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Chapter Profile
The three most common operating systems for
personal computers are Microsoft Windows,
Mac OS and Linux. Other known names are
UNIX and DOS. Types of operating systems
Functions of an Operating System
Operating system performs three types of functions:
Manages computer resources
Coordinates memory, processing storage, and printers
Monitors systems performance
Provides security
Starts-up the computer
Provides Character User Interface (CUI) or Graphical User Interface (GUI)
Runs applications through
Multitasking
Foreground and background applications
Language Processor
A Language Processor is a type of software that translates human-readable programming code into
machine-readable instructions that a computer can execute. Language processor and computer
software, founded in 1975, is devoted to provide solutions to problems in all areas of computer
science, i.e., operating systems, compiler technology, software engineering, artificial intelligence,
etc. Examples of language processor are:
Assembler: An assembler is a program used to translate assembly language into machine
language so that the computer can understand it.
Compiler: A compiler is a software that converts the entire source program into machine
language before executing it. It displays the errors for the whole program together.
Interpreter: An interpreter is a program that converts a source program into machine language
one statement at a time as it runs. Unlike a compiler, which translates the entire program before
execution, an interpreter translates and executes each statement line by line. It shows errors
one at a time, and typically, it stops execution until the current error is fixed before moving on
to the next line.
Utility Software
Utility software are provided as a part of operating system. They are specifically designed to manage the
computer hardware, operating system and application software. Some of the utility software are:
Backup Utility: It is used for keeping the backup files for emergency. Windows Backup and
Restore is the default Windows backup utility.
Data Compression Program: It is used to compress a large
file into a file of smaller size so that it occupies less space
and is easy to store. WinZIP and WinRAR are examples of
these software.
WinZIP WinRAR
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