Limpio

An operating system is the software that controls the overall operation of a computer.

It provides the means by which a user can store and retrieve files, provides

the interface by which a user can request the execution of programs, and provides

the environment necessary to execute the programs requested.

Perhaps the best known example of an operating system is Windows, which

is provided in numerous versions by Microsoft and widely used in the PC

arena. Another well-established example is UNIX, which is a popular choice for

larger computer systems as well as PCs. In fact, UNIX is the core of two other

popular operating systems: Mac OS, which is the operating system provided

by Apple for its range of Mac machines, and Solaris, which was developed by

Sun Microsystems (now owned by Oracle). Still another example of an operating

system found on both large and small machines is Linux, which was originally

developed non commercially by computer enthusiasts and is now

available through many commercial sources, including IBM.

For casual computer users, the differences between operating systems are

largely cosmetic. For computing professionals, different operating systems can

represent major changes in the tools they work with or the philosophy they

follow in disseminating and maintaining their work. Nevertheless, at their core

all mainstream operating systems address the same kinds of problems that

computing experts have faced for more than half a century.

...