An operating system, or system software , or operating system (OS), is software that, in an electronic device, drives hardware devices and receives instructions from the user or other software (or applications ). These software must be adapted to an operating system.
Roles of the operating system
In a computer , the operating system manages the processor (s) and the memory. It operates peripherals (keyboard, mouse, touch surface , screen, hard disk , DVD player, memory card reader …). In a camera , it operates the various mechanisms, manages the display of the screen and detects the actions of the user. Etc.
Operating systems also include the interface with the user. In a computer , for example, it is he who will display the windows and present the contents of the storage units ( hard disk , CD , DVD …).
Examples of operating systems
In the IT sector, the most popular operating systems are Windows (for PCs ), Mac OS (for Apple computers), Linux (for PCs and servers ) and Unix (for servers). For phones, there are Android , iOS(Apple), Symbian and Windows Phone .