The history of operating systems (OS) traces the evolution of software that manages computer hardware and provides an environment for running applications. Early computers in the 1940s and 1950s were operated manually without any OS, requiring human operators to handle tasks like loading programs and managing resources. In the 1960s, with the advent of mainframes, the first batch processing systems emerged, automating job execution. The development of Unix in the 1970s was a milestone, introducing multitasking and multiuser capabilities, and it influenced many modern OS designs. The 1980s saw the rise of personal computers, with operating systems like MS-DOS, followed by graphical user interfaces (GUIs) such as Microsoft Windows and Apple’s macOS, making computers accessible to a wider audience. Today, operating systems have diversified into mobile (Android, iOS), server, and embedded systems, evolving with technological advances and user needs.
