The main objects of the operating system and work with them

Modern computers can not be imagined without the presence of an operating system in them - the means of interaction between the user and the computer (programs and "iron" components). Today they can count dozens. Consider the question of what the main objects of the operating system are in the example of Windows.

Form of interaction between the user and the operating system

At the present stage of development of the computer industry, most OS developers use object-oriented programming methods and graphical interfaces that make it possible to simplify the user's work as much as possible or provide quick access to the necessary information or settings.

If you previously used the OS with batch data entry, when you had to set the system to execute a certain command by entering it manually, today, thanks to the presence of a graphical interface, this task has become much simpler. The user does not enter commands, but presses buttons to organize an event, activate the process, confirm the execution of programs, change settings, etc. But what operating system objects exist, what role they perform, what their properties are, what actions they do with them Can I produce? Let's consider the basic concepts.

The main objects of the operating system

At one time Microsoft Corporation in the development of the first version of Windows refused to use the organization of work used in DOS-systems. The very name of the Windows OS indicated that it consisted of windows in a graphical representation, which allowed using the so-called multitasking mode with fast switching between programs, parameters and settings. However, they are not even in the windows.

Today, you can find many different classifications, but in the broadest sense, the objects of the operating system can be represented in the following list:

• Graphical interface ("Desktop", windows, panels, menus, shortcuts and icons, switches, buttons, interactive shells);
• File system (the structure of the organization of files and directories);
• Applications and documents (executables, programs or their totality, files created in programs).

Interface

One of the main places is given to the interface. The first thing that the user sees after starting the OS is the "Desktop" and the "Taskbar", on which the buttons, shortcuts and other auxiliary elements are located. The properties of objects of the operating system of this type are such that with their help you can access almost all functions and capabilities of the OS.

Particular attention in this plan is given to the button "Start" and the menu of the same name that is called when it is pressed. Here are the most links to the programs and basic settings. Note that physically the applications are in a different location, and the menu contains only shortcuts, represented as application titles or settings with icons.

Icons or icons as objects of the operating system are small graphical images. The difference between shortcuts and icons is that the labels, in addition to the program name or file name, also describe some properties of applications, settings or documents, and also indicate the location of the file to be opened. To describe the files, you also use an indication of the program with which you can open it.

The menu is a means of selecting user actions. Conditionally they can be divided into basic and contextual ones (those that are caused by the right click). However, the organization of the main menu is included in the objects called windows. And the menu can also be attributed to the controls, because it is in them that the user is offered a choice of a certain action.

Windows: varieties and available operations with them

Windows are the main objects of the operating system (Windows or any other computer OS). They have a basic space where information is displayed, or, as it is also called, a work area. Also there are special panels with main menus containing sets of commands or actions, buttons for quick access to certain functions, scroll bars, and so on.

Actions with objects of the operating system of this type consist in the fact that their sizes can be reduced or enlarged, minimized and expanded, the program can be quickly switched between programs, the scaling of the working area, etc. In addition, the windows themselves are basic and interactive, which provides More close interaction between the program and the user.

Controls

And here it is worthwhile to dwell on the controls. The main element, if you do not take into account tablet PCs or smartphones, as well as touch screens, is the cursor, through which you can navigate the entire interface, cause some action, make resizing, etc.

The cursor is "tied" to the mouse in a stationary PC or to a touchpad in laptops. In general, the cursor is not only a pointing element. For example, when you stretch windows, it changes its icon. Thus, even by changing the state of the cursor, you can always determine which action is or is being expected to take place at the moment. Again, if an hourglass or rotating circle appears on the screen , this indicates that at the moment a process is executing and until access is not complete.

Another control element is the on-screen keyboard, which was mainly distributed on tablets and smartphones, when the connection of the "iron" keyboard is not provided.

Files and folders

Finally, the largest class is directories (directories, folders) and files, which together form a single structure, called a file system.

Files and folders do not differ from one another in terms of the computer system, since even directories are themselves files without an extension and also occupy a certain place on the disk (and for a blank folder a zero size can be specified in the file manager, but in fact it is not So). Just for the convenience of grouping similar by some features of the files and using the method of combining them into one directory.

In physical terms, although some files seem to be present in some directory, they can be located in completely different places on the hard drive. The properties of operating system objects of this type are determined primarily by the size (occupied by the hard disk space), by the location in the file structure, by the type, etc.

And for sure everyone knows exactly what actions can be performed with both types. Working with operating system objects, represented as separate files or entire directories, is reduced not only to the simplest operations like copying, deleting, renaming or moving. For files, for example, you can view, edit, open in a specific program (often with the option of self-selection of the application) and many other actions.

Instead of the total

But in general, this is just a brief overview of the main objects of any OS. Note that we did not consider the organization of the same system registry here just for the simple reason that today we can meet the OS in which it is not present as such (Linux), and the key structure is very similar to the organization of files and folders. Actually, the keys themselves are files. By the way, applications and programs are also files or a set of files to be executed by means of the operating system.