Part 1: The Operating System
a) Find a definition of an Operating System that a junior high student could understand. Paste it and its source here.
An operating system or OS is a software on the hard drive that enables the computer hardware to communicate and operate with the computer software. Without a computer operating system, a computer and software programs would be useless.
Source : http://www.computerhope.com/os.htm
b) Find and paste a set of statistics from within the last 2 years that shows Mac vs Windows operating system use across the world. Did the stats suprise you? If yes, in what way? From your own thoughts, state what drives the difference in usage of these two operating systems.
https://www.netmarketshare.com/operating-system-market-share.aspx?qprid=9&qpcustomb=0&qpsp=192&qpnp=13&qptimeframe=M These statistics did surprise me. I thought the Mac operation system would be more prominent. The difference in usage most likely is caused by the difference in computer variety. Macs are a very specific pre built computer with their own operating system that works best for Macs in specific, while Windows can be used with most computers.
c) Find and paste a set of statistics from within the last 2 years that shows Smart Phone operating system use across the world.
https://www.netmarketshare.com/operating-system-market-share.aspx?qprid=9&qpcustomb=1&qpcustomd=&qpsp=183&qpnp=24&qptimeframe=M
The Wordle on the first page is created from the a very good explanation of all the duties of an operating system. http://www.blurtit.com/q148916.html (In case the link is broken, the text is copied and pasted at the bottom of this document.)
e) Read the content of the source site. Which 3 of the duties had you least thought about?
3.An operating system is responsible for time-sharing for different programs.
10.Operating systems is responsible for manages and allocate different files and manage directories.
11.Operating systems is responsible for memory allocation and management for memory .For example in Linux operating system we can allow the memory to swap by doublingit to the real size of RAM.
Part 2: Additional Definitions
Find definitions and/or answer the questions for each of the following terms in less than 50 words each. Copy and paste these short definitions below. Be sure your definitions refer to Computer Software and are in words that you fully understand.
Memory Management: According to Wikipedia, what are the main functions of the Memory Management Unit? (yes, I know this is hardware not software)
A memory management unit (MMU), sometimes called paged memory management unit (PMMU), is a computer hardware unit having all memory references passed through itself, primarily performing the translation of virtual memory addresses to physical addresses. It is usually implemented as part of the central processing unit (CPU), but it also can be in the form of a separate integrated circuit.
An MMU effectively performs virtual memory management, handling at the same time memory protection, cache control, bus arbitration and, in simpler computer architectures (especially 8-bit systems), bank switching.
What other two hardware components is the MMU responsible for working with?
The MMU works with the memory bus and CPU.
Virtual Memory: Definition: Virtual memory is a process performed by an operation system where memory is stored in the hard disk instead of RAM to compensate for a shortage of RAM.
What device is actually storing this data?
The Memory Management Unit stores the data in RAM or the hard drive.
Garbage Collection
Garbage collection is a process where unused objects in a program are cleaned out.
CPU Scheduler
A CPU Scheduler is responsible for allocating work to the CPU.
Utilities: Define and give a couple of examples of utilities software
Utilities are software that aims to analyse, optimize, configure and maintain a computer. Examples include Antivirus software, Network utilities and defragmenters.
Part 3: The Explanation
The Scenario: You turn on the computer, check Facebook, work on an English assignment in Word while ITunes is rocking the latest White Stripes tune and then you play a game or two that you download.
Demonstrate your understanding of at least 5 of the terms and/or example software from this assignment by explaining how each type of software would/might affect the scenario. Explain them one at a time.
1. When the computer is powered on the operating system is accessed. The operating system is necessary to run Word and ITunes.
2. When playing games the Memory Management Unit is converting RAM memory into Hard drive memory if a shortage of RAM exists. Which prevents performance issues.
3. A CPU scheduler is allowing both programs to work at once by allocating tasks to the CPU in time slots allowing both programs to run. This feature is called time sharing and without is we could not run multiple programs at once.
4. When each of the programs is in use a garbage collection system is checking for useless objects and removing them from RAM to free up space. This furthur increases the performance of the computer and makes it possible to play games with high performance.
5. The operating system on the computer is running software responsible for connecting to the internet. Without that software games could not be downloaded from the internet.