Operating system

An operating system is a collection of computer programs that manages a computer’s system resources—such as RAM, hard drives, and input/output devices—and makes these resources available to application programs. The operating system thus serves as the interface between the hardware components and the user’s application software. The tasks of an operating system are: user interaction; loading, executing, suspending, and terminating programs; managing and allocating processor time; managing internal storage space for applications; managing and operating connected devices; and providing security functions. Examples of operating systems include: DOS, Windows, Unix, Linux, Android, and macOS.