Operating Systems: Lesson 8

administrator account

A collection of information that determines which files you can access and which settings you use.

file system

A method used by operating systems to store, retrieve, and organize files.

driver

A small program that instructs the operating system on how to operate specific hardware

Linux

A variant of the UNIX operating system., An operating system based on UNIX, maintained by volunteers, and distributed for free. Linux is used mostly in servers and embedded computers, but is growing in popularity as a PC operating system.

Windows Mobile

A version of the Windows operating system that runs on smart phones and other types of handheld computers.

Palm OS

An operating system that runs on Palm handhelds and other third-party devices

UNIX

Operating system developed by AT&T. It is considered portable, meaning it can run on just about any hardware platform.

handheld operating system

Operating system for mobile devices.

administrative rights

Permission to make changes on a computer system.

embedded operating system

Similar in principle to operating systems such as Windows or Linux, embedded operating systems are smaller and generally less capable than desktop operating systems

operating system (OS)

System software that provides an interface between the user or application program and the computer hardware.

Mac OS X

The latest version of the Macintosh operating system.

emulation card

added onto the motherboard of a computer, provides the ability for the computer to run a program that was designed for a different operating system

Windows Embedded CE

operating system designed for devices such as digital cameras, security robots, intelligent appliances, gaming devices, GPS, and set-top boxes

system administrator

user who has an administrator account