OPERATING SYSTEM
All computers need some sort of hardware platform to run the software; these
platforms are called Operating System (OS). Operating system is a program that
acts as an interface between user of computer and the computer hardware. The
purpose of an operating system is to provide an environment in which user can
execute program in a convenient and efficient manner. Operating system is an
important part of almost every computer system. It manages all resources of
computer system. Operating system is installed in secondary memory, while it‟s
some part are stored permanently in read only memory. Some part of the
operating system resides in random access memory and the computer begins to
execute this part of the system. The majority of modern home computers use
some form of Microsoft's operating systems. The original Microsoft operating
system was called DOS (Disk Operating System) though most computers use
Windows. Windows comes in various versions beginning with version 3.x then
95, 98, XP and currently Windows 7. A few computers use IBM's O/S2. Apple's
Mac use their own operating system beginning with OS 1 though most modern
Macs use version 8.x or 9.x. Apple's latest version is OS 10.1.x. Some computer
professionals, Internet Service Providers (ISP) and mainframe computer users
use an operating system such as UNIX, Windows NT or 2000 or server based
operating systems. The operating system controls the input and output or
directs the flow of information to and from the CPU. Much of this is done
automatically by the system. In short, we can say that an Operating System is
one of the most important components of the computer software which is
essential to operate a computer. When computer is turned on, it first needs to
load the operating system sometimes referred to a booting up. It checks all its
components and will usually display a message if there is a problem. It is also
known as Power on Self Test (POST). Loading the system is usually automatic.
Once the system is loaded, the user can start the application or program that
he/she going to use.
CURRENT APPLICATIONS OF COMPUTER
Some major applications of Computers are given below :
Banking : When there was no computer, every where manual system was
followed which was a very complicated and hard work but now with the arrival
of computer, every thing has become much more systematic and easy to use.
