What is a program that manages the complete operation of your computer or mobile device and lets you interact with it?

Understand the role of an operating system

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- You've probably heard the term operating system before, but you might not be exactly sure what it means. - Essentially, your computer's operating system is the software that manages how you interact with the computer, how the programs on the computer use and access the computer's hardware, and is a big part of how your computer behaves and performs. You can think of the operating system as the master program that runs and manages all the other programs on your computer. It's the backbone of your computer and the most important program, because it controls everything that goes in and out of your computer, from allocating memory to programs, to copying files from one drive to another, to receiving commands from your keyboard and mouse, to telling you the time of day. You can't have a computer without an operating system. Usually the operating system comes pre-installed on your computer, but if you've had your computer for a few years, you may want or need to upgrade your operating system to the most current version that the operating systems manufacturer has released. Now, with that said, there are many different operating systems out there. On PCs, the most popular operating system is Windows. On Mac's the operating system is called macOS. These are probably the two most well known operating systems. You may have also heard of Linux, another popular computer operating system. And generally, any computer or device that runs programs, especially multiple programs has an operating system. Your mobile phone runs an operating system. For example, Android devices run Android OS, and the Apple mobile device operating system is iOS. Now, in addition to the essential purpose of managing your computer and the programs you use, most operating systems like Windows and macOS also come with built-in programs called applications. Applications are also called apps, programs or software. These can be simple word processing applications, applications for managing your photos, applications for sending and receiving emails, and so on. In some cases, you can get by with the applications included with your operating system. For example, both Windows and macOS come with built-in web browsing applications for browsing the web, but you're also free to install and use applications made by other companies. Some applications can be downloaded for free from the companies that make them. Others have to be purchased. It really depends on what application we're talking about. It's also very important to note that you usually have to make sure you're downloading or purchasing the version of software that's made for your operating system. For example, if you're using Windows, you need to run Windows applications. If you're on a Mac, you need Mac applications. In many cases, software developers release both versions of their software, but there are many applications that only work with one or the other. Whether you're downloading software or purchasing at a store, you should always be able to find a section called system requirements that will let you know what operating system you need to run the software, as well as the minimum amount of RAM, hard drive space, and any other requirements.