2 English for Information Technology A2-B1 Vocational English Teacher’s Book

 

Operating systems 

An operating system (OS) is the software that 

controls a computer. Its functions are wide-ranging 

and include managing the GUI, memory, storage 

and other hardware. Examples are Microsoft 

Windows, OS X (which runs on Apple computers) 

and Linux. Other devices such as smartphones and 

tablets also have operating systems; Android and 

Apple iOS are examples. Other concepts mentioned 

in this section include:  

• BIOS (Basic Input Output System): basic 

 

software built into PCs that initialises the 

 

computer and controls it before the OS starts. 

 

Thus, it is the first program that runs when the 

 

computer is switched on. You may be familiar 

 

with it from the screen that first appears while 

 

waiting for a computer to start.