Since the advent of computers, not much time has passed by the standards of human history. But the operating systems that control them have stepped far forward. This is not even related to the development of Bill Gates, who proposed using the Windows system. In fact, everything happened much earlier. The concept of operating systems should begin to be considered with a small digression into the history of programming. And that's not all. Moreover, the concept of an operating system, OS classification and other terms simply cannot do without it.
Computers at the dawn of creation
If we consider computers from the time of their occurrence, then operating systems as such were then absent altogether. Old computers were an ordinary computer complex capable of processing some kind of mathematical operations.
The simplest data I / O solution at the time was punched cards and punched tapes. The first had special empty cells, the alternation of which allowed you to enter information in the desired order. The second, when outputting, displayed the processed result. Naturally, this method was extremely inconvenient, therefore, over time, automated systems began to appear that were able to quickly respond to data entry and obtaining a result.
Entry Level Programming Languages
The concept and functions of the operating system cannot be imagined even without a basic knowledge of programming languages.
Once upon a time, the Basic language was considered one of the easiest to understand and write programs. He was taught even in high school. Using it to write programs, it was possible to create graphic images, reproduce notes (though only using the system speaker), etc. There was no question what we have today. The concept and purpose of the operating system came much later.
The fact is that even primitive programming languages could no longer cope with the I / O functionality assigned to them. It was necessary to approach this issue more seriously.
Transformation
As you know, the simplest programming language for an environment in which any user could work did not give all that we have at the moment. Over time, more complex language packs began to appear, which, by the way, are still used (the same Assembler or Delphi).
Although the operating system is not written in Assembler now, many applications can use this language. But to create a full-fledged operating system (or, as it is now customary to say, the OS), such languages did not suit initially. That is why the basic concepts of operating systems have changed somewhat over time.
It became clear that the operating system itself should become a kind of connecting link between computer hardware, software and the user. So for the first time appeared control programs, which can be called the first operating systems. True, they were very far from today.
Using the first systems in telephone exchanges
The first company to start using the basic concepts of operating systems was the American telephone company AT&T.
This is understandable, at that time technical engineers tried to automate the telephone communication between subscribers as much as possible. If anyone remembers, even in the movies of those years, you can see operators who connect subscribers by using special plugs that are inserted into a specific cell that corresponds to the number of the outgoing and incoming calls.
The concept of operating systems in this case was reduced only to the creation of a fully automated process of connecting subscribers without the participation of operators. In the world of computer technology, it is believed that the programs used by AT&T have become a kind of prototype of modern UNIX systems (which, by the way, is beloved by many Linux).
Windows: how it all began
What is an operating system today? The concept, the main functions - all this cannot be ignored without understanding the revolution in the computer world that Microsoft Corporation, in the person of its then head Bill Gates, made. He was the first to propose a comprehensive approach to understanding the connection between the computing capabilities of computers and a user who observes the result of their actions on a monitor.
So the DOS system was created. She worked, however, only with the help of commands entered manually, but the "old man" Norton tried to do something unified so that the whole environment could be managed in full.
Now the concept of an operating system (OS) is not complete without the knowledge of such a unique product as Norton Commander, because many applications such as file managers are created exactly in the image and likeness of “Norton’s grandfather”.
Yes, take at least such well-known applications as Windows Commander or Total Commander, which in the interface have the same two panels, borrowed from Norton, in combination with function keys that can have a direct purpose or perform other actions while pressing Shift or Ctrl .
Object oriented programming
Over time, the concept of operating systems has changed again. Using the simplest commands and the meager interface has led Microsoft to develop a completely new concept of the approach to communication between computers and the user.
The same Bill Gates gave the user a graphical interface, behind which he hid the execution of system or other software processes. At the same time, the Windows operating system, the concepts of which are rather complicated from the point of view of the programming language (C + / C ++), could fully work with all the "iron" components of computers, installing special microprograms, called drivers, for their correct and correct functioning. So it became possible to connect absolutely any device (even peripheral).
The simplest example can be the same printers, video cards, removable storage media , etc.
But it was not always so. That is why software developers have created a special "bridge", called DirectX. Manufacturers of new equipment also began to manufacture equipment using the Plug & Play standard (plug and play). Now it was enough just to install the device driver so that it worked normally in the system.
Starting with Windows'98, drivers of the most common and popular devices began to be included in the installation package of operating systems. It is not surprising that now installing drivers in manual mode is not required even for mobile gadgets.
Multitasking operating system concept
Many users of computer systems do not understand a bit what the multitasking system is associated with. In simple words, this can be explained by the execution of several processes at the same time or the possibility of performing many actions that are provided for in the arsenal. Thus, the “OS” itself turns into a powerful enough tool for performing certain actions, launching third-party programs, the execution of which is not provided by default in it, etc.
Operating systems: concept, classification
As for modern operating systems, today there are quite a lot of them. Microsoft's direct competitor is Apple, a computer and mobile device company. In contrast to Windows, it represents the Mac OS X operating system, which (oddly enough) was created in the image of Windows.
The only thing worth noting is that today this OS is the most secure in the world. For her, it’s not that viruses are not created, they simply do not work in this environment.
Mobile Operating Systems
Manufacturers of mobile equipment also did not stand aside. The concept and functions of the operating system from this point of view should be based solely on what set the developer put into the OS. It is clear that on the same smartphones or tablets you will not find a regular screen with the same "Start" button as in Windows (although after the "seven" they also abandoned it).
But the concept of the operating system here comes down only to the use of widgets or icons, when clicked on, you can call this or that application, function or program.
The most common in this regard can be called "OSes" such as Android, iOS, Windows Mobile, Blackberry and some others. As you can see, even the grandees of the computer world did not leave the idea that such a concept of an operating system, classification by type of executable (or accessible for execution) applications, etc.
In general, now there are even OSs that can restore other "OSes." They do not require installation on a hard drive and can work with any removable media. The concept of operating systems in this case cannot be ignored without mentioning such a unique software product as BeOS. It is unknown to many, however, downloading such an “OS” from a disk or flash drive can fix many problems in the same Windows systems. At startup, it simply bypasses the Windows boot sector (provided that the BIOS is set to load the appropriate type).