Operating system
An operating system, or OS, is a software
program that enables the computer hardware to communicate and operate with the
computer software. Without a computer operating system, a computer would be
useless.
As computers have progressed and developed so
have the operating systems. Below is a basic list of the different operating
systems and a few examples of operating systems that fall into each of the
categories. Many computer operating systems will fall into more than one of the
below categories.
GUI - Short for Graphical User Interface, a GUI Operating System
contains graphics and icons and is commonly navigated by using a computer
mouse. See the GUI definition
for a complete definition. Below are some examples of GUI Operating Systems.
Multi-user - A multi-user operating system allows for multiple users to use
the same computer at the same time and different times. See themulti-user definition for a complete definition for a complete definition.
Below are some examples of multi-user operating systems.
Multiprocessing - An operating system capable of supporting and utilizing more
than one computer processor. Below are some examples of multiprocessing
operating systems.
Multitasking - An operating system that is capable of allowing multiple
software processes to run at the same time. Below are some examples of
multitasking operating systems.
Multithreading - Operating systems that allow different parts of a software
program to run concurrently. Operating systems that would fall into this
category are:
Common questions and answers to operating
systems in general can be found on the below operating system question and answers.
All other questions relating to an operating system in particular can be found
through the operating system page.
