A computer’s operating system is a set of programs that essentially tells the computer how to operate as a computer. It also acts as an interface between the computer and the user. It is the most important piece of software that a computer needs. Without an operating system, there is no way for the computer’s user to communicate with the computer. Microsoft Windows is probably the most popular operating system used for personal computers today.
Most operating systems have a large set of menus and icons for the user to choose what he or she wants the computer to do. The user may choose to use either a keyboard or a mouse to communicate with the operating system, which then communicates with the computer. The mouse is a “work-alike” device that moves the pointing arrow on the computer screen the way the mouse itself is moved; the keyboard can select different things by using the correct combination of keystrokes. For some operations it is also possible to enter a text command.
The operating system communicates both with the different hardware components of the computer as well as additional software applications the user may add on to the computer. In some ways, the operating system is like a language translator; it “speaks” both human language and computer language, allowing the human user to do whatever it is he or she wants to do with the computer and all of its extra hardware and software.
The operating system is also somewhat like an office coordinator; after the BIOS loads, the operating system is then in charge of making sure all of the different computer processes happen the way they need to for programs to load and music to play and documents to print. If you are opening a document file from the Internet, then Internet Explorer has to tell the operating system to open Microsoft Word so the document can open.
Operating systems are definitely a vital part of the computing experience; they have come a long way since the days of DOS and Windows 3.0, and they are constantly changing and evolving. It’s only been about twelve years since Windows 95 was released, and the changes from 95 to Vista are extraordinary. It will be interesting to see what’s next.
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3 comments:
I think it was awesome for us to read this chapter and take a deeper look into the media of computer technology we take for granted every day. Reading the chapter, your blog, and watching and listening to the additional podcast and clips gave me a clearer understanding of my own personal computer. Now I understand better what happens when our pc's crash and what we should and can do in that situation.
What a challenging question to undertake commenting on. This question reminds me of the many times I was called in at night to correct a programming problem. I have worked on mainframes, personal computers, macintosh and personal computers. Each operating system brings its own unique problems. When I first became a programmer monitors where still new and everything seemed bigger than life itself. But like anything else when you read the manuals and attend a couple classes it start to fall in order. Operating systems are just like learning a new language. First it seems strange to you and then one day everything makes sense.
I agree with Shannon that it is very interesting to get a more in-depth view of how our computers work; until my computer was totally out of commission for a week or so one time, I didn't realize just how huge of a role it played in my day-to-day life.
And also I agree with Wanda in how operating systems are like learning a new language; that's exactly how I view it . . . Once you learn to "speak" the language, using the different operating systems becomes second nature!
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