Navigating IT: From the Navy to Tech Savvy

Introduction Operating systems (OS) are the backbone of modern computing, ensuring everything runs smoothly—from managing hardware to keeping applications running efficiently. Throughout this course, I created an OS Theory Concept Map to break down and connect the fundamental concepts of OS theory. This post walks through key takeaways, covering process management, memory handling, file systems, and security. These concepts shape how an OS ensures performance, stability, and protection. Features and Structure of Operating Systems An OS sits between users and hardware, handling tasks like process scheduling, memory allocation, and security enforcement. At the core is the kernel , which manages critical system operations, while the shell provides an interface for users to interact with the system. Major OS types, like Windows, Linux, and macOS, implement these features differently to optimize resource management and multitasking (Silberschatz, Galvin, & Gagne, 2014). Process Managem...