How Computers Work (Part 2): Operating Systems & Interfaces

This chapter covers a variety of topics related to how computers “work,” with a focus on operating systems and computer interfaces.

One goal for this chapter is to help you gain an understanding of how the operating system and other software applications interact with the underlying hardware, focusing on common core operating system tasks.

Finally, this chapter introduces the concept of a command-line interface and provides a foundation for navigating the machine using the shell.

Acknowledgements

The author consulted Chapter 10, “Operating Systems” from Nell Dale and John Lewis’ Computer Science Illuminated, Seventh Edition textbook (Jones & Barlett Learning, 2020; ISBN: 9781284155617) when writing this lab.

The sections of this chapter that involve working at the command line are based on and adapts content from the following tutorials:

• Ian Milligan and James Baker, “Introduction to the Bash Command Line,” The Programming Historian 3 (2014), https://doi.org/10.46430/phen0037.

• Miriam Posner, “Getting Started With Unix” tutorial

This chapter’s lecture segments were adapted from the following PBS Crash Course Computer Science episodes:

• “Operating Systems”

Chapter Table of Contents

• Operating Systems
• Introduction to the Command Line Interface
  • Getting Started at the Command Line
  • Tutorial: Opening Your Shell
  • Tutorial: Terminal Wayfinding
  • Tutorial: Working in Your Terminal
  • Command Line Application Questions
• Application Questions
• Collaborative Activities

Application

Link to application question template (ND users, Google Doc)