The operating system oversees the overall resources and operations of a computer by controlling access to the central processing unit (CPU) memory of computers, file storage, and input and output devices. It performs tasks like scheduling resource usage to avoid conflict and interference between processes, managing the structure and content of files on non-primary storage media and determining which applications can use hardware components, such as disk drives or WiFi adaptors. It also allows for users who are interactive to connect to the system via either using a Graphical User Interface (GUI) or a Command-Line Interface (CLI).
Process Management
Operating systems handle the starting, stopping, and restarting of applications. It determines which application gets to run first and for how long it is able to run on the CPU, and when it’s time to end. It can also split a program into multiple threads to allow it to run concurrently on more than one processor. Each of these actions are controlled by a routine in the operating system referred to as the process block.
File management
Operating systems keep track of the structure and contents of files in nonprimary data storage. They know where every piece of data in a particular file is and can move it between memory and storage whenever needed. They can also convert a virtual memory page into physical memory pages to speed up access, a process called demand paging.
It also interacts directly with hardware in the computer via drivers and other interface software. For example if an application is looking to use a specific piece of hardware, like a Wi-Fi adapter it will ask the operating system to provide the driver and allow the process to access it. This lets the programmers avoid writing a piece of code for each Wi-Fi adapter disk drive or other type hardware.
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