The operating system defines our computing experience. It's the
first software we see when we turn on the computer, and the last
software we see when the computer is turned off. It's the software
that enables all the programs we use. The operating system organizes
and controls the hardware on our desks and in our hands, yet most
users can't say with any certainty precisely what it is that the
operating system does.
In this edition of How Stuff
Works, we'll tell you what a piece of software must do to be
called an operating system, and show you how the operating system
works to turn a collection of hardware into a powerful computing
tool!