Characteristics of Operating System – Explained in Detail

An Operating System (OS) is a base software that controls and dynamically allocates the computer system components. This sits between the users and the computer hardware and ensures that different applications can perform and run concurrently. The Operating System regulates the running of all types of programs. It comprises application software and hardware activities such as memory control, task scheduling, and input/output handling. This article was meant to tell you everything you need to know concerning an Operating System’s features and characteristics.

What is an Operating System?

Operating System or OS is a type of system software that controls computer hardware and provides user services, including managing the computer hardware. It allows for the carrying out of programs, the management of peripherals, the distribution of system resources, and the maintenance of safety simultaneously, providing users with an interface to communicate. The OS is involved in resolving memory, scheduling the processes, and handling file and input/output operations, which, in one way or another, makes the computer run smoothly.

Various operating systems function as software applications that intermediates between computer users and hardware. This facilitates user interaction with the hardware using different application programs such as word processors, presentation software, and more.

• Batch Operating System
• Time-Sharing Operating System
• Distributed Operating Systems
• Network Operating System (Server Based Systems)
• Real-Time Operating System

Also Read: Types of operating systems

Features of the Operating Systems

Let’s discuss all the features of the Operating System:

• User Interface: An operating system has a user interface (UI) through which users can communicate with the computer system or hardware. The user interface is defined by ease of use and flexibility to meet users’ requirements. Equally, it must be operationally efficient—that is, it should enable actions to be completed as quickly as possible.

• Memory Management: An Operating System controls and/or allocates computer memory by providing memory for executing processes on the computer. Memory is also protected through the operating system by access permission, virtual memory to enhance actual physical memory and algorithms for memory allocation and de-allocation.

• Process Management: The OS manages processes (programs in execution), ensuring efficient CPU utilization. It allocates time to processes using techniques like multitasking, allowing multiple programs to run simultaneously.

• Device Management: The operating system hardware devices include keyboards, printers, and disk drives that communicate with device drivers. It controls the exchange of data between the CPU and peripherals.

• Security: Security services include user authentication, access control, and data confidentiality. Other services include Traffic monitoring and Filtering, Compression, and Data checks.

• Power Management: This controls energy use by managing CPU performance. It displays brightness and uses other power-saving techniques to prolong battery life in mobile devices.

Characteristics of Operating System

The detailed characteristics of the Operating System.

• Multitasking: An OS allows multiple tasks to run simultaneously, enabling users to work on different applications simultaneously. It manages task switching by allocating CPU time to various processes.

• Multiprogramming: Multiprogramming measures the OS’s capability to support several programs in memory simultaneously. It keeps the CPU busy and doing something rather than waiting for the next action.

• Concurrency: Thus, the operating system enables several processes to run concurrently, allowing some tasks to be conducted simultaneously without causing one process to interfere with another.

• Memory Management: It controls the system’s memory, assigns memory space to purposes, efficiently frees it when there is no need, and ensures each application is given adequate memory to function well.

• Device Management: The OS manages device communication through device drivers, allowing software to interact with hardware components like printers, hard drives and keyboards.

• Portability: Many OSs are designed to run on different hardware platforms with minimal modifications, making them portable across various systems.

• Real-Time Processing: Operating systems are designed for real-time applications,  where processes must be completed within a specific time frame. They are commonly used in embedded systems and industrial applications.

• Virtualization Support: The modern Operating system supports virtualization, allowing multiple operating systems to run concurrently on the same hardware, improving resource utilization and flexibility.

Also read: Classification of Operating System (OS)

Conclusion

Operating system properties and characters include managing of the system hardware and software resources, arrangements of the system hardware and software interfaces and executing of the system operations with efficiency and effectiveness, integrated with offering users simple and secure access to the operating system assets. Process, memory, file system and security are amongst the important features of a computer that need an operating system to run. Likewise, flexibility, concurrency, and reliability make the performance of different functions effective. In general, An operating system may be defined as the framework whereby people can send and receive messages to and from the Hardware and application programs at the shortest time possible.