsible for computer input and output ports, such as headphones, printer, monitor, etc .. Earlier, when you wanted to install a new external port, it was important that the installation disk had drivers so that the computer could accept them.
Nowadays, the computer operating system itself is usually responsible for finding the necessary information on the network so that the new external ports work perfectly.
5. File System Registration
Files are formats created by the owners that are converted into tables, and the operating system is responsible for recording and storing them. The operating system is responsible for creating, deleting and archiving created files, as well as providing the tools needed to access files at any time.
It determines communication between files and storage units, and finally can be configured to back up all files so that not all of them are lost in an accident.
6. Security
The operating system is responsible for the safety of the machine. One of the most important activities is the access of users or programs to those where they should not.
There are many viruses that can affect our system, and the operating system ensures that it does not happen. The operating system can be configured to run periodic checks and security checks.
7. Communication between Elements and Applications
With network interfaces, the operating system maintains communication between the various components of the machine and all the applications that come with them. Send and receive information.
8 Notify System Status
There are several programs that are installed by default on the operating system, but they are not such a system. They offer the environment and the basic features for developing and executing programs installed on our machine.
It informs you about the state of the system if you need to do something or confirm some actions, such as automatic updates.
In addition, it supports various programming languages so that any type of application can run on our machine. Of course, there are programs that improve communication between applications.
9. Resource Management
Manage all major parts of your machine with the resource manager. Its administrator is connected to a central processor or CPU, external devices that are connected to a computer, security and communication.
Just like internal memory and secondary memory, where it is sometimes necessary to clean and change stored parts from one side to another. In general, it manages all system resources and all the resources it faces.
10 – User administration
The operating system is also responsible for managing the profiles stored on the computer, depending on who created the profile. User administration can be a single user or multiple users.
This does not mean that the operating system only allows you to create a user profile to be used on your computer. One user profile means that only the user performances are active and only his user. The second, multi-user, allows more than one user to run simultaneously.
Commonly used operating systems
The most well-known and used operating systems on the market are Windows, iOS and Linux. And for Android and iOS smartphones. Depending on which device is needed, there are thousands of operating systems with a higher or lower complexity.
Windows belongs to Microsoft’s large macro image, while iO belongs to Apple. Linux is a free software platform that allows you to change your operating system. The Linux platform is best known for Ubuntu and Devian.
This free software allows the user to modify the operating system. There is also a certain risk and it is to touch the operating system code if you do not have much knowledge that can cause a disaster.
By contrast, operating systems like Windows and iOS are ready for the most inexperienced users, so the initial configuration of the operating system allows it to be used without the need for expensive modifications.