Question

SUBMIT YOUR WORK-- Please upload your short answers for the chapter here. Use the e-book link to answer the questions below. 1. What characteristics are common among operating systems? List types of operating systems, and examples of each. How does the device affect the functionality of an operating system? 2. Discuss how an operating system manages the computer's memory. Why is this important? 3. What types of customizations have you or would you make to your operating system, and why? 4. What can you determine about a file by looking at its properties Type up the answers in a Word document and Save as QC-Win.

Answer 1

Operating System (OS) is one of the core software programs that runs on the hardware and makes it usable for the user to interact with the hardware so that they can send commands (input) and receive results (output).

1. First question solution

Characteristic of operating system: There are 3 characteristics

• Licensing: There are basically three kinds of Operating systems. One is Open Source OS, another is Free OS and the third is Commercial OS. Linux is an open source operating system which means that anyone can download and modify it for example Ubuntu etc. A free OS doesn’t have to be open source. They are free to download and use but cannot modify them. For example, Google owns Chrome OS and makes it free to use. Commercial operating systems are privately owned by companies that charge money for them. Examples include Microsoft Windows and Apple macOS. These require to pay for the right (or license) to use their Operating systems.
• Software Compatibility: The developers make the softwares which may be compatible or incompatible in different versions within the same operating system’s type but they can’t be compatible with the other OS types. Every OS type have their own software compatibility.
• Complexity: Operating systems come in basically two editions one is 32-bit and other is 64-bit editions. The 64-bit edition of an operating system best utilizes random access memory (RAM). A computer with a 64-bit CPU can run either a 32-bit or a 64-bit OS, but a computer with a 32-bit CPU can run only a 32-bit OS.

Types of Operating System and Examples

• Batch Operating System : Payroll system and bank statements etc.
• Time-Sharing Operating Systems : Multics, Unix etc.
• Distributed Operating System : LOCUS etc.
• Network Operating System : Microsoft Windows Server 2003, Microsoft Windows Server 2008, UNIX, Linux, Mac OS X, Novell NetWare, and BSD etc.
• Real Time Operating System : Scientific experiments, medical imaging systems, industrial control systems, weapon systems, robots, air traffic control systems, etc.

              Device affect the functionality of operating system: There are four ways

• Drivers : In order for the operating system to talk to your hardware, it needs drivers. Drivers teach the operating system to interact with each bit of hardware. Graphics cards, sound cards, networking cards, USB peripherals, and everything else you connect to your computer relies on drivers. The operating system then uses these drivers to ensure correct operation of each device.
• Memory Management : All computers have random access memory, or RAM. Unlike hard drive storage, which is relatively permanent, RAM is what remembers everything you're doing in the moment. If you have a browser, photo editor, music program, and messaging application open, all of your progress and the status of each are stored in the RAM. The operating system works with your RAM sticks to control how much memory is used by each application, including the OS itself.
• CPU Control :Your computer's processes are executed by its central processing unit, or CPU. Signals sent to and from the CPU determine what happens, and in what order. The operating system works with the CPU to create a checklist of processes to execute and ensures that each gets done. A CPU can only perform one task at a time; because CPUs are so incredibly fast, it gives the illusion of many simultaneous tasks. The operating system controls the priority of each task and sees them through to completion.
• Fans and Cooling:One of the most important components of your computer is its cooling system. The CPU fan keeps the CPU from overheating in moments of high stress. Overheating can cause permanent damage to a CPU. The operating system communicates with both the CPU and the fan to help ensure the PC stays cool. This process is also assisted by the motherboard's internal controls, known as the BIOS, and can be overwritten by applications running in the OS.

2. Second question Solution

Memory management requires that the programmer provides ways to dynamically allocate portions of memory to programs, when requested, and free it for reuse when it is no longer needed. In any advanced computer system, where more than a single process might be running at any given point in time, this is critical.

When any program is loaded into the memory, it is organised into three parts called segments, which are:

• Text segment (the code segment)
• Stack segment
• Heap segment

When an operating system manages the computer's memory, there are two broad tasks to be     accomplished:

Each process must have enough memory in which to execute, and it can neither run into the memory space of another process nor be run into by another process.

The different types of memory in the system must be used properly so that each process can run most effectively.

3. Third question solution

Customization is done to make your work and task easier and attractive.

Types of customization

• Change the desktop theme
• Create a desktop slide show
• Move the taskbar
• Add Programs and Documents to the Taskbar
• Personalize the start menu
• Change what the power button does
• Add gadgets to the desktop
• Change windows default program
• Remove auto-loading program
• Remove unnecessary windows components

4. Fourth question solution

To view information about a file or folder, right-click it and select Properties. You can also select the file and press Alt+Enter. The file properties window shows you information like the type of file, the size of the file, and when you last modified it. If you need this information often, you can have it displayed in list view columns or icon captions.

Properties:

• Name : You can rename the file by changing this field. You can also rename a file outside the properties window. See Rename a file or folder.

• Type : This helps you identify the type of the file, such as PDF document, Open Document Text, or JPEG image. The file type determines which applications can open the file, among other things. For example, you can’t open a picture with a music player. See Open files with other applications for more information on this.
• Contents : This field is displayed if you are looking at the properties of a folder rather than a file. It helps you see the number of items in the folder. If the folder includes other folders, each inner folder is counted as one item, even if it contains further items. Each file is also counted as one item. If the folder is empty, the contents will display nothing.
• Size : This field is displayed if you are looking at a file (not a folder). The size of a file tells you how much disk space it takes up. This is also an indicator of how long it will take to download a file or send it in an email (big files take longer to send/receive.
• Parent Folder: The location of each file on your computer is given by its absolute path. This is a unique “address” of the file on your computer, made up of a list of the folders that you would need to go into to find the file. For example, if Jim had a file called Resume.pdf in his Home folder, its parent folder would be /home/jim and its location would be /home/jim/Resume.pdf.

• Free space: This is only displayed for folders. It gives the amount of disk space which is available on the disk that the folder is on. This is useful for checking if the hard disk is full.

• Accessed : The date and time when the file was last opened.
• Modified : The date and time when the file was last changed and saved.