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Operating System





                                                                                   Chapter
                                                                                   01







                            Your Aim

                            to learn about:
                               What is an Operating System?            Why do we need an Operating System?
                               Functions of an Operating System        Types of Operating Systems

                               What is a User Interface?               A comparison between CUI and GUI


                 A computer system is a combination of hardware and software. If any of these components are
                 missing, then the computer will not work properly. The physical components of the computer system
                 that we can see and touch are called hardware. Some examples of hardware are the keyboard,
                 mouse, monitor, etc., whereas software is a program or collection of programs that perform a
                 particular task. Both hardware and software are interdependent parts of the computer system.

                 Software can be further divided into two categories:
                    System Software: This is the software that helps control all the
                    operations of the computer  system.  It helps run other  software
                    on the computer system. Some examples of system software are
                    Operating  System (OS),  utility software,  and Basic Input/Output
                    System (BIOS).
                    Application  Software: Application software is  a program
                    developed to perform a specific task. This type of software allows
                    users to do their work more efficiently and easily. For example,
                    Tally software is used for accounts-related tasks in organisations,
                    and Microsoft Word is used for day-to-day work such as typing
                    letters and documents.

                     WHAT IS AN OPERATING SYSTEM?

                 An operating system is a system software that works as a mediator
                 between the user and the computer hardware. A computer cannot
                 function without an operating system. The operating system helps
                 users give instructions to all the parts of the computer system and
                 also helps users understand the results produced by the computer. Some of the most commonly
                 known operating systems are Microsoft Windows, Apple macOS, and Linux.


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