Ch-1 Operating System and Graphical User

Interface
Operating System:
•  An operating system (OS) is a software that makes a computer hardware operational.
•  It is usually stored on the hard disk of a computer.
•  When you start your computer an operating system runs before any other software.
•  Because of operating system user can operate and communicate with the computer
hardware.
•  An OS is the master control program of a computer.
•  Without operating system, a computer’s hardware and software would be useless.
Need for an Operating System:
1)  Control: An operating system is required for controlling the hardware and software
resources of the computer.
2)  Hardware independence: An operating system is require for providing a
consistent application interface. It makes a computer screen and devices look and
behave the same on any computer. For user operating system which is running
inside the CPU nothing else.
3) Portability: An Operating System ensures that an application developed by a
programmer on the computer, functions on another computer of the same type, even
if the two computers have different storage space or memory.
4)  Upward compatibility: An operating system also ensures that various
applications continue to function normally on a computer even if its hardware is
upgraded in future.
Functions for an Operating System:
•  A computer is made up of several hardware devices.
•  It stores a lot of user’s data and a number of software.
•  So during this process computer keeps on executing various software thereby
converting input data to output.
•  The main function of Operating System is to manage available hardware and software
resources to achieve efficient operation.
 Functions of an operating system classified into five categories:

Categories

Processor Memory Device File Interface

Management Management Management Management Management

1.  Processor Management:

•  We know that CPU is the main part of computer. It is also called brain of the computer.
•  CPU executes all the instructions given to the computer.
•  CPU is limited resource though a computer may have more than one processors(called multiprocessors).
•  Operating System that decides which program will run on the CPU, when and for how long.
2. Memory Management
•  Main memory(RAM) is another vital but limited resource. The personal computers, now-a-days, have 4
to 16 GB RAM. The operating system controls the allocation and de-allocation of RAM to requesting
running programs.

MSB: Most Significant bit or High-order bit

LSB: Least Significant bit or Low order bit
3. Device Management
•  A computer is equipped with several different types of devices. An operating system controls all the input
and output functions of these devices.
4. File Management
•  An Operating System is responsible to control transfer if files between main memory and secondary storage,
managing files and folders, allocating the secondary storage space, and providing file protection.

5. Interface Management
•  An Operating system controls the interaction of the computer with users and other applications.

Features of an Operating System

1.  An Operating System is designed to work on different hardware platforms.
2.  Another feature of an operating system is the user interface that determines how a user interacts with the
computer.
3.  OS supports connectivity to different devices like , USB, CD/DVD, etc. When a user attaches a device to the
computer, a device driver provides an interface to the operating system to identify the device and make use of it.
4.  An operating system has an administrative user that can make changes to the computer settings.
5.  The process of turning on a computer and loading the operating system into the RAM is known as booting the
computer. The boot process involves loading a number of programs and running a series of tests to ensure that
the computer system is operating properly. All this happens automatically when you turn on the computer.
Types of an Operating System
Operating system are of many types, like
1)  Single-user and Multi-user:
A single-user operating system allows only one user to work with a computer at a time, And multi-user
operating system enables multiple users to work on the same computer at different times or
simultaneously. DOS is an example of single-user operating system and Unix is multi-user operating
system.
Types of an Operating System
Operating system are of many types, like
2) Real-time
A Real-time operating system is a computing environment that reacts to input within a specific period of
time. It is used in robots, in complex animations, and in computer-controlled automated machines.
Windows CE(Consumer Electronics) and Lynx OS are examples of Real-time operating system
Types of an Operating System
Operating system are of many types, like

3) Distributed
A distributed operating system runs on a set of computers that are interconnected by a network. It
combines the different computers in the network into a single integrated computer in such a way that the
users think that they are working on a single computer. LINUX and Windows 2003 are the examples of a
distributed operating system.

4) Interactive and Batch processing

An interactive operating system allows the users or other program to perform input-output at any time
during processing. These interactions may take place through a graphical user interface (GUI) or a
character user interface (CUI), and a batch operating system does not allow intermittent input-output.
Windows is an interactive OS while MVS(Multiple Virtual Storage) is a Batch processing OS.MVS is used
in IBM’s(International Business Machine) mainframe computer.
Examples of Operating System

Some of the popular examples of operating systems are:

•  Unix
•  Linux
•  Microsoft Windows 7
•  Windows 8
•  Windows 10
•  Macintosh

Some of the popular operating systems meant for mobile phones and other mobile devices are:
•  Android
•  iOS
•  Windows Mobile
•  Blackberry OS
User Interface
•  A user interface (UI) refers to the hardware-software mechanism by which a user and a computer
interact with each other. User Interface is the visual part of the operating system.
•  It’s through UI that a user gives a command or instruction to the computer and receives messages
from the computer.
•  If an OS does not offer any UI, the user can’t interact with the computer. This will render the
computer useless for the user.
Types of User Interface:
•  Several different types of user interfaces have been designed for different hardware to serve different
purposes.
•  Two of the most common types of user interface used in computers are:
1)  GUI (Graphical User Interface)

2) CUI (Character User Interface)

CUI (Character User Interface)
•  In this type of interface, a keyboard is used for the user input and a monitor for the computer output.
•  When this user interface is started, a blank screen appears with a line for the user to type the
commands.
•  There are no images or graphics on the screen. CUI normally does not support pointing devices like
mouse.
•  MS DOS and Windows Command Prompt are examples of CUI.
GUI (Graphical User Interface)
•  This interface uses graphical components for interaction.
•  These graphical components usually comprise of windows, icons, menus, and pointers (WIMP).
•  Input is accepted using devices such as keyboard and mouse.
•  The GUI displays icons, buttons, and dialog boxes on the screen.
•  Users can give commands by selecting and clicking icons displayed on the screen.
•  A most can be used to select, click and drag the items on the screen.
•  Most of the modern computers use GUI. Windows 7 is an example of OS that offers a GUI.
WINDOWS GUI
•  Windows is the most common operating system used nowadays. It’s a GUI-based operating system.
Windows 7 opens all documents and applications in individual rectangular boxes called window.
Address bar
•  It is the horizontal bar located at the top of the window. The address bar shows the path of the
application/document opened in the window.
Frame
•  It is usually located above the contents of the window and has a menu bar or a toolbar or both.
1)  Menu bar : Each item on the menu bar has a drop-down menu of various options.
2)  Toolbar: It contains clickable buttons for commonly used commands.
Scroll bar
•  These are bars which can be dragged to show different parts of the contents in the open window on
the screen.
•  There are two types of scroll bars- Horizontal and Vertical.
•  Vertical scroll bar appears on the side and horizontal at the bottom of the window.
•  The scroll bars are visible only when the content is more than what can fit within the window.
Status bar
•  It’s a long, horizontal bar present, by default, at the bottom of the window. It displays useful bits of
information related to the content of the window.
Minimize,Maximize/Restore Down, and Close buttons:
•  These buttons are typically located at the top-right corner of the window. The
Minimize button reduces a window to a button on the taskbar. Clicking the
respective button on the taskbar return the window to its original size.
•  The Maximize button enlarges the window to fill the entire desktop. When a
window is maximized, the Maximize button changes to the one with two squares-
the Restore Down button.
•  Clicking the Restore Down button restores the window to its original size.
•  You can also change the size of a window manually, when it is in the restore state.
•  Move the pointer to its lower-right corner. Click and drag the border down and right
to enlarge the window, or up and left to reduce its size.
•  You can resize a window along any of its four corners or sides.
•  To move the entire window , click on the top-most area of the window and drag the
window to a new location. The Close button closes the window.
Advantages of GUI
•  GUI is user friendly and easier to use than CUI.
•  We can work on more than one software in GUI which is generally not possible in
CUI.
•  This interface uses graphics and images with multimedia support.
•  User can interact with the computer with clicks of the mouse and there is no need to
type the commands, as in CUI.
Questions:

1.  Why we need an Operating System?

2.  What is hardware independence?
3.  Define Upward compatibility.
4.  List out functions of an OS.
5.  What is File management?
6.  The process of turning on a computer and loading the OS into the RAM is known as __________________.
7.  What is the difference between single user and multi user Operating System?
8.  Explain Distributed Operating System.
9.  Full form of GUI and CUI.
10.  Difference between CUI and GUI.
11.  What is WIMP?
12.  How many types of scroll bars are there?