This week, we’re moving forward with our Computer Basics series. In this group of posts, I’ll cover Operating Systems, the Graphical User Interface (GUI), the Command Line Interface (CLI), basic computer skills, connecting to the Internet, and basic file management. Let’s dive in today with Operating Systems.
In the last post, I told you what the operating system is. There are three primary operating systems for personal computers. They are Windows from Microsoft, macOS from Apple, and Linux from too many sources to mention (more on this in just a bit).
Windows is widely used in personal computers and laptops throughout the world, and it is the primary operating system used in business environments. It is known for its user-friendly interface and extensive software compatibility. Windows operating systems are available for computers (laptops and desktops), servers, and the Windows Surface tablets.
MacOS is known for its sleek design, stability, and integration with the other devices and systems within the Apple ecosystem. It is popular among creative professionals and hobbyists. Apple used to make server software and hardware, but they stopped that a while ago. Where Microsoft’s operating system has the same essentials on the computers and tablets, Apple’s phone and tablet operating system is called iOS, and it looks and functions a bit differently from the computer operating system.
Linux is an open-source operating system, and that’s significant to the number of distributors. Open-source software is software that is distributed under one of the several open-source licensing options, but the thing that all the options share is that the source code, the code that was written by the developers in its state as it was written (that is, before it is compiled into an actual program; you can’t “run” the source code in its entirety on your computer, it has to be compiled) is available freely to anyone. One of the conditions of the software’s “freeness” is that if you make any changes to the software, you need to make that code available to the open-source community. Anyone can create a Linux operating system, if they have the skills to do so, and many people have. Linux is available for computers and servers, but the Linux-based system for phones and tablets, and which forms the foundation for the ChromeOS system, is called Android. It’s important to understand that Android is Linux-based, but it’s not actually Linux. Linux runs most of the servers that serve websites up to the World Wide Web. At one time it was used almost exclusively by super-techies, but the desktop versions have been developed to be as easy to use as Windows or macOS. Linux has quite a few more options to create a customized experience than either of the other two.
What Does an Operating System Do?
The basic functions of an operating system are file management, running applications, and configuring and storing system settings. File management involves creating, copying, moving, deleting, and renaming files. Using a file explorer or the Finder in macOS, you can search for files. You can create an organized file structure using File Manager or the Finder, so that you can easily locate your files. Think of it like a file room, with filing cabinets, and in those file cabinets are file folders, which contain files. Knowing how the filing system is set up, you can find the files without having to open each filing cabinet, or each drawer, or each folder, to find the file you’re looking for.
The operating system is also responsible for responding to your clicks to open and close applications to perform various tasks, switching between multiple running applications (multi-tasking), and managing the settings and preferences in applications. When we use the term “multitasking” in computers, it doesn’t really mean that the computer is processing several instructions at once, it can still only work on one instruction at a time. It just means that you can have several programs open at the same time, which wasn’t possible before graphical interfaces.
The operating system also allows you to adjust things like your display settings, sound settings, and user accounts. It’s the thing that lets you install and update software programs, and it can monitor the system performance and manage the system resources.
Up Next: The Graphical User Interface (GUI) and the Command Line Interface (CLI)
Next time I’ll go deep on how we interact with our computer systems, but for now, if I’ve missed anything, drop a comment below and I’ll either address it directly or add it to the post text. Thanks for joining me!