A computer system is a system composed of two major components:
We are particularly interested in the the software component, which can be further divided into two broad categories: the operating system (OS) and applications program. In particular for this course, we learn how OS work, the algorithms used, and how to use the OS.
An operating system is software that acts as an abstraction layer — an interface between the hardware of a computer and the user.
Figure 1.1 Acting as an abstraction layer.
Prior to bootstrapping a computer is said to start with a blank main memory.
Figure 1.2 Bootstrap process
The bootstrap allows the sequence of programs to load in order to initiate the OS. When loading is done, the program counter is set to the first instruction of the operating system in RAM. The resources managed by an OS include:
The OS manages these resources so that they are used efficiently.