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Operating system (OS)

Operating system (OS)

An Operating System (OS) represents a software product, part of a computational system, which deals with managing and coordinating the activities of a computer. The operating system plays the role of host for the applications running on a workstation.

When and how did operating systems appear?

It may seem surprising, but operating systems are a relatively new idea. The hardware side was always one step ahead of the software side. The idea of ​​creating collections of programs that load when the computer is turned on and that help us make the best use of electronic components, manage files and resources, appeared long after the advent of the calculator.

Originally computers did not have operating systems. Programs were entered bit by bit via mechanical switches.

It wasn't until 1950 that the General Motors Research Laboratory made the first operating system for their computer, the IBM 701, and the OS could only run one program at a time. This method was called serial processing system, because the programs and data were entered one after the other.

Batch processing systems were used in the 1960s. They make better use of computer resources by running multiple services simultaneously. After that OS-urlie evolved into multiprogramming, where several programs could run in the computer's memory.

The first commercially successful operating system based on a graphic user interface (Graphic User Interface) was Mac OS released in 1984 together with the first Macintosh computers. Mac OS (Mac Operating System) is an operating system produced by Apple Inc. for his computers.

In 1996 Palm Inc. released the first operating system for mobile devices, called Palm OS. Also in the same year, Windows presents the Windows Mobile platform, available on most PDA-type devices of that time.

Nokia releases in 1999 their first operating system Symbian S40, on a Nokia 7110 A year later, Symbian OS becomes the most popular mobile operating system, installed on most Nokia devices as well as Ericsson phones.

Modern Operating Systems are classified into:

 

  • desktop operating systems (used for desktops and laptops)
  • server operating systems (used by the Internet to provide services)
  • operating systems for mobile devices (intended for mobile phones, smartphones, or PDA or PALM devices).

Since 2007, the world of mobile devices has changed radically, with the advent of iOS and the iPhone. Mobile phone users could easily navigate through a friendly menu on the screen of the first iPhone.

On November 5-th, 2007, the OHA (Open Handset Alliance) was established, a trade alliance of 84 companies, led by Google, dedicated to the standards development for mobile devices. In 2008, this alliance launched Android, which in a few years would become the most widespread mobile operating system.

After the latest numbers, in  November 2022, Android is the world's most-used operating system when judged by web use. It has 42% of the global market, followed by Windows with 30%, Apple, iOS with 18%, macOS with 6%, then (desktop) Linux at 1% These numbers do not include embedded devices or game consoles.