News tagged with operating system

Final test version of Windows 8 released (Update)

Microsoft on Thursday released the final test version of its next-generation Windows software crafted to power devices ranging from tablets to desktop computers.

Technology / Software

created May 31, 2012 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 4

NASA lunar spacecraft GRAIL complete prime mission ahead of schedule

(Phys.org) -- A NASA mission to study the moon from crust to core has completed its prime mission earlier than expected. The team of NASA's Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory (GRAIL) mission, with twin ...

Space & Earth / Space Exploration

created May 29, 2012 | popularity 5 / 5 (3) | comments 0

New Google data show Microsoft's piracy problems (Update 2)

(AP) -- Google's Internet search engine receives more complaints about websites believed to be infringing on Microsoft's copyrights than it does about material produced by entertainment companies pushing ...

Technology / Internet

created May 24, 2012 | popularity 4 / 5 (1) | comments 6

Facebook launches iPhone camera app (Update)

Facebook released a "camera" application Thursday that lets people take Instagram-style pictures that can be shared with iPhones.

Technology / Software

created May 24, 2012 | popularity 1.7 / 5 (6) | comments 2

Android vulnerability neutralised

Smart phones and tablet computers - once the latest must-have devices for technology geeks - are becoming increasingly more popular with the mainstream. The Android platform is now one of the most popular ...

Technology / Software

created May 24, 2012 | popularity not rated yet | comments 1

Judge scolds attorneys in Oracle vs. Google patent trial

The judge presiding over a patent trial pitting Oracle against Google scolded rival attorneys on Monday as deliberating jurors grappled with subtleties of references in computer software code.

Technology / Business

created May 21, 2012 | popularity not rated yet | comments 1

HTC smartphones blocked by US customs

US mobile carrier Sprint said Wednesday it was delaying the introduction of an Android smartphone from Taiwan's HTC after the devices were blocked by US customs.

Technology / Business

created May 16, 2012 | popularity 1 / 5 (3) | comments 6

Google wants Oracle copyright trial rematch

Google on Wednesday confirmed that it wants a new trial on the copyright portion of a legal battle being fought with Oracle in San Francisco federal court.

Technology / Business

created May 09, 2012 | popularity 3 / 5 (1) | comments 2

US probing cyber attacks on gas pipelines (Update)

A campaign of cyber attacks has been targeting US natural gas pipeline operators, officials acknowledged Tuesday, raising security concerns about vulnerabilities in key infrastructure.

Technology / Internet

created May 08, 2012 | popularity 5 / 5 (2) | comments 1

Liberia to get high-speed internet by October

Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf said late Monday the west African nation will get high-speed internet from October, as it connects to a fibre optic cable running along the west African coast.

Technology / Telecom

created May 08, 2012 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Groupon CEO: Moving fast is key to success

(AP) -- Groupon CEO Andrew Mason says the online deal company's business continues to improve, though he acknowledges in a letter to shareholders that the six months since its initial public offering have been "rocky to ...

Technology / Business

created May 07, 2012 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Microsoft's fiscal 3Q tops Wall Street predictions

(AP) -- Microsoft's fared better than analysts anticipated in its latest quarter, boosted by a surprising rise in sales of its Windows operating system.

Technology / Business

created Apr 19, 2012 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Microsoft counting down to the end of Windows XP

Microsoft is counting down the days until it is through with the Windows XP operating system for personal computers.

Technology / Software

created Apr 11, 2012 | popularity 2.9 / 5 (17) | comments 68

GOES satellite movie tracked tornadic Texas trouble

A powerful weather system moved through eastern Texas and dropped at least 15 tornadoes in the Dallas suburbs. NASA created an animation of data from NOAA's GOES-13 satellite that shows the frontal system moving through the ...

Space & Earth / Earth Sciences

created Apr 04, 2012 | popularity 1 / 5 (1) | comments 0

Photo app Instagram launches on Android phones

(AP) -- IPhone-less hipsters rejoice: The popular photo-taking and photo-sharing app Instagram is now on Android.

Technology / Software

created Apr 03, 2012 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0

Operating system

An operating system (commonly abbreviated to either OS or O/S) is an interface between hardware and user; an OS is responsible for the management and coordination of activities and the sharing of the resources of the computer. The operating system acts as a host for computing applications that are run on the machine. As a host, one of the purposes of an operating system is to handle the details of the operation of the hardware. This relieves application programs from having to manage these details and makes it easier to write applications. Almost all computers (including handheld computers, desktop computers, supercomputers, video game consoles) as well as some robots, domestic appliances (dishwashers, washing machines), and portable media players use an operating system of some type. Some of the oldest models may however use an embedded operating system, that may be contained on a compact disk or other data storage device.

Operating systems offer a number of services to application programs and users. Applications access these services through application programming interfaces (APIs) or system calls. By invoking these interfaces, the application can request a service from the operating system, pass parameters, and receive the results of the operation. Users may also interact with the operating system with some kind of software user interface (UI) like typing commands by using command line interface (CLI) or using a graphical user interface (GUI, commonly pronounced “gooey”). For hand-held and desktop computers, the user interface is generally considered part of the operating system. On large multi-user systems like Unix and Unix-like systems, the user interface is generally implemented as an application program that runs outside the operating system. (Whether the user interface should be included as part of the operating system is a point of contention.)

Common contemporary operating system families include BSD, Darwin (Mac OS X), GNU/Linux, SunOS (Solaris/OpenSolaris), and Windows NT (XP/Vista/7). While servers generally run Unix or some Unix-like operating system, embedded system markets are split amongst several operating systems.

For more information about Operating system, read the full article at Wikipedia.
This text uses material from Wikipedia and is available under the GNU Free Documentation License.

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