Operating Systems Overview Quiz

International & Access Foundation Programmes

• Included within the International & Access Foundation Programmes is a Computer Science Module.
• This module, Part 8, covers Operating Systems.
• This was delivered by Dr. Nevan Bermingham.

Operating Systems

• An operating system (OS) is a collection of programs managing computer hardware resources.
• It provides services for application software.
• The OS is essential software on any computer.
• Users cannot run applications without an operating system.
• Applications interact with the OS to access resources, such as memory and storage, and input/output devices like keyboards.

Importance of Operating Systems

• Programmers and systems designers rely on operating systems.

Code Compilation for OS

• Code is compiled for the OS.
• The compiler is involved in this process.
• Application software uses the OS to run code on the computer's hardware.
• The OS interacts with hardware components (including storage, input, output, and network) and memory.

Well Known Operating Systems

• Windows Server
• Windows 7
• Google Chrome OS
• iOS
• Android
• Solaris
• Ubuntu
• Linux (general category).
• IBM AIX
• Suse

OS Popularity (Mobile & Desktop/Laptop)

• Windows is the most popular desktop operating system (74.83%).
• macOS, Unknown, and Linux follow in popularity order.
• Chrome OS, FreeBSD, are less popular.
• Android is the leading mobile operating system by device shipments (54.16% in 2015).
• iPhone (iOS), Windows, and others follow in popularity by device shipments in 2015.

OS Popularity (Worldwide)

• Android and Windows hold the highest market share worldwide (2024).
• iOS, OS X, and others follow in popularity order.
• Data is presented as percentages across various timeframes (Jan 2009-Oct 2024)
• Statistics indicate OS trends across various platforms, including desktop and mobile operating systems.

Mobile OS Growth

• Android, iOS, Windows, Blackberry, and Symbian are tracked in a graph of global smartphone sales growth

OS Components

• Kernel: Manages all system memory in use by programs; ensures programs don't interfere with each other's memory allocation; performs memory protection to limit each process's access to memory.
• Program execution: Part of the OS that allows the program to use system resources and hardware.
• Interrupts: Signals from processes or hardware prompting the OS to do something or take control.
• User Interface (GUI): Presents a user-friendly interface such as macOS or Windows or a Command-Line Interface (CLI) like MS DOS.
• Multitasking: Refers to running multiple programs simultaneously on the same computer via time-sharing using the Scheduler.
• File system management: Organizes and manages data on disks. Files have names and attributes.
• Device drivers: Allow interaction with hardware devices.
• Networking: Allows computers to access resources over a network.
• Memory Management: Controls allocation and access of memory among working applications.
• Security: Processes user authentication and restricts access to different system resources.

Linux Distros

• List of popular Linux distributions (ex. Ubuntu, Fedora, Debian, etc.).

Key Differences Between MS Windows and Linux

• Access to base code: Linux has open-source code, while Windows is not open source.
• Flavors of Variety: There are many versions of Linux, while Windows has fewer options.
• Licensing: Linux has open-source licenses, while Windows has commercial licenses.
• Command-line: Linux often uses command-line interfaces; Windows has graphical and command-line interfaces.
• Run-level, Usability, Support, Updates, and Security: Windows and Linux differ in these aspects.

Test your knowledge on the essential functions and components of operating systems. This quiz covers topics such as interrupts, user interfaces, device drivers, memory management, and the architecture of operating systems. Sharpen your understanding of how operating systems operate and interact with hardware.