windows operating system facts

Driver

A driver is the part of the program that allows the OS to interact with hardware devices

Operating system

A set of programs that act as an interface between the applications that are running on the computer and the computer's hardware

Application

An application is a subclass computer program designed for end users. Examples are database, spreadsheet and word processing programs. Applications frequently come in suites.

Typical operating system functions:

Recieving data from user input devices, sending user output to output devices, Controlling the use of processing applications, Serving as a platform for applications, moderating hardware, providing security, managing the file system

Utilities

Utilities are the features or programs included with an OS that preform system related tasks. Common examples of Windows utilities are My Computer, Control Panel, and This PC. Common Linux utilities are cd, cp, grep and IS.

Interface

an interface is what allows the user to interact with the kernel and the utilities. There are two main types of interfaces: In command line interfaces , commands are executed thru instructions written into a command line. examples of command line bases are MS-DOS and aspects of Linux In a GUI- Graphical user interface. the user executes commands by clicking on graphics and symbols. Windows is an example of this.

Multithreading

is the ability to run multiple parts of an application simultaneously

Some operating systems also have attributes such as the following

multiprocessing, multitasking and multithreading

Multitasking is the ability to

run multiple applications simultaneously. Two common varations are: Cooperative multitasking means that multiple processors must work together for the operating system to work together. Preemptive multitasking requires applications to share a singular CPU

The parts of an operating system include

the kernel, driver & interface

kernel

the part of the operating system that is loaded into memory when the computer boots up. It is required for controlling security, managing security and providing a platform for applications to run on. The user rarely interacts with the kernel directly.

Multiprocessing is the ability to

use multiple processing devices