The computer's master control program. When a computer is turned on, a small "boot program" loads the operating system. Although additional system modules may be loaded as needed, the main part, known ...

Everything you do on your computer is the direct result of hardware and software working together. The hardware provides the raw power and functionality that enables the computer to work, and the ...

Stephen is an author at Android Police who covers how-to guides, features, and in-depth explainers on various topics. He joined the team in late 2021, bringing his strong technical background in ...

Before the World Wide Web became ubiquitous as the de facto way to access electronic information, there were many other ways of retrieving information online. One of the most successful of these was ...

An operating system function that cannot be used by an application program or a regular user. For example, the creation of a new user account in a computer is restricted to administrators only. See ...

To some, an operating system is a burden or waste of resources, like those working on embedded systems and other low-power applications. To others it’s necessary, abstracting away hardware so that ...