One of a computer system’s fundamental infrastructure software components is the operating system. It manages every fundamental function of the computer (or other electronic devices like a smartphone, PDA, etc.). Third-party applications, or simply apps, are programmes that the operating system enables the user to install and use. Apps often enhance the functionality of the device.
The most widely used computer operating systems are the several Linux variants, Apple’s MacOS, and Microsoft’s Windows.
The only operating systems still growing in popularity for mobile devices (smartphones and tablets) are Apple’s iOS and Google’s Android. Lower on the list are Windows Mobile from Microsoft and the BlackBerry OS from RIM. Although Symbian is in a distant fifth place, it was the most popular mobile operating system not so long ago.
For years, Symbian was the industry leader, but as touch-screen smartphones proliferated and Symbian was unable to provide a user-friendly touch user interface, the company’s market share has been steadily declining. Microsoft’s Windows Mobile was a significant contributor as well, providing the first touchscreen smartphone experience for PocketPCs running their operating system over 10 years ago.
With additional Blackberry security protections, more modern Blackberry phones run the Android operating system.
Microsoft said on October 8, 2017, that although they would continue to maintain the Windows Mobile platform, they will no longer be developing any new features.
Smartphones are modern mobile devices having an operating system, and users may choose from a large selection of apps, including productivity, social networking, gaming, and digital maps.
It is feasible to offer a uniform user interface (and experience) across devices from various hardware manufacturers thanks to standardised operating system platforms. Nonetheless, the makers of Android smartphones like tailoring the user interface, so each one provides a somewhat different take on the original Android UI.
Although the major players are evident today, many mobile operating system projects have emerged over the years, such as Palm’s webOS, Samsung’s Bada OS, Nokia’s Maemo OS, Nokia’s MeeGo OS, Tizen, BlackBerry’s Playbook OS, and, more recently, Jolla’s Sailfish OS and Mozilla’s Firefox OS
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