1.2. Basic Operating System Concepts

1.2.1. What is an Operating System?

An Operating system is basically a intermediary agent between the user and the computer hardware.

  • Manages the computer’s resources (hardware, abstract resources, software)

  • It’s a resource allocator.

  • It is also used to control programs to prevent errors and improper computer use.

  • It is interrupt driven.

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Users and Processes access the Computer’s resources through the Operating System

1.2.2. Operating System Benefits

  • Simplifies hardware control for applications

  • Enforcer of sharing, fairness and security with the goal of better overall performance

    • Trade-off between fairness and performance

    • Trade-off between optimal algorithms and lean algorithms – OS is overhead.

  • Provides abstract resources

    • Sockets

    • Inter-process communication