Tech in Diagrams

What is an Operating System?

An operating system sits between applications and hardware, sharing the machine safely between programs.

Beginner 4 min IT Fundamentals
ApplicationsBrowser, editor, serviceSystem callsOpen, read, write, networkKernelScheduler, memory managerDriversDevice-specific codeHardwareCPU, memory, disk, NIC
Applications never talk to hardware directly — the kernel arbitrates.

Hover a node to trace its connections · click or press Enter for a short explanation

Why it matters

  • Isolation between processes is what stops one misbehaving program from taking the whole machine down.
Next conceptWhat is a Server?A server is a computer whose job is to answer requests from other computers, continuously.