Editing Operating system (section)

{{Short description|Software that manages computer hardware resources}}
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{{OS}}
An '''operating system''' ('''OS''') is [[system software]] that manages [[computer hardware]] and [[software]] resources, and provides common [[daemon (computing)|services]] for [[computer program]]s.

[[Time-sharing]] operating systems [[scheduler (computing)|schedule tasks]] for efficient use of the system and may also include accounting software for cost allocation of [[Scheduling (computing)|processor time]], [[mass storage]], peripherals, and other resources.

For hardware functions such as [[input and output]] and [[memory allocation]], the operating system acts as an intermediary between programs and the computer hardware,<ref>{{cite book | last = Stallings | title = Operating Systems, Internals and Design Principles | publisher = Prentice Hall | year = 2005 | location = Pearson |page=6}}</ref><ref>{{cite book | last = Dhotre| first = I.A.| title = Operating Systems. | publisher = Technical Publications | year = 2009 |page=1}}</ref> although the application code is usually executed directly by the hardware and frequently makes [[system call]]s to an OS function or is [[interrupt]]ed by it. Operating systems are found on many devices that contain a computer{{snd}}from cellular phones and video game consoles to [[web server]]s and [[supercomputer]]s.

{{as of|2024|09|}}, [[Android (operating system)|Android]] is the most popular operating system with a 46% market share, followed by [[Microsoft Windows]] at 26%, [[iOS]] and [[iPadOS]] at 18%, [[macOS]] at 5%, and [[Linux]] at 1%. Android, iOS, and iPadOS are mobile operating systems, while Windows, macOS, and Linux are desktop operating systems.<ref name="gs.statcounter.com">{{Cite web |title=Operating System Market Share Worldwide |url=https://gs.statcounter.com/os-market-share |access-date=2024-12-20 |website=StatCounter Global Stats |language=en}}</ref> [[Linux distribution]]s are dominant in the server and supercomputing sectors. Other specialized classes of operating systems (special-purpose operating systems),<ref name="auto">{{Cite web|url=https://www.oreilly.com/library/view/operating-system-concepts/9780471694663/pt07.html|title=VII. Special-Purpose Systems - Operating System Concepts, Seventh Edition [Book]|website=www.oreilly.com|access-date=8 February 2021|archive-date=13 June 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210613190049/https://www.oreilly.com/library/view/operating-system-concepts/9780471694663/pt07.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.acs.eonerc.rwth-aachen.de/cms/E-ON-ERC-ACS/Studium/Lehrveranstaltungen/~lrhs/Spezial-Betriebssysteme/?lidx=1|title=Special-Purpose Operating Systems - RWTH AACHEN UNIVERSITY Institute for Automation of Complex Power Systems - English|website=www.acs.eonerc.rwth-aachen.de|access-date=8 February 2021|archive-date=14 June 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210614034001/https://www.acs.eonerc.rwth-aachen.de/cms/E-ON-ERC-ACS/Studium/Lehrveranstaltungen/~lrhs/Spezial-Betriebssysteme/?lidx=1|url-status=live}}</ref> such as [[Embedded system|embedded]] and real-time systems, exist for many applications. [[Security-focused operating system]]s also exist. Some operating systems have low system requirements (e.g. [[light-weight Linux distribution]]). Others may have higher system requirements.

Some operating systems require installation or may come pre-installed with purchased computers ([[OEM]]-installation), whereas others may run directly from media (i.e. [[live CD]]) or flash memory (i.e. a LiveUSB from a [[USB flash drive|USB]] stick).