The 10 functions of the operating system

Nobody doubts that computers have become something fundamental in our day to day, only comparable to the interference that mobiles have meant in our lives.

PCs and smartphones have in common that, in addition to being very important for communication in the 21st century, they have operating systems that allow them to work.

Next we will see more in depth what are the functions of the operating system, in addition to commenting on the most famous and commercialized since they were created in the middle of the last century.

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What is an Operative System?

Before explaining what the functions of an operating system are, it is necessary to define exactly what it is. Operating systems, also called cores or "kernels," are the software that coordinates and directs all the services and applications used on a computer. These are programs that allow and regulate the most basic aspects of the system.

Operating systems they are usually executed in a privileged way compared to the rest of the program

, without allowing any program to make important changes to it and alter the general functioning of the computer. These systems are made up of three essential components:

• File system: is the file registry.
• Command Interpretation: translates commands into computer language.
• Core: allows operation in basic computer issues.

The first computers did not have these systems. In the sixties computers used batch processing, however, it was during that same decade that the first operating systems began to be developed. Later, in the 1980s, some of the most popular operating systems would start to appear today and, over the next decade, they would become more efficient. It would be in the nineties when one of the most important would appear: Windows 95.

The 10 functions of the operating system

There are several functions carried out by the operating system, without which computers would be very tedious machines to use. Next we will see the top 10.

1. Process management

One of the most important functions of the operating system is the management of processes, processes which are the resources that the software needs to run. For it, creates and kills processes, stops and resumes them.

This involves the use of memory, CPU (Central Processing Unit) time, and the files that the application needs to access in order to function properly.

Process management It is established based on the priority of the tasks to be carried out. This is usually an advantage, since it allows you to streamline the system.

However, sometimes there are tasks that the system has interpreted as few important and has left them without executing. In order to avoid this, it is necessary to change the configuration of the process management tool, and give higher priority to the necessary tasks or force their execution by hand.

2. Main memory management

Another important function of the operating system is main memory management. This memory consists of a data store that is shared by the CPU and applications, memory which loses its capacity if a failure occurs.

It is for this reason that it is important that the operating system takes care of memory management, preventing it from saturating and losing data and information.

The operating system makes sure what part of the memory is being used, and why it is being used. It decides, based on that same memory, where the processes are placed when there is a free space and allocates and claims the necessary space so that it is always well used.

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3. Secondary storage management

As we have seen, the memory of a computer is a very volatile aspect. This means that any failure runs the risk of losing information. It is for this very reason that There is a second storage module in the computer, which can store long-term data.

As with the main memory, the operating system is in charge of managing the free space that remains, also assigning a saving order for the data that is being generated. It also makes sure that everything is stored correctly, and also checks how much space is free and where.

4. File system log

The files are formats created by the user on the computer, which are converted into tables that must be registered in the system if you want to keep and reuse them in the future.

The operating system is in charge of managing these files, creating them, deleting them or archiving them according to what happens. It also offers the necessary tools to be able to refer to them later.

The same system can be configured as long as it makes backup copies of all files. Thus, in the event of an accident, the loss of data, partial or complete, will be avoided.

5. Communication between elements and applications

The operating system takes care of communication between elements and applications. This sending and receiving of information is done through network interfaces. In this way, communication is maintained between the components of the computer and all the applications that are in contact with them.

6. Management of the entry and exit system

It is responsible for managing the input and output ports of the computer. These ports are all the peripherals that can be connected to the computer tower, such as the monitor, the mouse, the printer, the headphones, a pen-drive ...

In the past, when you wanted to install a new external port, it was necessary to have a special disk of installation, in which the necessary "drivers" came so that the computer could accept and know how to use the peripheral in question.

However, with the passage of time the operating systems of most computers are usually responsible for searching the network for the necessary information for the new external ports to work properly.

7. Resource management

The operating system is responsible for managing all the main parts of the computer, through its resource manager. This function involves the security and communication of the CPU with external devices connected to the computer. It also manages internal memory and secondary memory, where you sometimes have to clean up and move stored parts from one place to another.

8. Safety

The operating system takes care of the security of the computer. There are many computer viruses, which can affect the system through inappropriate access by other users (hacking) or programs and web pages that were infested.

To avoid this, you can configure the operating system so that it performs periodic checks, in addition to establishing security controls.

9. Reports the status of the system

There are a number of applications that are factory installed along with the operating system. However, although useful, these applications are not a system as such.

However, it can be said that it could be said that they are close to what an operating system would be, since they offer a environment and basic characteristics for the development and execution of the programs that are installed in the computer.

The operating system is responsible for reporting the status of the system, indicating if any action is needed, such as automatic application updates. What's more, the operating system supports different programming languages, so that any type of application is operative with the computer.

10. Users Management

The operating system too is in charge of managing the profiles that have been created and stored on the computer, this administration being able to be single-user or multi-user.

It should not be understood with single user as that the operating system only allows only one user to be created to use the computer. Single user implies that only the executions of that user will be active and only his. Instead, multi-user means that it allows the tasks of more than one user to be active at the same time.

Examples of operating systems

Since the first operating systems appeared, several have been created, some staunchly in competition with each other. Then we are going to see the main operating systems, being the most commercialized and widespread. Surely, the computer or mobile with which you are reading this article has one of the following operating systems.

1. Microsoft Windows

Microsoft Windows is one of the most popular, perhaps the most. Originally it was a set of distributions or graphical operating environments whose original function was to provide others older operating systems, such as MS-DOS, a supporting visual representation, and other software. It was first published in 1985 and since then they have been updated to new versions.

2. MacOS

MacOS is the name of the operating system for Macintosh computers, from Apple, also known as OSX or Mac OSX. It is based on UNIX and has been developed and sold on Apple computers since 2002. MacOS is popular for being the most direct and economically threatening competition to the operating system Microsoft Windows.

3. Android

Android is an operating system based on the Linux kernel and operates on mobile phones, tablets and other devices equipped with a touch screen. It was developed by Android Inc. and later bought by Google which made it even more popular.

In fact, this operating system is so popular that Android computer system sales exceed to those of IOS for Macintosh mobiles and, also, to those of Windows Phone, which are for mobiles MicroSoft.

4. MS-DOS

MS-DOS, whose name refers to Microsoft's Disk Operating System was one of the most common operating systems for IBM PCs during the 1980s and mid-1990s. It had a series of internal and external commands, displayed sequentially on a dark screen.

5. UNIX

UNIX was one of the first operating systems to be created, being developed in 1969. It was made to be portable, multi-tasking, and multi-user. Really, it is a whole family of similar operating systems, some with distributions that have been offered commercial and others in free format, always from the kernel called Linux

6. Ubuntu

Ubuntu It is free and open source, that is, it is available to everyone and it is modifiable without copyright infringement. It takes its name from an ancestral South African philosophical current, which is focused on man's loyalty to his own species above all else.

Along the same lines as with that philosophy, Ubuntu is understood as a product made by humans to help humans. It is based on Linux and is distributed by the British company Canonical, which subsists providing technical service.

Bibliographic references:

• Rahalkar, S. TO. (2016). Operating System Basics. Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH) Foundation Guide. Apress. 3-21.
• Blume, S. W (2016). Electric power system basics for the nonelectrical professional. John Wiley & Sons.
• Sprunt, B. (2002). The basics of performance-monitoring hardware. IEEE Micro, 22 (4), 64-71.