Question 4. What is an operating system? Explain some common tasks or functions of an operating system.

Answer: Operating System: An operating system is the system software that runs all the application programs and utilities. It provides an interface between the application programs and computer hardware. An operating system is responsible for the management of computer operations and resource sharing. It is set of programs containing instructions that coordinate all the computer activities.

Common Tasks or Functions of OS:

Some common tasks or functions of Operating System are:

•   Memory Management
•   I/O Management
•   Files Management
•   Resource Management
•   Users Management

•  Memory Management: Operating System manages and allocates both primary and secondary memories. It keeps the record of each memory location and hence OS can allocate these memory locations to the data to be saved in a suitable way. This memory is accessed by the processor. The operating system monitors programs in memory and clears them from memory when they are no longer required by the CPU.
•  I/O Management: Operating system manages the input and output operations of various devices with the help of device drivers. Allocating the required input/output devices to various processes is carried out by the Operating System. The operating system decides which device will perform which task, which is based on the priority of the device.
• Files Management: File management facility is provided by the operating system, which allows the user to locate and manipulate data files that are stored on hard disk. Operating system keeps track of the locations of all files. Information regarding the files, user access details and the running status of each file is monitored and logged by the operating system.
•  Resource Management: Operating system manages different computer resources like CPU time, Memory, files and I/O devices. Operating system performs the process scheduling. It decides the order and time of each process assigned to the CPU. Operating system performs all the activities of process management.
•  User Management: Operating system also provides security to the user data and prevents unauthorized access. Operating system handles user management. It provides protection and ensures privacy in case of multiple user environment.