1.5 Systems software Flashcards
What is the operating system
A type of system software that manages hardware and runs software
What is the main functions of the operating system
User Interface
Memory management and multitasking
Security of system
Internal hardware and peripheral management
File management
User management
Provide a platform to run applications on
What do device drivers do
Used by OS to communicate with internal hardware and peripheral
Act as a translator between hardware and OS
Release updates to hardware
What are the 2 types of User Interface
Graphical user interface
Command line interface
What is the job of the User Interface
Allow the user to interact with a computer system
What does it mean that UIs were WIMP based
Windows Icons Menus Pointers
Why are GUIs used
Designed to be simple to use and interactive for everyday uses
Why are command line interfaces used
Efficient and powerful
Advanced users
What does it mean when an OS is multitasking
It can run multiple applications at once
Where is the operating system kept when the computer is on
RAM
How does the OS manage memory
Organises virtual memory
Divides the CPU time between applications
Allocates memory addresses
Manages transfer of data
How does the OS manage files and the disk
Organises them and names them, moves, allocates them, saves them
Decides where to write on the disk
Utility software
How does the OS provide user management
Single or multi user
User account control
Anti-theft measures
Access rights
Security (if multi user)
What is utility software apart of
System software
Name 3 utility software
Encryption
Defragmentation
Compression
