eli5 What’s the difference between os and an kernel
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Windows is an operating system; the computer won’t function without it (or a different OS, like Linux).
The kernel is the ‘core’ of the operating system. In a sense, the kernel *is* the operating system — it’s responsible for virtually everything you see on the screen, and even some behind-the-scenes functions that only the OS/kernel should ever be permitted to do (accessing certain protected areas of memory, for example).
For that reason, the kernel is *extremely* well-protected against tampering –software is very rarely allowed direct access to the kernel, because of how important it is for system stability, and if the operating system enters an unrecoverable state, a security measure known as a ‘kernel panic’ (also called a ‘stop code’ or ‘The Blue Screen of Death’) kicks in and the system halts and restarts.
That’s part of the reason that software such as EZ Anti-Cheat is so controversial in gaming circles — it’s *designed* to run at the kernel level, so that it can monitor the kernel for signs of tampering that may indicate the presence of a cheat program.
Many find that problematic because it means that EZ Anti-Cheat *itself* has to have access to certain parts of the kernel, which introduces the risk that someone might tamper with EZ Anti-Cheat directly to bypass the kernel’s security protocols.
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