Functions & Services of an OS

Services provided by any operating system are:

1. Abstraction of Hardware: Every hardware device requires a specific lower-level code to execute on it, as each device has its own design particularities.
   The operating system eliminates the need for the user or programmer to learn the specifics of each hardware component by introducing 'standardized' application and user interfaces. Examples:
   • RAM (or any memory storage, in general) comes in different sizes. When allocating memory for programs, the Operating System manages the available memory and 'hides' the details from the user (e.g., at which memory location a certain number is stored) to make the user's life easier.
   • A programmer who wrote low-level code (e.g., Assembly code) for one set of hardware may find that this code wouldn't run on other hardware. To remedy this, the OS supports common application programming interfaces (APIs), which include functions that the programmer can use in their code such that it runs on various devices.