Comparison of user features of operating systems: Difference between revisions

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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|June}}, the dominant general-purpose desktop operating system is [[Microsoft Windows]] with a market share of around 72.91%. [[macOS]] by [[Apple Inc.]] is in second place (14.93%), and the varieties of [[Linux]] are collectively in third place (4.04%).<ref name="statcounter-desktop">{{cite web|url=https://gs.statcounter.com/os-market-share/desktop/worldwide/#monthly-202301-202301-bar|title=Desktop Operating System Market Share Worldwide|access-date=6 February 2023}}</ref> In the [[Mobile operating system|mobile]] sector, including both smartphones and [[Tablet computer|tablets]], [[Android (operating system)|Android]] is dominant with a market share of 71%, followed by Apple's [[iOS]] with 28%;<ref name="statcounter-mobile-and-tablet">{{Cite web|title=Mobile & Tablet Operating System Market Share Worldwide|url=https://gs.statcounter.com/os-market-share/mobile-tablet/worldwide/#monthly-202301-202301-bar|access-date=6 February 2023|website=StatCounter Global Stats}}</ref> for smartphones alone, Android has 72% and iOS has 28%.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Mobile Operating System Market Share Worldwide|url=https://gs.statcounter.com/os-market-share/mobile/worldwide/#monthly-202301-202301-bar|access-date=6 February 2023|website=StatCounter Global Stats}}</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}}</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}}</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 (i.e. [[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. USB stick).