Blogs > Web Hosting
What Is a Computer Operating System?
Computers use low-level software called an operating system (O/S) to help people build and run their own programs. Operating system software runs not just on laptop computers but also on cell phones, network routers and other so-called embedded devices.
Types of Operating Systems
The best-known operating systems are those used on personal computers:
- Linux
- Microsoft Windows
- Mac OS X
Some operating systems are designed for certain types of equipment, such as
- Google Android (a variant of Linux), and Symbian - for cell phones
- Solaris, HP-UX, DG-UX, and other variants of Unix - for server computers
- DEC VMS (Virtual Memory System) - for mainframe computers
Other operating systems enjoyed a period of notoriety but are of only historical interest now:
- Novell Netware was a popular O/S for PCs in the 1990s
- IBM OS/2 was an early PC O/S that competed with Microsoft Windows for a time but had limited success
- Multics was an especially innovative operating system created in the 1960s for mainframes, that influenced the later development of Unix
