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The three most common operating systems for
                  personal computers are Microsoft Windows,
                  Mac OS and Linux. Other known names are
                  iMac, UNIX and DOS.
                                                                                 Types of operating systems
                  Functions of an Operating System

                  Operating system performs three types of functions:

                      Manages computer resources
                        Coordinates memory, processes 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
                  Programming Software
 Do you know      It  is the  software  used  by  the  computer  to  understand  and  convert  the  instructions  from

                  programming language to machine language. Programming and computer software, founded
                  in 1975, is devoted to provide solutions to problems in all areas of computer science– operating
                  systems,  compiler  technology,  software  engineering,  artificial  intelligence,  etc.  Examples  of
                  programming software 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 also a separate program  that  converts the entire source
                     program into machine language before executing it. An interpreter translates and executes
                     one statement at a time. It displays the errors one line at a time and it goes to the next line
                     only after the error is corrected.
                  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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