An operating system, or OS, is system software that manages computer hardware and software resources and provides common services for computer programs. It acts as an intermediary between programs and computer hardware, handling functions such as input and output, memory allocation, and task scheduling, and is found on devices ranging from cellular phones and game consoles to web servers and supercomputers. As of November 2025 Android held the largest share of the operating system market at 38 percent, followed by Microsoft Windows at 33 percent and iOS and iPadOS at 15 percent, with Linux distributions dominant in the server and supercomputing sectors. This description is adapted from Wikipedia contributors under CC BY-SA 4.0; changes were made. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/
Connections
Associated With
Source Wikipedia: Cairo (operating system)
Sources
Wikipedia: Operating system
Wikimedia FoundationLead section, opening sentence
An operating system (OS) is system software that manages computer hardware and software resources, and provides common services for computer programs.
Lead section, November 2025 market share sentence
As of November 2025, Android is the most popular operating system, with a 38% market share, followed by Microsoft Windows at 33%, iOS and iPadOS at 15%, macOS at 4%, and Linux at 1%.
View the Source Wikipedia: Cairo (operating system)
Associated With: Cairo (operating system), Lead section, charter sentenceQuote, Associated With: Cairo (operating system), Lead section, charter sentence
Its charter was to build technologies for a next-generation operating system that would fulfill Bill Gates's vision of 'information at your fingertips.'
Reader Challenges (0)
No disputes yet. Spotted an error or a better source? Open the first one.
Sign in to dispute this or suggest a correction.