Everything from video games to web browsing, basic word processing ... Without an operating system, your computer cannot function. The first mainstream commercial operating system was ...

Also called an "executive" or "supervisor," an operating system performs the following functions. Job management controls the time and sequence that applications or utilities are run. For example ...

To some, an operating system is a burden or waste of resources, like those working on embedded systems and other low-power applications. To others it’s necessary, abstracting away hardware ...