Operating system1. A master control program that manages the computer's internal functions and provides a means to control the computer's operations. The most popular operating systems for personal computers include Microsoft Windows and MacOS. From QUECID 2. Software that shares a computer system's resources (processor, memory, disk space, network bandwidth, and so on) between users and the application programs they run. Controls access to the system to provide security. 3. The foundation software of a machine; that which schedules tasks, allocates storage, and presents a default interface to the user between applications. From Linux Guide @FirstLinux 4. n. [techspeak] (Often abbreviated `OS') The foundation software of a machine; that which schedules tasks, allocates storage, and presents a default interface to the user between applications. The facilities an operating system provides and its general design philosophy exert an extremely strong influence on programming style and on the technical cultures that grow up around its host machines. Hacker folklore has been shaped primarily by the Unix, ITS, TOPS-10, TOPS-20/TWENEX, WAITS, CP/M, MS-DOS, and Multics operating systems (most importantly by ITS and Unix). From Jargon Dictionary |
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