Unit 2.1: Task 2 P2

Task 2 P2:

An operating system is a low level piece of software that helps to support the basic functions of a computer. It is an essential component in the system software in a computer system. This system communicates with the hardware to allow other programmes to run. Examples of common desktop operating systems are Windows, Mac and Linux.

Machine and Peripheral management: On computers you can control and alter your computer. In the control panel you can add devices e.g. cameras etc. and it is here that you will download the software to do this. You can also control volume, and brightness etc. for the computer itself, it’s basically the hub where all the controls for the computer lie.

Security:  The purpose of security operating systems is to protect all the data and information stored on the computer. Security mechanisms prevent unauthorized access to the computer, so if the computer picks up a virus from a particular website, the security operating systems kick in and remove this virus before any files are affected. This kind of operating system is extremely useful as virus’s can be a big problem for computers.

File Management: This function of the operating system involves handling the file system which consists of two parts—a set of files, and a directory structure. The set of files are saved on a secondary storage. These files have a name, location, size, type, time and date of creation. These files can be accessed either sequentially or directly. The directory structure provides information about the files stored on the secondary storage. So information is known about what the files contain.  Directory contains the name, location, size, and type of all the files defined on the device.

Device Drivers: Device drivers in an operating system are things such as cameras, phones or other pieces of technology that you connect to the computer. In most cases with technology such as phones, a piece of software has to be downloaded in order to use that device on the computer. But once the software is downloaded you can connect the device to the computer at any time. So this means that you can transfer things such as music and pictures.