Learning About Operating Systems

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Learning About Operating Systems
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What are the different types of operating system?

• Single-tasking
• An operating system that only allows one process
  (task) to be running at a time
• Some examples are DOS and Windows 3.x
• Multitasking
• The ability of a computer operating system to
  effectively support more than one process running
  at a time
• Examples are Windows and Mac OS
• Most operating systems today are multitasking

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What are the different types of operating system?
(continued)

• Network operating system
• An operating system designed to provide strong
  network services
• The capabilities to configure and manage networks
  of computers
• Some examples are NetWare, UNIX, Windows 2000
  Server, and Windows Server 2003
• Multiprocessing
• The coordinated processing of a process by more
  than one processor at the same time
• UNIX is also a good example of multiprocessing

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Related terms

• User Interface- a program that controls a
  display for the user (usually on a computer
  monitor) and that allows the user to interact
  with the system.
• Deadlock- when each program is waiting for a
  resource to become available that will never
  become free.
• Command Language- a source language consisting of
  procedural operators that invoke functions to be
  executed
• Compute bound- refers to a condition where the
  time to complete a computation is determined
  principally by the speed of the central processor
  and main memory
• Parallel Processing- The simultaneous processing
  of different tasks by two or more
  microprocessors, as by a single computer with
  more than one central processing unit or by
  multiple computers connected together in a
  network.

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Sources so far

• Invitation to Computer Science Third Edition
• By G. Michael Schneider and Judith L. Gersking
• Connecting with Computer Science
• By Greg Anderson, David Ferro, and Robert Hilton
• Dictionary.com