Operating systems and user interfaces
An The software that manages the hardware and software resources in a computer system. is a collection (or suite) of Sequences of instructions for a computer. that manages and controls the computer. Operating systems have many functions:
- controlling The physical parts of a computer system, eg a graphics card, hard disk drive or CD drive. components
- providing a platform for The programs, applications and data in a computer system. Any parts of a computer system that aren't physical. to run on
- providing a The means by which a user interacts with a computer or device.
- In computing, running more than one program simultaneously. facilities
- managing the computer's The part of a computer that stores data.
- managing A piece of hardware that connects to a computer, eg a mouse, keyboard, printer or scanner.
- managing Anything you save. It could be a document, a piece of music, a collection of data or something else.
- managing users
Example operating systems include:
- Microsoft Windows
- Apple OS X
- Linux
- Android
- IOS
User interfaces
A user interface is a program, or suite of programs that allows a user to interact with a computer. There are three types of interface to be considered:
- graphical user interface (GUI) - sometimes known as WIMP (Windows, Icons, Menus, Pointers) interface
- mobile user interface (Mobile UI)
- command line interface (CLI)
A graphical user interface is familiar to most users of PCs and laptops. GUIs feature a desktop where everything is displayed. Applications run in Windows, and all objects (apps, hardware and files) are represented by icons. Application features are accessible through the use of menus. Users interact with the interface by using a mouse and on-screen pointer.
GUIs are powerful and easy to use, but require a lot of processing power.
Mobile UIs are similar in many ways to GUIs, except that they respond to touch. Fingers are used to open programs and interact with them. Gestures such as swiping are used to scroll within documents. Pinching and stretching are used to re-size images.
Mobile UIs are found on smartphones and tablets.
Command line interfaces are text-based. Users control the computer by typing in commands.
CLIs require little processing power and are extremely powerful, but are difficult to use. Originally most interfaces were CLIs, and they still exist within modern operating systems, for example the command prompt app in Windows, and Terminal in OS X.