An operating system is a set of instructions running in a program that provides basic operation of the hardware of the computer and presents it in a command line or graphical user interface to the user in such a way they can interact with it and use it to perform some kind of work.
Basically it manages the resources of computers and it's hardware for the user.
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The most popular commercial option is Windows, followed by Mac.
Linux and Unix are excellent free alternatives for anyone that is comfortable with troubleshooting and generally learning how the software on their computer works.
operating system is a complete operating system that works on a desktop computer, a notebook computer, or mobile computing device.
Standalone Operating System
embedded operating system
The device where the operating system is stored on a computer is called the CPU. CPU stands for Central Processing Unit and is the heart of the computer.
An operating system coordinates the activities of computer hardware
The kernel is one of the primary nodes of an operating system for a computer. It contains operating system core functions and the device drivers.
Any of the operating systems such as macOSX, Linux, and Windows will run on a desktop or notebook computer. The types of operating systems that work on a mobile computing device depend on its type.
device driver
The way a computer communicates with a peripheral device is through a device driver. A device driver is a low level computer program that allows higher level programs to communicate with a hardware device connected to the computer bus. Device drivers are hardware dependent and specific to an operating system.
After you install a device or update a driver for a device on a computer that is running Windows Vista or Windows 7, the operating system may not start.
An interface is a device that interpretates data. A port is only the door in and out from the computer.
Not all devices are completely "plug and play" on all operating systems. For those devices that your computer's operating system does not automatically recognize it will be necessary to install the driver software for the device. Unfortunately driver software for some devices is not available on every operating system.