Characteristics Of Operating Systems

An operating system is a program of instructions (software) that allows interaction between the user and the physical elements of the machine (hardware). Although it is mainly known as the computer interaction system, it is also used in other devices such as ATMs, cell phones, radios and digital televisions, and all devices that have interaction systems and storage, such as machine tools, looms, and more recently automobiles, refrigerators, washing machines, or ovens microwave.

The operating system consists of the management of I / O signals (Input and Output signals), which allow that when performing a specific operation (input signal) the same result is always obtained (input signal exit). This type of instruction had already been achieved with the Jaqard looms, in which the input instruction was the drawing programmed in the card, the operating system allowed to interpret the holes of the card in weaving wefts that were passed to the loom machine (signal of exit). During the 20th century this same system was introduced in the first computers (eniac and IBM 360) by the same punched card system.

With the creation of the transistor, and later of the integrated circuit and the microprocessor, a communication language was created called assembler, which constitutes the core of an operating system (kernel) and which manages the input and output signals of data. The kernel in turn manages the physical resources, called hardware, with other instruction packages made in other languages, and which are known as programs, packages or software.

One of these additional programs to the operating system is the visualization program or interface program, which allows the control through a screen and other peripheral devices (mouse, keyboard) of the input and output processes of data. From the creation of the graphical interface environments, an operating system is called a program that It is installed primarily in a device and allows I / O interaction, as well as the storage of data.

Characteristics of operating systems:

The operating systems control the ratio of the input signals to always obtain the same output signals, and with this, always obtain the same results.

The operating systems are divided into graphics and text. The first systems had a text type interface, in which the screen only showed text characters. The main text-type operating systems were IBM-DOS, MS-DOS, AMIGA, and Commodore.

Graphical operating systems allow more efficient operation of the device using it, and which is accessible through a pointing device (mouse or touch pad) or through systems touch. The first systems of this type were Mac OS and Windows.

Mixed operating systems combine GUI (Graphic User Interface) and text functions. The system that represents this mode is Linux.

All operating systems allow the user to use a series of programmed instructions (programs or software) to obtain a new instruction process or achieve a physical result, in any of the peripheral elements of hardware.

It is in charge of managing the resources within the system, such as memory, or availability of processing during the different operations carried out by the processor of the computer.

It allows the user to interact with the computer through various commands, which are interpreted by the operating system. Commands such as copy, paste or delete, which is done through text and graphic interfaces that are visible thanks to a screen and you have the ability to manipulate it thanks to different peripheral hardware such as Mouse, keyboard and others.

They have the peculiarity that being the intermediary between the user and the hardware, it facilitates the user's access to the different data, and allows various operations to be carried out through different commands, which are entered by various means, (keyboard, mouse, specific buttons on different devices), which facilitates its use, whether it is a computer, a cell phone, a microwave oven or other.

Operating systems have the ability to allow interaction with various devices through direct commands, as in simple operating systems used in ATMs automatic, refrigerators, automobiles or microwave ovens, in which the commands are simple and practical in use, which gives great convenience to use in that type of appliances.

There may be different versions of the operating system that are distributed at the same time, either for a special type of services that they must provide on a computer. determined, as in the case of Windows 2000 and Windows 2000 server, that although they were similar systems, they had special characteristics for their respective functions assigned.

Operating systems have the characteristic of being progressive in their evolution to improve and adapt to new needs and situations, (better hardware, system fixes, updates, etc.).

Most of the operating systems that exist in the market are systems that are called proprietary and are those that for their use require the payment of a license or permission from the owner, and it is not allowed to make modifications to it because it is protected by rights of Author.

The operating system that is freely distributed and modifiable is the Linux system. There are many variants of this system called distributions, which retain the characteristics of being free distribution and open source: OpenSUSE, Debian, Guadalinex, Ulteo, Ubuntu, Kubuntu, Edubuntu, NewSense, Yoper, Vida Linux, Red Hat, NimbleX, etc.