An Operating System (OS) plays a crucial role in managing hardware, processes, and user interactions. To understand how an OS functions, it can be analyzed from different perspectives, known as views of an operating system. These views define how the OS interacts with the user, system resources, processes, and hardware.
1. User View (Interaction Perspective)
From the user’s perspective, an OS is a platform that provides a convenient interface to interact with the system. The OS ensures ease of use, accessibility, and security.
Characteristics of User View:
✅ Graphical User Interface (GUI) or Command Line Interface (CLI): Users can interact with the system using Windows, Linux (GUI), or CLI-based terminals like Bash or PowerShell.
✅ Multitasking: The OS allows users to run multiple applications at once (e.g., browsing the internet while listening to music).
✅ User Authentication & Security: Implements user login systems, password protection, and access controls to protect files and applications.
✅ File and Program Management: Users can create, edit, save, and delete files while running different software programs.
✔ Example: A Windows user interacts with icons, taskbars, and applications using the GUI, while a Linux user might prefer the terminal for command-based interaction.
2. System View (OS as a Resource Manager)
From the system’s perspective, the OS is a resource manager that optimally allocates hardware and software resources among different processes.
Characteristics of System View:
✅ CPU Scheduling: The OS ensures fair allocation of processor time using scheduling algorithms like Round Robin, Shortest Job Next (SJN), and Priority Scheduling.
✅ Memory Management: Uses techniques like paging, segmentation, and virtual memory to allocate memory efficiently.
✅ Device Management: Controls peripheral devices such as printers, USB drives, and monitors using device drivers.
✅ File System Management: Organizes files in a structured format like NTFS (Windows), ext4 (Linux), and FAT32.
✔ Example: The OS ensures that when a user opens multiple applications, they receive an appropriate share of CPU and memory without crashing the system.
3. Process View (OS as a Process Manager)
A process is a running instance of a program, and from the process perspective, the OS handles multiple processes efficiently.
Characteristics of Process View:
✅ Process Scheduling: The OS schedules multiple processes using preemptive (Round Robin) and non-preemptive (FCFS) scheduling algorithms.
✅ Multitasking: Supports foreground and background processes running simultaneously.
✅ Process Synchronization: Prevents conflicts using mechanisms like semaphores and mutexes.
✅ Deadlock Handling: The OS detects and resolves deadlocks where processes compete for resources indefinitely.
✔ Example: A system running Google Chrome, MS Word, and a music player at the same time needs the OS to manage process execution efficiently.
4. Resource Manager View (Efficient Allocation of Resources)
In this view, the OS is responsible for allocating and managing system resources like CPU, memory, storage, and I/O devices.
Characteristics of Resource Management:
✅ CPU Allocation: Assigns CPU time to processes for execution.
✅ Memory Management: Divides memory using paging, segmentation, and swapping.
✅ I/O Device Handling: Manages communication between processes and devices (printers, network adapters).
✅ File and Disk Management: Provides mechanisms for file access permissions, storage allocation, and directory organization.
✔ Example: When multiple users print documents at the same time, the OS manages spooling to queue the print jobs.
5. Control Program View (OS as a Supervisor & Controller)
From this perspective, the OS acts as a monitoring and control system that supervises processes and detects errors.
Characteristics of Control Program View:
✅ Interrupt Handling: Manages hardware and software interrupts (e.g., when a program crashes).
✅ Error Detection & Recovery: Detects and resolves system faults.
✅ Security Enforcement: Protects against malware, viruses, and unauthorized access.
✅ Logging and Debugging: Maintains logs of system activities and provides debugging tools for developers.
✔ Example: If an application stops responding, the OS detects the issue and allows the user to terminate it using Task Manager (Windows) or kill command (Linux).
6. Virtual Machine View (OS as an Abstraction Layer)
The OS can create virtual machines (VMs) to run multiple instances of different operating systems on the same hardware.
Characteristics of Virtual Machine View:
✅ Virtualization Support: Allows running multiple OS instances using hypervisors like VMware, VirtualBox, and Hyper-V.
✅ Isolation: Each VM operates independently with its own allocated resources.
✅ Cloud Computing & Containerization: Supports cloud-based services and Docker containers.
✅ Security & Resource Optimization: Ensures each virtual machine is secure and does not interfere with others.
✔ Example: A Windows user can install and run a Linux virtual machine within Windows using VirtualBox.
Comparison of OS Views
| View | Main Role | Key Feature | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| User View | Provides an interface for users | GUI & CLI | Windows GUI, Linux Terminal |
| System View | Manages system resources | CPU, Memory, I/O Management | Scheduling, Virtual Memory |
| Process View | Handles multiple processes | Multitasking & Synchronization | Process Scheduling |
| Resource Manager View | Allocates resources efficiently | Memory & File Management | Disk Space Allocation |
| Control Program View | Monitors system execution | Security & Error Handling | Task Manager, Firewalls |
| Virtual Machine View | Creates multiple OS instances | Virtualization & Cloud Computing | VMware, Docker |
Conclusion
🔹 The Operating System can be viewed from different perspectives, each focusing on a specific function.
🔹 The User View emphasizes usability, while the System View focuses on hardware resource management.
🔹 The Process View ensures efficient execution of programs, and the Control Program View monitors system performance.
🔹 The Virtual Machine View enables running multiple OS instances for cloud computing and software development.