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:
Operating systems provide a softwareplatform on top of which other programs, called application programs, can run. The application programs must be written to run on top of a particular operating system. Your choice of operating system, therefore, determines to a great extent the applications you can run. For PCs, the most popular operating systems are DOS, OS/2, and Windows, but others are available, such as Linux.
As a user, you normally interact with the operating system through a set of commands. For example, the DOS operating system contains commands such as COPY and RENAME for copying files and changing the names of files, respectively. The commands are accepted and executed by a part of the operating system called the command processor or command line interpreter. Graphical user interfaces allow you to enter commands by pointing and clicking at objects that appear on the screen.
Virtual Doctor Using the Virtual Doctor, users can acquire help with a specific problem, download software, grab updates for their operating system or receive expert tutorials catering to their specific needs.
DOS concepts and functions This page is for novice computer users and provides a short introduction to computers and basic functions of an operating system. A table of contents then provides links to specific DOS concepts and functions.
ACM SIG Operating Systems Addresses a broad spectrum of issues associated with operating systems research and development.
CMX-RTX real time operating system Product feature page for the CMS-RTX real time multitasking operating system for microprocessors and microcomputers.
OS News On-line magazine covering alternative operating systems and computing environments.
osOpinion Daily computer and operating system news and opinion commentary.
RTMX operating system information page Provides product information for the RTMX real time operating system, including features and supported CPU types. In addition, there are links to related real time computing Web sites.
