What exactly is an Operating System?

There seems to be some confusion among new computer users about the difference between an operating system and a software application. Maybe I can help clear up some misconceptions about Windows at the same time.

Windows (95, 98, ME, XP and now Vista) is an operating system, and a very good one at that! So is Windows 3.1. DOS is another (much older) operating system. In fact, DOS stands for disk operating system. An operating system is what makes your computer tick. It controls what your computer does when it starts up, helps you manage your files, and generally controls what you see (and how you see it) on your screen. In other words, it manages everything on your computer.

Software applications are the actual groups of programs you use on your computer. It could be your word processor, a game, a spreadsheet, or an artistic application like CorelDraw. Windows comes with lots of special programs (that are part of the Windows operating system) to help make your job easier, such as Word Pad (a nice basic word processor), and Media Player, a program to watch videos and listen to Cds. Although these do come with your Windows operating system, Windows doesn't need these software applications to run. These software applications, however, do need Windows in order to be used.

To put it simply, you can have an operating system without software, but your software won't do diddly without an operating system!

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