The 10 functions of the operating system

These are the different functions that define the operating system of an electronic device.

No one doubts that computers have become a fundamental part of our daily lives, comparable only to the intrusion of cell phones in our lives.

PCs and smartphones have in common that, in addition to being very important for communication in the 21st century, they have operating systems that allow them to work.

We will now take a closer look at what are the functions of the operating systemIn addition to commenting on the most famous and marketed since they were created in the middle of the last century.

What is an operating system?

Before explaining what are the functions of an operating system, it is necessary to define exactly what it is. Operating systems, also called kernels, are the software that coordinates and directs all services and applications used on a computer. the software that coordinates and directs all the services and applications used on a computer.. They are programs that enable and regulate the most basic aspects of the system.

Operating systems are usually run in a privileged way with respect to the rest of the software.They do not allow any program to make important changes to it and alter the general operation of the computer. These systems are composed of three essential components:

• File system: it is the file registry.
• Command Interpretation: translates commands into computer language.
• Core: allows the computer to function in basic matters.

The first computers did not have these systems. In the 1960s computers used batch processing, however, it was during the 1960s that the first operating systems began to be developed. Later, in the 1980s, some of today's best-known operating systems began to appear and, during the following decade, they became more efficient. It would be in the nineties when one of the most important ones would appear: Windows 95..

The 10 functions of the operating system

There are several functions performed by the operating system, without which computers would be very tedious machines to use. Here are the 10 main ones.

1. Process management

One of the most important functions of the operating system is the management of processes, processes which are the resources needed by the programmer to run. To do this, creates and deletes processes, stops them and restarts them..

This involves the use of memory, CPU (Central Processing Unit) time and files that the application needs to access in order to function properly.

Process management is established on the basis of how high the priority of the tasks to be performed is. This is usually an advantage, since it speeds up the system.

However, sometimes there are tasks that the system has interpreted as unimportant and has left them unperformed. In order to avoid this, it is necessary to change the configuration of the process management tool, and give higher priority to the necessary tasks or force their execution by hand.

2. Main memory management

Another important function of the operating system is the management of the main memory. This memory consists of a data store that is shared by the CPU and applications.memory, which loses its capacity in the event of a failure.

It is for this reason that it is important that the operating system is in charge of memory management, preventing memory saturation and the loss of data and information.

The operating system makes sure which part of the memory is being used, and the reason why it is being used. It decides, on the basis of that memory, where processes are placed when there is a free space and allocates and reclaims the necessary space so that it is always well utilized.

Managing secondary storage 3.

As we have seen the memory of a computer is a very volatile aspect. This means that in the event of any failure there is a risk of losing information. It is for this very reason that a second storage module exists in the computer, which can store data in the long term..

As with the main memory, the operating system is responsible for managing the remaining free space and assigning a storage order for the data being generated. It also makes sure that everything is correctly saved, and also checks how much free space is left and where.

4. File system logging

Files are user-created are user-created formats on the computer, which are converted into tables that must be recorded in the system if they are to be retained and reused. system if they are to be retained and reused in the future.

The operating system is responsible for managing these files, creating, deleting or archiving them as required. It also provides the necessary tools to be able to consult them later.

The system itself can be configured to make backup copies of all files. Thus, in the event of an accident, partial or complete data loss will be avoided.

5. Communication between elements and applications

The operating system is responsible for communication between elements and applications.. This sending and receiving of information is done through network interfaces. In this way, communication is maintained between the components of the computer and all the applications that are in contact with them.

6. Input and output system management

It manages the computer's input and output ports.. These ports are all the peripherals that can be connected to the computer tower, such as the monitor, the mouse, the printer, the headphones, a pen-drive....

In the past, when you wanted to install a new external port, it was necessary to have a special installation disk with the necessary "drivers" so that the computer could accept and know how to use the peripheral in question.

However, with the passage of time most computers' operating systems usually take care of searching the network for the information necessary for the new external ports to work properly. the network for the new external ports to work properly.

7. Resource management

The operating system is responsible for managing all the main parts of the computer, by means of its resource manager. This function involves the security and communication of the CPU with the external devices connected to the computer.. It also manages the internal memory and the secondary memory, where it sometimes has to clean up and move stored parts from one place to another.

8. Security

The operating system is responsible for the security of the computer. There are many computer viruses, which can affect the system through improper access to other computers. through inappropriate access from other users (hacking) or from programs and web pages that were infested.

To avoid this, the operating system can be configured in such a way that it performs periodic checks, in addition to establishing security controls.

9. Reports system status

There are a number of applications that come factory-installed with the operating system. However, although useful, these applications are not although useful, these applications are not a system as such..

However, it could be said that they are close to what an operating system would be, since they provide an environment and basic features for the development and execution of the programs installed on the computer.

The operating system is responsible for reporting the status of the system, indicating whether any action needs to be taken, such as automatic application updates. In addition, the operating system supports different languages, the operating system supports different programming languages.to make any type of application operative with the computer.

10. User administration

The operating system also The operating system is also responsible for the management of the profiles that have been created and stored in the computer.This administration can be single-user or multi-user.

Single-user should not be understood as meaning that the operating system only allows one user to be created to use the computer. Single-user means that only the executions of that user will be active and only that user's executions will be active. Multiuser, on the other hand, means that it allows more than one user's tasks to be active at the same time.

Examples of operating systems

Since the first operating systems appeared, several have been created, some of them in fierce competition with each other. In the following we will look at the main operating systems, some of which are in close competition with each other. we are going to see the main operating systems, the most commercialized and widespread ones being. The computer or cell phone with which you are reading this article probably has one of the following operating systems.

1. Microsoft Windows

Microsoft Windows is one of the most popular, perhaps the most popular.. It was originally a set of distributions or graphical operating environments whose original function was to provide other older operating systems, such as MS-DOS, with a visual representation of support and other software tools. It was first released in 1985 and has been updated to new versions ever since.

2. MacOS

MacOS is the name of the operating system for Apple's Macintosh computers, also known as OSX or Mac OSX. It is based on UNIX and was developed and sold on Apple computers since 2002. MacOS is popular for being the most direct and economically threatening competition to the Microsoft Windows operating system. Microsoft Windows.

3. Android

Android is an operating system based on the Linux kernel and operates on mobile phones, tablets and other touchscreen devices. operates on cell phones, tablets and other touchscreen devices.. It was developed by Android Inc. and subsequently purchased by Google which made it even more popular.

In fact, this operating system is so popular that the sales of Android computer systems exceed those of IOS for Macintosh mobiles and also those of Windows Phone, which are for MicroSoft mobiles.

4. MS-DOS

MS-DOS, whose name refers to Microsoft's Disk Operating System (MicroSoft Disk Operating System), was one of the most common operating systems for mobile phones. was one of the most common operating systems for IBM PCs during the 1980s and mid-1990s.. It featured a series of internal and external commands, displayed on a dark screen in a sequential manner.

5. UNIX

UNIX was one of the first operating systems to be created, being developed in 1969. It was made to be portable, multitasking and multiuser. Really, it is a whole family of similar operating systems.some with distributions that have been offered commercially and others in free format, always based on the kernel called Linux.

6. Ubuntu

Ubuntu is free and open source, i.e. it is available to everyone and can be modified without violating copyrights.. It takes its name from an ancient South African philosophical current, which is focused on man's loyalty to his own species above all else.

In line with that philosophy, Ubuntu is understood as a product made by man to help man. It is based on Linux and is distributed by the British company Canonical, which subsists by providing technical service.

Bibliographical references:

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• Blume, S. W (2016). Electric power system basics for the nonelectrical professional. John Wiley & Sons.
• Sprunt, B. (2002). The basics of performance-monitoring hardware. IEEE Micro, 22(4), 64-71.