operating system

Definition: The software program that underlies the functioning of the computer, allowing applications software to use the computer. * The operating system controls internal workings such as the way data is received in and sent out of the computer, how the data is handled within the computer, checks and coordinates the functioning of the computer's components and so on. * A computer's OS can be held on a disc or hard-disk, as with DOS, or in ROM, as with the MAC OS, where it is significantly faster in use but limited in upgradeability. It is all the same difference Actually most users don't give a tinker's to what operating system they are using: so long as it works and they can work it, that's all that matters. Under the hood, however, the OS makes all the difference to a productive day or a wasted day. Unfortunately as they get more clever, they eat up more and more space and resources. After a while you yearn for a simple, no-nonsense interface -- perhaps one reason behind the great popularity of palm devices such as those from Palm and Psion.

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