Operating systems

Read the following words and word combinations and use them for understanding and translation of the text:

application software - прикладное программное обеспе-чение

system software - системное программное обеспечение

core - ядро, цеитр, сущность

to accomplish - выполнять, достигать

handheld - портативный, переносной

booting - загрузка

dual-boot system - система с двойной загрузкой

kernel - ядро

shell - оболочка

in between - между, посередине

to swap - обменивать

to amount to - составлять, равняться

time-sharing - разделение времени

offshoot - ответвление

to recapitulate - резюмировать

to debug - отлаживать

command-line - командная строка

to tuck away - спрятать

sophistication - сложность, изощренность

Modern software can be divided into two categories, application software and systemsoftware, reflecting this separation of goals. Application software is written to address our specific needs - to solve problems in the real world. Word processing program, games, inventory control systems, automobile diagnostic programs are all application software. System software manages a computer system at a fundamental level. It provides the tools and an environment in which application software can be created and run. System software often interacts directly with the hardware and provides more functionality than the hardware itself does.

The operating system of a computer is the core of its system software. An operating system manages computer resources, such as memory, input/output devices, and provides an interface through which a human can interact with the computer. An amazing aspect of operating systems is how varied they are in accomplishing these tasks. Mainframe operating systems are designed primarily to optimize utilization of hardware. Personal computer (PC) operating systems support complex games, business applications, and everything in between. Operating systems for handheld computers are designed to provide an environment in which a user can easily interface with the computer to execute programs. Thus, some operating systems are designed to be convenient, others to be efficient, and others are some combination of the two.

A computer generally has one operating system that becomes active and takes control when the system is turned on. Computer hardware is wired to initially load a small set of system instructions stored in permanent memory (ROM). These instructions load a larger portion of system software from secondary memory, usually a magnetic disk. Eventually all key elements of the operating system software are loaded, start-up programs are executed, the user interface is provided, and the system is ready for use. This activity is often called booting the computer. The term boot comes from the idea of “pulling yourself up by your own bootstraps, ” which is essentially what a computer does when it is turned on.

A computer could have two or more operating systems from which the user chooses when the computer is turned on. The configuration is often called a dual-boot or multi-boot system. Note that only one operating system is in control of the computer at a given time.