Operating systems

Question 1

Define operating system?

Answer 1

A set of programs that manage computer hardware resourses and provide common services for application software.

Question 2

The four resourses the os manages and its os program

Answer 2

• Processes - Processor scheduling
• Storage (memory) - Memory management
• I/O devices - I/O management
• Data - File management

Question 3

What does the operating system do?

Answer 3

• Manages resourses
• Provides a Virtual Machine
• Provides an aplication programming interface
• Provides a user interface

Question 4

what is a virtual machine

Answer 4

the apparent machine that the OS presents to the user, achived by hiding the complexities of the hardware behind layers of os software.

Question 5

what is aplication programming interface (API)

Answer 5

a layer of software that allows aplication programs to call on the services of the OS.

(alows a software to work on many different computers, as the OS is managing the hardware)

Question 6

two types of userinterface?

Answer 6

• Command line interface - USer responding to prompts with a command
• Graphical user interface - Made up of windows, event driven.

Question 7

what is event driven?

Answer 7

• Flow of programs execution is determined by events.
• Eg a button click
• If several events occur they are queued
• message sent to program when even occurs.

Question 8

What kind of thingsa does disk management do?

Answer 8

• Access rights
• Structure
• File management
• Physical location
• Copy/paste
• Read/write
• Delecte
• etc

Question 9

WHat is an interactive OS

Answer 9

An OS in which the user and the computer are in direct two way communication.

Question 10

what is a real time OS

Answer 10

inputs are processed in a timly manner so that the output can affect the source of the inputs.

1. Deals with events that happen at random times, sometimes at the same time.
2. processing and a output must be done in a time interval
3. some are safety critical, so reponse must be guarenteed.

Question 11

What is a network operating system

Answer 11

A layer of software added to the OS of a computer on a network.

This layer intercepts commands that reference external resourses (on the network) and redirects the request to the remote resourse without the user knowing.

Question 12

what is device OS

Answer 12

Installed on mobile devices. IT needs to manage the limited resourses such as battery, network connect that exist on a mobile device.

Question 13

what allows a OS to change easily?

Answer 13

layered software built in modules that can be changed independantly more easily.

Question 14

hows a smartphone OS different to a normal phone?

Answer 14

Smartphones can do more, their OS is more like a computers OS. ITs resourses are more readily available for use by applications which dont need to be made by the OS.

Question 15

what is PDA (personal digital assistants)?

Answer 15

a handheld portable computer that can do specific tasks.

(eg a phone, internet browser, media player- all being replaced by smartphones tho)

Question 16

What is an embedded computer system?

Answer 16

A dedicated computer system with a limited or non-existant user interface and designed to opperate completly or largy automonously from within other machinery.

(eg engine management in a car)

Question 17

what is a desktop OS

Answer 17

an OS that allows a user to carry out a broud range of general purpose tasks.

Manage all the normal resourses etc

Question 18

What is a server operating system?

Answer 18

an OS optimised to provide one or more specialised services to networked clients.

(this means its very good atthe few tasks it can do as its nots general)