About Operating Systems
An operating system (also called an OS) is software that is needed to run the programs on a computer or on a mobile device. The programs that run on an operating system talk to the hardware. Programs are also known as Applications or “Apps”.
Operating Systems for Computers
The operating system is the most important program on a computer. Every computer must have an operating system to run other programs. Operating systems perform basic tasks, such as recognising input from the keyboard, sending output to the display screen, keeping track of files and directories on the disk, and controlling peripheral devices like disk drives and printers.
Operating Systems for PCs
There are Microsoft Windows Operating Systems (e.g. Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8) which you have to pay for, and
Linux open source operating system (Linux OS) which is free. Popular Linux OS distributions include Debian, Ubuntu, Fedora, Red Hat and openSUSE.
For Apple Macintosh Systems
Mac OS is a series of operating systems developed by Apple Inc. for their Macintosh computer systems.
OS X is the latest version of Apple's operating system. Click for more information about OSX
Operating Systems for Mobile Devices
A mobile operating system, (mobile OS) is an operating system that is specifically designed to run on mobile devices such as mobile phones, smartphones, tablets and other handheld devices.The operating system determines the functions and features available on your device, such as synchronisation with applications, email, text messaging and more.The mobile OS will also determine which third-party applications (mobile apps) can be used on your device.
Popular Mobile Operating Systems
Android OS (Google Inc.)
The Android mobile operating system is Google's open and free software stack that includes an operating system, middleware and also key applications for use on mobile devices, including smartphones. Updates for the open source Android mobile operating system have been developed under “dessert-inspired” codenames (Cupcake, Donut, Eclair, Gingerbread, Honeycomb, Ice Cream Sandwich, Jelly-Bean) with each new version arriving in alphabetical order with new enhancements and improvements.
iPhone OS / iOS (Apple)
Apple's iPhone OS was originally developed for use on its iPhone devices. Now, the mobile operating system is referred to as iOS and is supported on a number of Apple devices including the iPhone, iPad, iPad 2 and iPod Touch. The iOS mobile operating system is available only on Apple's own manufactured devices as the company does not license the OS for third-party hardware. Apple iOS is derived from Apple's Mac OS X operating system.
Windows Mobile (Windows Phone 7)
Windows Mobile is Microsoft's mobile operating system used in smartphones and mobile devices – with or without touchscreens. The Mobile OS is based on the Windows CE 5.2 kernel. In 2010 Microsoft announced a new smartphone platform called Windows Phone 7.
There are many other mobile operating systems – such as Blackberry OS and Chrome OS.
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