1.6 Operating System (OS)

• The meaning of an operating system, and examples
• Functions of an operating system
• The booting process
• Types of user interface
• Classification of operating systems by tasks, users, interface and processing mode
• Factors to consider when choosing an operating system
• Installing an operating system, including in a virtual machine
• Using an operating system to manage files and folders

• describe the functions of an operating system
• classify operating systems according to different attributes
• install an operating system in a computer
• use an operating system to perform a task
• acknowledge the importance of operating systems in computing

“How does an operating system communicate with computer hardware?”

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1. What an operating system is, and what it does
   40 min · 1 practice tasks · quiz
   The layer between hardware and everything else: its functions, how it reaches the hardware, and how a computer starts itself.
2. Classifying operating systems, and choosing one
   40 min · 1 practice tasks · quiz
   Interfaces, and classification by users, tasks, processing mode and licence; then the factors that should decide which operating system to use.
3. Installing an operating system, and managing files
   40 min · 2 practice tasks · quiz
   The full installation procedure, why a virtual machine is the safe way to practise, and how to manage files and folders properly.
4. Drivers, interrupts and the kernel
   40 min · 1 practice tasks · quiz
   How the operating system reaches hardware: the kernel, one driver per device, and interrupts that let a keyboard speak without being polled.
5. Process management in practice
   40 min · 1 practice tasks · quiz
   A process is a program that is running: states, time slices, Task Manager, priorities and deadlock, using the machines in the lab.
6. Memory management and virtual memory
   40 min · 1 practice tasks · quiz
   How the OS allocates RAM, protects one process from another, and uses disk as extra memory - which is why too little RAM makes a machine crawl.
7. File systems, paths and permissions
   40 min · 1 practice tasks · quiz
   What a file system is, why FAT32, NTFS, exFAT and ext4 are not the same, and how permissions stop one learner deleting another's work.
8. Buffering, spooling and device management
   40 min · 1 practice tasks · quiz
   How the OS keeps slow printers and keyboards from stalling programs: drivers, buffers, the print queue and fair sharing of devices.
9. Using CLI and GUI together
   40 min · 1 practice tasks · quiz
   A graphical desktop and a command line on the same Kenyan school machine: when to click, when to type, and a handful of commands that earn their keep.
10. Installing an OS in a virtual machine
    40 min · 1 practice tasks · quiz
    A step-by-step VirtualBox lab: host and guest, RAM you can spare, boot from an ISO, snapshot, and the mistakes that restart the installer or freeze the host.
11. User accounts, passwords and permissions
    40 min · 1 practice tasks · quiz
    Administrator, standard and guest accounts, why a lab must not share the admin password, and how the OS logs who did what.
12. Choosing and living with an operating system
    40 min · 1 practice tasks · quiz
    Apply the selection factors to Kenyan school, shop and clinic situations, observe OS in the field, and keep a system updated and backed up after install day.