Purpose of an Operating System
The Purpose of an Operating System
Professor John St. John
COMP 129 – PC Hardware and Software
October 2, 2014
Some professionals in the Information Technology (IT) field might describe the Operating System (OS) of a Personal Computer (PC) as its software brain. Jean Andrews, Ph.D., describes an OS this way: “An operating system is software that controls a computer. It manages hardware, runs applications, provides an interface for users, and stores, retrieves, and manipulates files” (Andrews, 2010). In other words, the OS is the Graphical User Interface (GUI) from which the PC’s operator controls any piece of hardware or software. Before installing an OS, a user must understand the purpose that it serves – why it is important to have an OS. Once understanding what purpose the OS serves to the user, he/ she will understand how this can help to operate and maintain his/ her own computer. Eventually, the user should hope to gain enough knowledge about a particular OS, that he/ she will be able to assist others with installing it on another PC.
There are three major reasons why a person would want to install Windows, or another Operating System onto a PC: it provides a user-friendly GUI from which a user can control the entire machine, an OS comes with a valuable support system to take advantage of if there is ever a problem with the computer, and most OS manufacturers provide security monitoring to ensure that the computer is as safeguarded as possible. As previously mentioned, the most prevalent reason to install an OS onto a PC is to control all the hardware and software. The rise of the Graphical User Interface has provided a great deal of control for the average computer user to be able to perform any every day function with ease – an OS is the single source from which a PC user will perform any function from browsing the Web to installing a print driver. If there should ever be a problem with
Professor John St. John
COMP 129 – PC Hardware and Software
October 2, 2014
Some professionals in the Information Technology (IT) field might describe the Operating System (OS) of a Personal Computer (PC) as its software brain. Jean Andrews, Ph.D., describes an OS this way: “An operating system is software that controls a computer. It manages hardware, runs applications, provides an interface for users, and stores, retrieves, and manipulates files” (Andrews, 2010). In other words, the OS is the Graphical User Interface (GUI) from which the PC’s operator controls any piece of hardware or software. Before installing an OS, a user must understand the purpose that it serves – why it is important to have an OS. Once understanding what purpose the OS serves to the user, he/ she will understand how this can help to operate and maintain his/ her own computer. Eventually, the user should hope to gain enough knowledge about a particular OS, that he/ she will be able to assist others with installing it on another PC.
There are three major reasons why a person would want to install Windows, or another Operating System onto a PC: it provides a user-friendly GUI from which a user can control the entire machine, an OS comes with a valuable support system to take advantage of if there is ever a problem with the computer, and most OS manufacturers provide security monitoring to ensure that the computer is as safeguarded as possible. As previously mentioned, the most prevalent reason to install an OS onto a PC is to control all the hardware and software. The rise of the Graphical User Interface has provided a great deal of control for the average computer user to be able to perform any every day function with ease – an OS is the single source from which a PC user will perform any function from browsing the Web to installing a print driver. If there should ever be a problem with
References: Andrews, J. P. (2010). A+ Guide to Managing and Maintaining Your PC, 7th Edition. Boston, MA: Cengage Learning. Ung, G., & Murphy, D. (2013). NEW RIG DONE RIGHT. Apc, 33(4), 52-56. Microsoft. (n.d.). Windows. Retrieved November 9, 2013, from System Requirements: http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-8/system-requirements Microsoft. (n.d.). Windows Defender. Retrieved November 9, 2013, from Microsoft Technet: http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows7/products/features/windows-defender Huber, J. (2011). ASK MR. TECHNOLOGY. Library Media Connection, 29(4), 60.