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Different Types of Operating Systems

Operating systems manage computer resources and allow users to interact with hardware through interfaces. There are several types of operating systems including real-time, multi-user/single-user, multi-tasking/single-tasking, distributed, and embedded. Real-time systems aim to quickly and predictably respond to events using specialized scheduling. Multi-user systems allow multiple concurrent users while single-user systems support one user at a time. Multi-tasking systems run multiple programs simultaneously and single-tasking runs one program at a time. Distributed systems manage independent linked computers as a single system. Embedded systems are compact for resources-limited devices like PDAs.

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103 views

Different Types of Operating Systems

Operating systems manage computer resources and allow users to interact with hardware through interfaces. There are several types of operating systems including real-time, multi-user/single-user, multi-tasking/single-tasking, distributed, and embedded. Real-time systems aim to quickly and predictably respond to events using specialized scheduling. Multi-user systems allow multiple concurrent users while single-user systems support one user at a time. Multi-tasking systems run multiple programs simultaneously and single-tasking runs one program at a time. Distributed systems manage independent linked computers as a single system. Embedded systems are compact for resources-limited devices like PDAs.

Uploaded by

Anit Jacob Philip
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOC, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Different Types of Operating Systems

Operating systems that create a link between users and the applications form the
core of computer systems. It dissociates the programs and the hardware and
simplifies resource management. Let us look at the different types of operating
systems.

An operating system is a software component of a computer system that is


responsible for the management of various activities of the computer and the
sharing of computer resources. It hosts the several applications that run on a
computer and handles the operations of computer hardware. Users and
application programs access the services offered by the operating systems, by
means of system calls and application programming interfaces. Users interact
with operating systems through Command Line Interfaces (CLIs) or Graphical
User Interfaces known as GUIs. In short, operating system enables user
interaction with computer systems by acting as an interface between users or
application programs and the computer hardware. Here is an overview of the
different types of operating systems.

Real-time Operating System: It is a multitasking operating system that aims at


executing real-time applications. Real-time operating systems often use
specialized scheduling algorithms so that they can achieve a deterministic nature
of behavior. The main object of real-time operating systems is their quick and
predictable response to events. They either have an event-driven or a time-
sharing design. An event-driven system switches between tasks based of their
priorities while time-sharing operating systems switch tasks based on clock
interrupts.

Multi-user and Single-user Operating Systems: The operating systems of this


type allow a multiple users to access a computer system concurrently. Time-
sharing system can be classified as multi-user systems as they enable a multiple
user access to a computer through the sharing of time. Single-user operating
systems, as opposed to a multi-user operating system, are usable by a single
user at a time. Being able to have multiple accounts on a Windows operating
system does not make it a multi-user system. Rather, only the network
administrator is the real user. But for a Unix-like operating system, it is possible
for two users to login at a time and this capability of the OS makes it a multi-user
operating system.

Multi-tasking and Single-tasking Operating Systems: When a single program


is allowed to run at a time, the system is grouped under a single-tasking system,
while in case the operating system allows the execution of multiple tasks at one
time, it is classified as a multi-tasking operating system. Multi-tasking can be of
two types namely, pre-emptive or co-operative. In pre-emptive multitasking, the
operating system slices the CPU time and dedicates one slot to each of the
programs. Unix-like operating systems such as Solaris and Linux support pre-
emptive multitasking. Cooperative multitasking is achieved by relying on each
process to give time to the other processes in a defined manner. MS Windows
prior to Windows 95 used to support cooperative multitasking.

Distributed Operating System: An operating system that manages a group of


independent computers and makes them appear to be a single computer is
known as a distributed operating system. The development of networked
computers that could be linked and communicate with each other, gave rise to
distributed computing. Distributed computations are carried out on more than one
machine. When computers in a group work in cooperation, they make a
distributed system.

Embedded System: The operating systems designed for being used in


embedded computer systems are known as embedded operating systems. They
are designed to operate on small machines like PDAs with less autonomy. They
are able to operate with a limited number of resources. They are very compact
and extremely efficient by design. Windows CE, FreeBSD and Minix 3 are some
examples of embedded operating systems.

The operating systems thus contribute to the simplification of the human


interaction with the computer hardware. They are responsible for linking
application programs with the hardware, thus achieving an easy user access to
the computers.

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