1.2.1 Operating Systems - Types of Operating Systems Flashcards
What is a Multi-tasking operating system?
A Multi-tasking operating system is an operating system that rapidly switches between programs to give the illusion of running multiple programs at once.
The reason this is possible is because the processor is significantly faster than the speed of any other components, so whilst peripherals are dealing with an output of a process the processor can start another process.
Why is Multi-tasking possible?
Multi-tasking is possible is because the processor is significantly faster than the speed of any other components, so whilst peripherals are dealing with an output of a process the processor can start another process.
What is a Multi-user operating system?
A Multi-user operating system allows more than one person to share a computers resources at the same time. They are common on mainframe computers where many users may access them simultaneously.
What is a Distributed operating system?
A Distributed operating system can control and co-ordinate many computers, present them to the user as though they were a single system, allowing the user to combine the power of multiple computers to complete a single task.
What is an Embedded operating system?
An embedded operating system is extremely common in embedded systems, and are specially designed for the device they run on with efficiency in mind.
They often operate on low-powered CPUs with little RAM
What is a Real-time operating system?
Real time operating systems are designed to carry out actions within a guaranteed amount of time.
Many Real-time operating systems are also embedded, and are often used when a lack of guaranteed speed could cause danger.
