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Study guide · 1.5

Explain fundamental operating system concepts

Operating systems differ between phones and computers, and between makers. This guide compares the main mobile and computer operating systems so you can recognize them, know what they share and see where they differ.

A study feature written by ExamDragon, not part of the real exam. Each heading is one of Certiport's skills for this objective.

1.5.1Compare and contrast features of mobile device operating systems

  • The two main mobile operating systems are Android (by Google, used by many phone makers such as Samsung) and iOS (by Apple, only on iPhone; iPad uses the closely related iPadOS).
  • Both use a touch interface with a home screen, app icons, notifications, a control or quick settings panel and gestures such as swipe and pinch.
  • Apps come mainly from an official store: Google Play for Android, the App Store for iOS.
  • Android is open source at its core and runs on many brands and price levels; iOS is proprietary and runs only on Apple hardware.
  • Both receive system updates; how long a phone gets updates depends on the maker and model.
  • Both offer app permissions, a screen lock, biometric sign-in and find-my-device features.

Example: Two friends both use maps, messaging and banking apps; one gets them from Google Play on an Android phone, the other from the App Store on an iPhone.

1.5.2Compare and contrast features of computer operating systems

  • The main computer operating systems are Windows (Microsoft), macOS (Apple, only on Mac computers), Linux (open source, in many distributions such as Ubuntu) and ChromeOS (Google, on Chromebooks).
  • All provide a desktop, windows, a file manager, settings and user accounts.
  • Windows has the Start menu, taskbar and File Explorer; macOS has the Dock, Finder, the menu bar at the top and Spotlight search.
  • ChromeOS is built around the Chrome browser and cloud apps, and can also run Android apps on many models.
  • Linux is free and highly customizable, and is widely used on servers.
  • Software is often made for a specific OS: an app built for Windows will not usually run on macOS without a separate version.

Example: In an office, staff use Windows laptops, the design team uses Macs, the company website runs on Linux servers and students in a training room use Chromebooks.

Key terms

Android
Google's mobile operating system used by many phone makers.
iOS
Apple's operating system for iPhone.
Windows
Microsoft's operating system for personal computers.
macOS
Apple's operating system for Mac computers.
Linux
An open source operating system family, common on servers.
ChromeOS
Google's browser-centred operating system for Chromebooks.

Easy to confuse

  • Thinking iOS can be installed on other brands of phone; it runs only on Apple devices.
  • Confusing Chrome (a browser) with ChromeOS (an operating system).
  • Assuming every app works on every OS; many need a version made for that system.
  • Thinking Linux is one single product; it comes in many distributions.

After this guide: You should be able to name the main mobile and computer operating systems, state who makes them, and describe features they share and features that differ.