The term operating system refers to software, or firmware, which controls and communicates with the devices within a system.

Operating systems can be found in numerous devices, such as personal computers, PDAs, MP3 players and lots more.

The operating system facilitates the communication between the user and the system's devices and functions.

Over the years operating systems have evolved into easy-to-use applications and therefore making computers more and more accessible and simple to use.

The latest generation of operating systems use a graphical user interface (GUI) to allow the user to perform day-to-day tasks with a few clicks of the mouse. Not too long ago, some of these tasks would have been time-consuming and require the user to have some level of technical training.

All of the software that is installed on a computer runs under the operating system. For example, when you save a document in software such as a word processor, the software communicates with the operating system which then handles the actual transfer of the data to the storage device. Likewise, when you print a document, it is actually the operating system that communicates with the printer, not the software in use.

Back to Computer Dictionary