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Lecturer– Mr P. Musindo
Head of Department – Mr C. Kasumba
22/02/2021 Operating Systems
Topic
Introduction to Operating
Systems
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Lesson Overview
This lesson will introduce you to Operating Systems. The lesson will begin
by defining an Operating System, followed by examples. The will then
proceed by looking at trends in the evolution of Operating Systems. The
lesson will finally look at the basic functions of an Operating System.
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Lesson Objective(s)
At the end of the lesson, students will be able to:
define an Operating System (OS)
outline examples of Operating Systems
explain trends in the evolution of Operating Systems
describe the functions of an Operating System in a computer
compare between command-line interface and Graphical User Interface
(GUI)
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Introduction – definition
An operating system is a program that controls the execution of application
programs and acts as an interface between the user of a computer and the
computer hardware.
Acts as an intermediary between the user of a computer and computer
hardware.
An operating system is concerned with the allocation of resources and
services, such as memory, processors, devices, and information.
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OS and the computer system
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Examples of Operating Systems (OS)
Microsoft Windows (like Windows 10, Windows 8, Windows 7, Windows
Vista, and Windows XP) – for laptops and desktops
Apple's macOS (formerly OS X) – for laptops and desktops
Chrome OS – for netbooks
Linux (LINUX MINT, MANJARO,DEBIAN,UBUNTU, SOLUS, FEDORA etc
and server versions such as Red Hat Enterprise Linux, Ubuntu Server,
Centos, SUSE Enterprise Linux) – from smartphones to cars,
supercomputers and home appliances, home desktops to enterprise
servers.
Apple's iOS – for smartphones
Google's Android – for smartphones
Windows Server – for server
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Examples of Operating Systems (OS)
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OS Evolution
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OS Evolution – cont…
Serial Processing (1940s to the mid1950s)
The programmers directly interact with the hardware by loading programs using
punch cards, magnetic tape. There was no operating system at that time.
Batch Processing (mid1950s)
The first operating system. An operator loaded user jobs sequentially in batches
accessed by monitor software. The monitor processed each job in the order it
was loaded. When one job finished the monitor ran the next job in line from the
batch until all jobs completed.
Multiprogramming (1965 -1970s)
Multiprogramming is a technique to execute the number of programs
simultaneously by a single processor. In multiprogramming, a number of
processes reside in main memory at a time. The CPU is kept busy and switches
from one process to another if an I/O wait is established (Multitasking).
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OS Evolution – cont…
Time Sharing System (1980s)
Time-sharing or multitasking is a logical extension of multiprogramming.
Multiple jobs are executed by the CPU switching between them. The CPU
scheduler selects a job from the ready queue and switches the CPU to that job.
When the time slot expires, the CPU switches from this job to another.
Parallel System (mid1980s)
Multiprocessor systems having more than one processor in close
communication, sharing the computer bus, the clock, and sometimes memory
and peripheral devices. These systems are referred to as "Tightly Coupled"
system.
Distributed System
In a distributed operating system, the processors cannot share a memory or a
clock, each processor has its own local memory. The processor communicates
with one another through various communication lines, such as high-speed
buses. These systems are referred to as "Loosely Coupled" systems.
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Graphical user interfaces (GUIs)
A GUI (graphical user interface) is a system of interactive visual components for
computer software.
GUI objects include icons, cursors, and buttons.
Examples of GUI based OSs: Microsoft Windows, macOS, Chrome OS, Linux
variants like Ubuntu using a GUI interface.
Features of GUIs
They are much easier to use for beginners.
They enable you to easily exchange information between software using cut
and paste or 'drag and drop'.
They use a lot of memory and processing power. It can be slower to use
than a command-line interface if you are an expert user.
They can be irritating to experienced users when simple tasks require a
number of operations.
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Command – Line Interfaces (CLIs)
A command-line interface allows the user to interact with the computer by typing in
commands. The computer displays a prompt, the user keys in the command and
presses enter or return. Examples of CLI based Oss are the UNIX and the MS – DOS.
Features of a CLIs
Commands must be typed correctly and in the right order or the command will not
work.
Experienced users who know the commands can work very quickly without having to
find their way around menus.
An advantage of command driven programs is that they do not need the memory and
processing power of the latest computer and will often run on lower spec machines.
Command driven programs do not need to run in Windows.
A command-line interface can run many programs, for example a batch file could
launch half a dozen programs to do its task.
An inexperienced user can sometimes find a command driven program difficult to use
because of the number of commands that have to be learnt.
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Functions of an OS
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Summary
An operating system is a program that controls the execution of application programs
and acts as an interface between the user of a computer and the computer hardware.
An operating system acts as an intermediary between the user of a computer and
computer hardware.
Examples of OSs are; Microsoft Windows, MacOS, iOS, Android, Linux etc.
The evolution of OSs began with Serial Processing then Batch Processing,
Multiprogramming, Time-Sharing, Parallel Processing through to Distributed
Processing.
A GUI (graphical user interface) is a system of interactive visual components for
computer software.
A command-line interface allows the user to interact with the computer by typing in
commands.
Functions of an operating system include; processor management, device
management, memory management, security, file management etc.
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Review / discussion questions
Distinguish between the following:
a. Multitasking & Multiprogramming
b. Time-sharing & Batch Processing Operating Systems
Outline any 5 examples of Operating Systems you know
Describe the main functions of an Operating System
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Resources
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vBURTt97EkA
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZZK8ETiYrpY
Stallings, W (2018).Operating Systems: Internals and Design Principles (9th
Edition)
Study Guide
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The End
Thank you
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