What is the operating system? Things to know about operating systems

Operating system is a term familiar to users when using computers or phones. But not everyone knows clearly what the concept of an operating system is? As well as popular operating systems today? Or what functions does the operating system have? Let's join TipsMake to learn in detail about operating system software and types of operating systems commonly used on computers and mobile phones through this article!

What is the operating system?

The English operating system called Operating System (OS) can be simply understood as a system software installed on a computer or mobile device. Has the role of managing and operating hardware and software devices installed on electronic devices. The operating system also acts as an intermediary for communication between the user and the hardware.

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Operating system example

Most electronic devices need an operating system to operate such as desktop computers, laptops, mobile phones, tablets, smart watches, and routers.

For desktop or laptop computers, operating systems such as:

Microsoft Windows (Windows 2000, Windows 2003, Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows 8.1 and Windows 10).
Apple's MacOS was formerly the OS X operating system.
Chrome OS.
Unix/Linux operating system (open source operating system) with many different versions.

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Smartphones today run on two popular operating systems: Apple's iOS and Google's Android. The tablet can run Google's Android or Apple's iPadOS.

In addition, there are smart watches that often run Google's Wear OS or Apple's WatchOS operating system. If users are using Smart TVs, they are usually installed with LG's WebOS operating system, Samsung's Tizen OS or Android TV.

Besides, there are also a number of popular operating systems used for storing website information on servers or distributing videos such as Windows Server, Linux, FreeBSD.

Software in the operating system

Currently, all software is mostly only designed to be compatible with one operating system such as Microsoft's Windows or Apple's macOS.

Each company that develops software will specify which operating systems they can support or use. For example, if you install the latest Photoshop software in 2022, it will only be usable on Windows 10, Windows 11 but will not be usable on older operating systems such as Windows 2003 or Windows XP.

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With the same Photoshop software, development companies can release many different software versions to suit the operating system on many device models. For example, in addition to Windows, it can also be used on macOS.

Please understand which operating system your device is using to install the appropriate version. If it is Windows, there will be two versions: 32 bit and 64 bit. This will help the software run and operate stably.

In addition, developers have also designed a number of software that can create virtual machines that look exactly like real machines, making it possible to run many different operating systems on one electronic device at the same time.

How is the operating system updated?

Every operating system today has a built-in software update mechanism according to the latest versions.

With Windows you can update through Windows Update.
In iOS you need to download, then install the latest versions.
As for other operating systems, the update mechanism is similar to the Android operating system. That means you just need to select the software and press the update button and you're done.

Updating to the latest features will help your device operate smoothly, and will also fix errors that the old operating system is experiencing, making user data more secure.

What functions does the operating system have?

The operating system acts as an intermediary to help connect the user with the computer device effectively. Therefore, the operating system includes the following main functions:

Support hardware management on computer devices, phones or resources used on the system.
Make sure your computer is operating optimally.
Improve the interface so that users can operate software and applications quickly and easily.

Currently on the market there are two main types of operating systems: operating systems for mobile devices and operating systems specifically for computers. Let's learn more in detail in the next section.

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Popular operating systems today

Below are the most used operating systems today on computers and mobile phones.

Operating system for computers

There are 3 types of operating systems used by development companies for computers:

Windows operating system

Windows is an operating system pre-installed on most computers , developed and distributed by Microsoft in 1980.

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Having gone through many upgraded versions until now, Microsoft has released the latest updated version of Windows 11 (2022) for PCs (desktops and laptops), tablets or embedded systems. This is also a popular operating system used by many users around the world.

Advantage	Defect
– Popular in the market today. – Easy to operate and use. – Stability is quite high. – Provides all features for entertainment or work needs.	– Not provided for free, users need to purchase a license to use.

macOS operating system

MacOS was formerly known as macOS X and later changed to OS X , developed and distributed exclusively by Apple. This is an operating system that can only be used on computer devices that Apple invented.

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Advantage	Defect
– The interface is very beautiful. – No cost to buy a license, pre-installed and automatically updated version on Apple computers.	– This is a high-end brand line, the price is quite high so few people use it. Therefore, there are some software and features that have not yet been updated for this operating system. – The operation is quite difficult for beginners.

Linux operating system

Linux is a free and open source operating system first released in 1991 by Linus Torvalds. With this operating system, you can freely edit or manipulate anything without affecting the usage process. Linux is a free operating system so anyone can use it for any purpose.

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Advantage	Defect
– Free to use, free to change and distribute for many different purposes.	– Because it is a free operating system, data security is not high. – There are not many updated versions so the interface is classic and the features are not compatible with many software. – Used by very few users.

Operating system for mobile devices

There are 2 popular operating systems used on mobile devices today:

Android

Android is an operating system developed by Android Inc., later acquired by Google in 2005, and is based on the Linux platform.

Android is designed specifically for smart mobile devices or tablets with touch screens. This is the operating system with the largest number of users in the world, accounting for 87.7% of the usage market share in 2017.

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Advantage	Defect
– This is an open operating system so most mobile devices today use the Android operating system such as Samsung, Sony, Xiaomi, Vivo or Oppo. – Huge integrated application store. High customizability. – If you forget your password, you can quickly reset the device.	– High security but still far inferior to iOS.

iOS operating system

Like MacOS, iOS can only be used on Apple mobile phones. Launched in 2007, iOS has created a major revolution that changed all thoughts about software technology and is highly appreciated by users for its features and stability when used.

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Advantage	Defect
– Security is quite high. – Always update with the latest technology trends. – The software has the ability to optimize efficiency. – Stable performance without the need for high configuration like Android.	– As a proprietary operating system, it can only be used on Apple mobile devices, cannot be used on other devices. – The integrated application store is much less than Android.

Compare operating systems for computers and phones

These two operating systems have quite big differences, specifically as follows:

Criteria	For computers	For mobile phones
Uses	Serving the needs of work, entertainment and communication with use lasting all day.	Just focus on entertainment and communication. However, currently some developers are making improvements to meet some business needs.

Which operating system is most commonly used today?

Currently, the operating system most commonly used by users is Windows. With the goal of developing features that favor entertainment needs (listening to music, watching movies, playing games,.) and office work.

Besides, the huge application store that Windows has developed is also compatible with many lines of computers or tablets on the market.

Windows helps users have more choices in technology. Because it is compatible with many PC lines, the price is also very diverse and meets many different consumer segments.

What are frequently asked questions about operating systems?

Which operating system is the most secure?

The security level of the iOS operating system even exceeds Android or macOS. Mobile device or tablet users are forced to download applications from the App Store that Apple has set up.

Apple is a famous brand with a very strict application censorship process and is carried out by its own employees. Therefore, it is difficult for malicious codes or viruses to penetrate the App Store.
In addition, if any malicious software attacks Apple's App Store, they cannot monitor or steal security information from the user's browser.

In case Apple's technical team detects an application containing malicious code, it will immediately remove this application from the App Store and delete it from the mobile devices that customers have installed.

Where is the operating system stored?

Most operating systems today are stored in external memory. This is secondary memory or external hard drive (HDD, SSD) and is usually mounted in a separate storage device such as a solid-state hard drive, CD or DVD.

Which software group does the operating system belong to?

This is specialized software used to manage all hardware or software of an electronic device. Simply put, the operating system is the intermediary that helps communicate between people and electronic devices effectively.

With specialized computer operating systems, a GUI feature will be installed that allows users to use the mouse to click on all data on the screen.

Operating systems specialized for phones or tablets will be designed to be more minimalist and not have full features like a GUI to suit the needs of daily entertainment, communication, etc.

Epilogue

Hopefully the above sharing will help you better understand what an operating system is? The role of operating systems on computers and mobile devices today. From there, you can refer to and choose for yourself an operating system that best suits your needs.

Jessica Tanner

Update 03 October 2023

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