Operating System Flashcards
What is an operating system?
The core software that controls how a computer operates
Give 3 examples of operating systems
Windows
iOS
Android
What 4 things do operating systems need to do?
Control the hardware of the computer system
Manage software
Provide Security
Provide a user interface
What are the 4 main parts in an operating system?
The Kernel
The Device Drivers
The User Interface
The System Utilities
What 6 tasks does the Kernel have?
Loading / Unloading applications from memory
Scheduling tasks to run efficiently on the CPU
Memory management
File storage to and from secondary storage devices such as the hard disk
File management
Data security
Why do operating systems on mobile phones need a more efficient memory management kernel than a PC?
Because memory is a limited resource in phones
What are the 3 types of user interface?
Menu interface
Command line interface
Graphical user interface
What does a user interface allow for?
A person to interact with the computer
What ways can you interact with a computer?
With a Computer - a mouse, keyboard, or a finger pad on a laptop
With a phone - touch screens and finger gestures
What do Menu-based interfaces give the user?
Give users a list of possible actions that the system can carry out
When are menu-based interfaces most commonly used?
When a computer is intended to only handle a small number of tasks
Give an example of a menu-based interface
The automated check-in machine at an airport
What does a command-line interface allow the user to do?
Allows the user to interact directly with the computer system by typing in text commands (instructions) into a screen such as ‘cmd.exe’
What is the most commonly used user interface?
graphical user interface (GUI)
What is a graphical user interface?
It is an easy way for people to interact with the computer because it makes use of pictures, graphics and icons
Give an example of a GUI
Windows
What is the memory manager responsible for?
Managing the memory!
What is the memory manager part of?
The Kernel
Where do programs need to be loaded into before they can run?
RAM
What does a memory manager do?
Gives each program a private memory area in which to run, in order to stop them interfering with one another
What is memory manager also responsible for?
For moving programs between RAM and virtual memory
What does a multi-tasking operating system allow for?
More than one program to run at the same time
Give 2 examples of multi-tasking operating system
Android
Windows
What does a multi-tasking operating system do?
It arranges for every process in memory to run in the CPU once they are ready to do so, switching between processes from different applications to keep them all up to date
What do device drivers do?
They help hardware connected to the computer communicate with the computer’s software and with the user
What does every piece of hardware that communicates with the operating system need?
a device driver
Give 4 examples of internal hardware that needs a device driver
the hard disk
RAM
graphics card
sound card
Give 4 examples of external hardware that needs a device driver
printer
monitor
mouse
keyboard
What does a device driver enable?
The operating system to control and communicate with the device
What is user management part of?
The Kernel
What does the operating system create, as part of user management?
A private desktop and a set of folders that only they can access once they are logged in
What does the operating system also control in a larger, networked computer system?
Controls access
How does the operating system keep data secure and private?
With user access rights
In terms of user access rights, what does the operating system do when a user logs in?
The operating system will know what permissions they have and restrict them accordingly
