What does a computer OS do?

Answer 1

Apple Inc. is, according to Apple's own statements, a hardware company. The Mac OS (Operating System) is provided by Apple specifically to run on Apple Hardware including its line of Desktops, Laptops, iPhones, iPod Music Players, and Tablet computers to name a few. Mac OS X (currently 10.6 code named Snow Leopard) is being used on Apple's Desktops and Laptops. There is a special OS for the iPhone and iPod which is really a very simplified OS that has much of the look and feel of the Apple Computers and Laptops. The iPad tablet basically runs the same OS as the iPhone and iPods except that it has added capabilities mostly for the larger sized screen on the iPad.

The Mac OS allows humans to interact with programs developed for Apple Hardware. Many of these programs are developed by Apple itself but there is also a wide range of third party applications from what might be mislabeled as competitors such as MicroSoft. Microsoft is in fact not a competitor since MicroSoft is a Software company and Apple is a Hardware company. Microsoft has produced many applications for Apple including Microsoft Office and even the Windows Operating systems include some considerations by MicroSoft Developers to enable it to run smoothly on Apple Hardware.

Adobe, another Software company of note, also produces many exceptional software programs for Apple Hardware. Among these are inDesign (Publishing), DreamWeaver (Web Design and Publishing), FireWorks (graphics), Photoshop (graphics), Flash (rich content web development), and several other invaluable tools.

The arts community including Film Makers, Musicians, and Print Media regard Apple Hardware highly and there are very few professional artists today that do not use Apple Hardware and its Operating System on a daily business for their work.

To summarize, the Mac OS (Operating Systems) provides the interface by which we humans can interact with a variety of Software produced by both Apple and third party developers and the machines that Apple Inc. produces.

In the Mac community, we say it helps us "Think Different" which is an age old Apple slogan. An insider joke in the Mac user community implies that the reason Apple computers and Mac Operating Systems are so good is that they were reverse engineered from the 1950s crashed UFOs at Roswell New Mexico - no one actually believes that of course but it's part of the fun of being in the Funtastic Apple community.

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It is just another platform of computers, like Windows PC. Generally, I believe Mac is better. Some oppose. The two different platforms look different, have different features and may be faster than the other. The only problem is that most people run on Windows, and the two different OS (Operating Systems) do not understand each other, so buying a game for Windows and running it on a Mac would not work.

Answer 2

In computer systems OS stands for Operating System. The operating system is a link between the hardware (the hard drive, screen, keyboard, mouse etc.) and the software. Programmers can call standard routines in the operating system to talk to the hardware (for example to find out where the mouse is on the screen) without having to rewrite these routines themselves every time they need them.

Answer 3

An operating system (OS) is software, consisting of programs and data, that runs on computers, manages computer hardware resources, and provides common services for execution of various application software.

Answer 4

basically, the OS is you windows, linxus, or mac. your OS basicly makes your life a whole lot simpller becasue is givs you much needing things. the OS runs .exe and creates a desktop.

Answer 5

Computer Os = "Computer Operating System"

It contains files that are used to run a computer......

Answer 6

1. Providing user a platform to run programs.

2. Allocation and De-allocating resources among programs.

3. Manage hardware efficiently.

Answer 7

In simple words, Operating System makes hardware functional.

Answer 8

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