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 ...

On August 25, 1991, a Finnish computer science student named Linus Torvalds announced a new project. "I'm doing a (free) operating system," he wrote on an Internet messaging system, insisting this ...

Windows 10 was launched in July 2015. It was supposed to be the last major operating system (OS) upgrade, but Microsoft released Windows 11 in October 2021, and now Windows 10 has reached end of life, ...

Windows is probably the most consequential software ever created. It for nearly four decades, it has run the computers that we use to learn, create, defend our country, heal the sick, and look at ...

Deciding what operating system (OS) will keep your computer running smoothly—and with the highest level of security—is a controversial yet frequent question many business owners, government officials, ...

A NeXTcube computer running the NeXTSTEP operating system. Simon Claessen / Flickr Today marks the 35th anniversary of the launch of NeXTSTEP, a computer operating system launched by Steve Jobs during ...

Modern operating systems are all far more secure than their historic counterparts, but which operating system is the safest? That somewhat depends on how you use it — no operating system is “safe” if ...

Teaching little kids to use computers is a great idea, but the thought of exposing innocent minds to the drek that flies across the Internet is enough to make a sane parent think about relocating to ...

Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. Jayshree Pandya is Founder of Risk Group & Host of Risk Roundup. Humanity is at the tipping point, as the technology triggered ...

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 ...

Whether you're team PC, Mac, or even ChromeOS, it's not always easy to figure out exactly which version of your operating system is running at any given time. Operating systems are updated both in ...