Section 1.3. Operating System


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1.3. Operating System

The components of a computer system can't function together without an operating system. Many different operating systems are available for PCs, minicomputers, and mainframesthe most common ones being Linux, OpenVMS, MacOS, various versions of UNIX, and Windows. Linux and UNIX are available for many different hardware platforms, whereas most other operating systems are tied to a specific hardware family. This is one of the first good things about Linuxit's available for just about any machine.

Some operating systems are very large and include the command interpreter, windowing capability, and tools built into the operating system code. Linux is different. The part of Linux that can be considered the running "system" is known as the Linux kernel and provides only the "core" capabilities and interfaces for moving data between devices and managing running processes. The commands, editors, programs, windowing systems, and most of the other parts of the system with which people interface run separately from the kernel code.


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Of the operating systems listed above, only Linux, OpenVMS, and UNIX allow more than one user to use the computer system at a time, providing a multi-user environment. Some businesses still buy a powerful minicomputer with twenty or more terminals and then use UNIX as the operating system that shares the CPUs, memory, and disks among the users. Now that workstation hardware is relatively inexpensive, every user can run a UNIX or Linux system on his or her desk.




Linux for Programmers and Users
Linux for Programmers and Users
ISBN: 0131857487
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2007
Pages: 339

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