Operating System

An operating system (OS) is a set of system software programs in a computer that regulate the ways application software programs use the computer hardware and the ways that users control the computer. For hardware functions such as input/output and memory space allocation, operating system programs act as an intermediary between application programs and the computer hardware, although application programs are usually executed directly by the hardware. Operating Systems is also a field of study within Applied Computer Science. Operating systems are found on almost any device that contains a computer with multiple programs—from cellular phones and video game consoles to supercomputers and web servers. Operating systems are two-sided platforms, bringing consumers (the first side) and program developers (the second side) together in a single market. Some popular modern operating systems for personal computers include Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux.