Define operating system (OS).
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Define operating system (OS).
An operating system (OS) is software that provides an interface between the user and the hardware in a computer system
What are the five main functions of an operating system?
The five main functions of an operating system are:
provide a user interface
memory management/multitasking
peripheral management/device drivers
user management
file management.
What is a user interface?
A user interface is how the user interacts with the operating system, such as a command line interface (CLI), graphical user interface (GUI), menu, or natural language interface (NLI).
Define command line interface (CLI).
A command line interface (CLI) requires users to interact with the operating system using text-based commands.
True or False?
Graphical user interfaces (GUIs) are optimised for mouse and touch gesture input.
True.
Graphical user interfaces (GUIs) are optimised for mouse and touch gesture input.
What is memory management?
Memory management is a process carried out by the operating system allocating main memory (RAM) between different programs that are open at the same time.
Define multitasking.
Multitasking is a process made possible by the OS simultaneously managing system resources (memory, CPU, etc.) to give a user the perception of being able to use multiple programs at the same time.
What is peripheral management?
Peripheral management is a process carried out by the operating system managing the way peripherals (hardware) interact with software.
Define device driver.
A device driver is a piece of software used to control a piece of hardware, enabling the operating system to interact with and utilise the hardware.
True or False?
Device drivers are regularly updated and are operating system-specific.
True.
Device drivers are regularly updated and are operating system-specific.
What is user management?
User management is a process carried out by the operating system enabling different users to log onto a computer, with the ability to maintain individual settings and access rights for each user.
Define file management.
File management is a process carried out by the operating system creating, organising, manipulating, and accessing files and folders on a computer system.
What abilities does file management give the user?
File management gives the user the ability to:
create
name
rename
copy
move
delete
files and folders, as well as control access permissions.
True or False?
The operating system manages where data is stored in both primary and secondary storage.
True.
The operating system manages where data is stored in both primary and secondary storage.
Define utility software.
Utility software is software designed to help maintain, enhance, and troubleshoot/repair a computer system.
What is the purpose of defragmentation software?
Defragmentation software groups fragmented files back together in order to improve access speed.
True or False?
Defragmentation can be used on solid-state drives (SSDs).
False.
Defragmentation can only be used on magnetic storage media like hard disk drives.
What is compression software used for?
Compression software reduces the amount of secondary storage required by performing an algorithm on the original data.
Define lossy compression.
Lossy compression physically removes data from the original file to reduce its size, but the original file cannot be re-created.
What is encryption software?
Encryption software scrambles data using an algorithm from plain-text into cipher-text to make it unreadable without the master key, enhancing the security of the computer system.
Define task manager.
Task manager is utility software built into the operating system that allows users to monitor system resources in order to troubleshoot potential problems.
What information can be viewed in the task manager?
Task manager provides information such as:
processes
performance
app history
start-up apps
users
services.
True or False?
Utility software interacts with the computer's hardware, such as secondary storage devices.
True.
Utility software interacts with the computer's hardware, such as secondary storage devices.
What is lossless compression?
Lossless compression uses mathematics to order data more efficiently, reducing its size, but allowing the original files to be re-created as no data is lost.