Computer software can be divided into two main categories: operating system software and

application software.

Operating System (0/S): This system consists of the basic functions that computers perform. An
example would be showing movement on a screen such as a mouse cursor was the user moves the
mouse. Examples of operating systems include: windows vista, windows xp, Mac, Linux and Unix.

Application Software: These are applications that allow the computer to perform the job. Application
software is used to accomplish precise tasks other than just running the computer system. This can
include voice, play or record music, view videos, play video games--etc. Other examples of
application software include permitting access to the internet and printing documents. Application
software is the software that indirectly interacts with the computer.

System Software is the software that can directly interact with computer hardware. Examples
include motherboard, CPU, keyboard, Mouse, printer--etc. System software is responsible for
controlling, integrating, and managing the individual hardware components of a computer system.

Computer software is composed of machine language which is essentially groups of binary code
giving processor instructions that are specific to an individual processor. It is normally written in
high-level programming languages and then interpreted into machine language code. Software can
also be written in assembly language which is a mnemonic representation of a machine language
using a natural language alphabet.

operating system

- What is an operating system? An operating system (sometimes

abbreviated as "OS") is the program that, after being initially loaded into the computer by
a boot program, manages all the other programs in a computer. The other programs are
called applications or application programs. The application programs make use of the
operating system by making requests for services through a defined application program
interface (API). In addition, users can interact directly with the operating system through
a user interface such as a command language or a graphical user interface (GUI).

An operating system performs these services for applications:

• In a multitasking operating system where multiple programs can be running at the

same time, the operating system determines which applications should run in what
order and how much time should be allowed for each application before giving
another application a turn.
• It manages the sharing of internal memory among multiple applications.
• It handles input and output to and from attached hardware devices, such as hard
disks, printers, and dial-up ports.
• It sends messages to each application or interactive user (or to a system operator)
about the status of operation and any errors that may have occurred.
• It can offload the management of what are called batch jobs (for example,
printing) so that the initiating application is freed from this work.
• On computers that can provide parallel processing, an operating system can
manage how to divide the program so that it runs on more than one processor at a
time.

operating system
Last modified: Wednesday, January 06, 2010
 The most important program that runs on
a computer. Every general-purpose
computer must have an operating system
to run other programs. Operating systems
perform basic tasks, such as recognizing
input from the keyboard, sending output
to the display screen, keeping track of
files and directories on the disk, and
controlling peripheral devices such as
disk drives and printers.

For large systems, the operating system

has even greater responsibilities and
powers. It is like a traffic cop -- it makes
sure that different programs and users
running at the same time do not interfere
with each other. The operating system is
also responsible for security, ensuring
that unauthorized users do not access the system.

Operating systems can be classified as follows:

multi-user : Allows two or more users to run programs at the same time. Some operating
systems permit hundreds or even thousands of concurrent users.
 multiprocessing : Supports running a program on more than one CPU.
 multitasking : Allows more than one program to run concurrently.
 multithreading : Allows different parts of a single program to run concurrently.
 real time: Responds to input instantly. General-purpose operating systems, such as DOS
and UNIX, are not real-time.

Real Time Operating Systems

DEFINITION: Also see real-time clock and real-time operating system.Real time is a level of computer
responsiveness that a user senses as sufficiently immediate or that enables the computer to keep up with some
external process (for example, to present visualizations of the weather as it constantly changes). Real-time is an
adjective pertaining to computers or processes that operate in real time. Real time describes …
Definition continues below.

A real-time operating system (RTOS) is an operating system (OS) intended for real-
time applications. Such operating systems serve application requests nearly real-time. A
real-time operating system offers programmers more control over process priorities. An
application's process priority level may exceed that of a system process. Real-time
operating systems minimize critical sections of system code, so that the application's
interruption is nearly critical.
Operating System Functions
At the simplest level, an operating system does two things:
1. It manages the hardware and software resources of the system. In a desktop computer, these
resources include such things as the processor, memory, disk space and more (On a cell phone,
they include the keypad, the screen, the address book, the phone dialer, the battery and the
network connection).
2. It provides a stable, consistent way for applications to deal with the hardware without having to
know all the details of the hardware.

The first task, managing the hardware and software resources, is very important, as various programs and
input methods compete for the attention of the central processing unit (CPU) and demand memory,
storage and input/output (I/O) bandwidth for their own purposes. In this capacity, the operating system plays
the role of the good parent, making sure that each application gets the necessary resources while playing
nicely with all the other applications, as well as husbanding the limited capacity of the system to the greatest
good of all the users and applications.

©2008 HowStuffWorks
The operating system controls every task your computer
carries out and manages
system resources.

The second task, providing a consistent application interface, is especially important if there is to be more
than one of a particular type of computer using the operating system, or if the hardware making up the
computer is ever open to change. A consistent application program interface (API) allows a software
developer to write an application on one computer and have a high level of confidence that it will run on
another computer of the same type, even if the amount of memory or the quantity of storage is different on
the two machines.

Even if a particular computer is unique, an operating system can ensure that applications continue to run
when hardware upgrades and updates occur. This is because the operating system -- not the application --
is charged with managing the hardware and the distribution of its resources. One of the challenges facing
developers is keeping their operating systems flexible enough to run hardware from the thousands of
vendors manufacturing computer equipment. Today's systems can accommodate thousands of different
printers, disk drives and special peripherals in any possible combination.

Types of Operating Systems

Within the broad family of operating systems, there are generally four types, categorized based on the types
of computers they control and the sort of applications they support. The categories are:
 • Real-time operating system (RTOS) - Real-time operating systems are used to control
machinery, scientific instruments and industrial systems. An RTOS typically has very little user-
interface capability, and no end-user utilities, since the system will be a "sealed box" when
delivered for use. A very important part of an RTOS is managing the resources of the computer so
that a particular operation executes in precisely the same amount of time, every time it occurs. In a
complex machine, having a part move more quickly just because system resources are available
may be just as catastrophic as having it not move at all because the system is busy.
• Single-user, single task - As the name implies, this operating system is designed to manage the
computer so that one user can effectively do one thing at a time. The Palm OS for Palm handheld
computers is a good example of a modern single-user, single-task operating system.
• Single-user, multi-tasking - This is the type of operating system most people use on their desktop
and laptop computers today. Microsoft's Windows and Apple's MacOS platforms are both examples
of operating systems that will let a single user have several programs in operation at the same
time. For example, it's entirely possible for a Windows user to be writing a note in a word processor
while downloading a file from the Internet while printing the text of an e-mail message.
• Multi-user - A multi-user operating system allows many different users to take advantage of the
computer's resources simultaneously. The operating system must make sure that the requirements
of the various users are balanced, and that each of the programs they are using has sufficient and
separate resources so that a problem with one user doesn't affect the entire community of users.
Unix, VMS and mainframe operating systems, such as MVS, are examples of multi-user operating
systems.

Photo courtesy Apple

Mac OS X Panther screen shot

It's important to differentiate between multi-user operating systems and single-user operating systems that
support networking. Windows 2000 and Novell Netware can each support hundreds or thousands of
networked users, but the operating systems themselves aren't true multi-user operating systems. The
system administrator is the only "user" for Windows 2000 or Netware. The network support and all of the
remote user logins the network enables are, in the overall plan of the operating system, a program being run
by the administrative user.

With the different types of operating systems in mind, it's time to look at the basic functions provided by an
operating system.

The operating system's tasks, in the most general sense, fall into six categories:
• Processor management
• Memory management
• Device management
• Storage management
• Application interface
• User interface