Studied by 3 people
What is an operating system?
An operating system (OS) is software that helps to manage the resources of a computer system and provide the interface between the user and the computer’s hardware.
What is the function of a user interface?
to provide a method for human users to interact with a computer system
What are the features of a graphical user interface (GUI)?
desktop
multiple windows can be opened and switched between
icons are shortcuts to applications and files
menus can be opened to display files and shortcuts
a pointer is used to select
the interface can be customised
folder and file system is displayed- allowing for copying, searching, sorting and deleting data.
smartphone
no pointer
windows (apps) generally take up the full screen
What are the advantages and disadvantages of a GUI?
advantages
interactive
intuitive - easy to use
disadvantages
resource heavy
What are the features of a command line interface?
text-based and requires users to interact with the system by typing commands
What are the advantages and disadvantages of a CLI?
advantages
for expert users, this can be more efficient
more commands
less resource heavy
requires little processing or an expensive graphics card
disadvantages
complicated process and mistakes could easily accidentally delete data
many commands to learn
What are the features of a menu driven interface?
displays data in a series of successive menus
one option chosen at each
used for devices with a dedicated function. Examples include cash machines (ATMs) and old iPods.
What are the advantages and disadvantages of a menu driven interface?
advantages
generally user friendly and easy to use as commands do not need to be memorised
disadvantages
can be hard to find specific data through a large number of menus without a search feature.
What are the features of a voice driven interface?
controlled by speaking commands aloud to a listening device in spoken language
Examples include Amazon's Alexa devices, Apple's Siri technology and Google Home.
What are the advantages and disadvantages of a voice driven interface?
advantages
intuitive, can be used hands-free and helps to speed up processes
disadvantages
commands may be misheard or limited in what can be performed - unreliable
How does data management and multitasking work?
the program in use and the data it is using must be copied from storage to RAM temporarily to be processed
the OS manages the transfer of data and programs to and from the hard drive and RAM
the OS can only perform one process at a time but the data is managed so that it appears processes are running simultaneously
only possible if the OS can support multitasking and if there is enough memory to hold more than one prpgram in primary memory at a time
What is peripheral management?
a peripheral is an external device connected to a computer system to input or output data.
device driver is a program that provides an interface for the OS to interact and communicate with an external device
drivers are hardware dependent and OS-specific - the driver translates the OS’ instructions into a format the specific hardware can understand.
each device communicates with the OS via its own driver
drivers can be updated
allow any device to be used with the OS
CPU and the peripheral will process data at different speeds so a buffer is typically used to temporarily store data until it can be processed.
How are users managed?
allows users to create, manage and delete individual accounts
User accounts can be granted different access rights such as an administrator or guest.
manages security settings such as allowing passwords to be reset and can also be used to monitor login activity.
What is the process of sending files to a printer?
data can be sent much faster than it can be printed
data is sent to a print queue or buffer
then it is transmitted to the printer
printer sends back its status to the OS which reports any errors to the user
How are files managed?
the hard disk is a storage peripheral
the OS manages where on the disk files are written , keeps track of their location and makes sure no file overwrites another file
the OS also
reates and maintains a logical management system to organise files and directories (folders).
allows files to be named, renamed, opened, copied, moved, saved, searched for, sorted and deleted.
It also allows users to set access rights for specific files and to view file properties.
