Editing History of operating systems (section)

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{{short description|Aspect of computing history}}
{{History of computing}}

Computer [[operating system]]s (OSes) provide a set of functions needed and used by most application programs on a computer, and the links needed to control and synchronize computer hardware. On the first computers, with no operating system, every program needed the full hardware specification to run correctly and perform standard tasks, and its own drivers for [[peripheral]] devices like printers and [[Punched card|punched paper card readers]]. The growing complexity of hardware and application programs eventually made operating systems a necessity for everyday use.