Free and healthy. These two words sum up the exploding interest in Google's Android operating system (with over 300 million Android-based devices in use as of February 2012, along with more than ...

Whether it's a desktop or laptop computer, a smartphone or a video game system, every modern computer needs an operating system. That's the core software on the computer that sits between application ...

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 ...

Investopedia contributors come from a range of backgrounds, and over 25 years there have been thousands of expert writers and editors who have contributed. Doretha Clemons, Ph.D., MBA, PMP, has been a ...

Back in the mid 1990s, the release of Microsoft’s Windows 95 operating system cemented the Redmond software company’s dominance over most of the desktop operating system space. Apple were still in ...

An operating system is the foundation of any computing system, controlling the input and output of data and ensuring that different programs and devices work together effectively. Examples of ...