eli5 What’s the difference between os and an kernel
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OS doesn’t have a good definition, its a collection of all sorts of things, always has a kernel, some other tools, a window manager usually (the thing that makes your screen work). A kernel is a lot better defined.
A kernel is THE program that the operating system runs, everything else is run on top of the kernel. How? Usually all the stuff you run on your computer is run as a program, and the kernel provides what this program needs to run.
An operating system’s main job is to run programs and the kernel is the code that actually runs to allow this to happen. Kernels create little sandboxes (this is the technical term btw) for programs to play in and give them all the tools they need to do whatever. The kernel hands over control of the CPU to all the processes so they can run the code they run then yanks it away so that something else can run, it provides RAM as needed so that the program has scratch paper to run, whenever the program has to access a file it asks the kernel to fetch it for it, anytime you press your keyboard or click your mouse the kernel tells the program that the keyboard/mouse was clicked. If a program has nothing to do at this current moment it just gives back the CPU to the kernel so that it can do whatever/hand it over to what needs it next.
Most of the stuff we consider part of the operating system is run on top of the kernel as a normal program. But the kernel is the bedrock of everything.
Car analogy time: if the OS is the car, then the kernel is the engine!
The kernel does a very specific thing of managing resources that lets programs run, but it can’t do much useful without the rest of the operating system.
An operating system is like the boss of a computer. It tells the computer what to do and how to do it. It makes sure all the different parts of the computer can work together so that everything runs smoothly.
A kernel is like the brain of the computer. It’s a really important part of the operating system that helps the computer communicate with all the different parts of the computer. It’s like a translator that makes sure everyone is speaking the same language and can understand each other.
Kernel talked to the hardware directly. Stuff like running stuff on the cpu, accessing the ram and memory directly. The OS will run applications like your browser and if it needs access to the hardware like when you want access to a file it will ask the kernel to do work to get the resource it needs.
Kernel talked to the hardware directly. Stuff like running stuff on the cpu, accessing the ram and memory directly. The OS will run applications like your browser and if it needs access to the hardware like when you want access to a file it will ask the kernel to do work to get the resource it needs.
Car analogy time: if the OS is the car, then the kernel is the engine!
The kernel does a very specific thing of managing resources that lets programs run, but it can’t do much useful without the rest of the operating system.
OS doesn’t have a good definition, its a collection of all sorts of things, always has a kernel, some other tools, a window manager usually (the thing that makes your screen work). A kernel is a lot better defined.
A kernel is THE program that the operating system runs, everything else is run on top of the kernel. How? Usually all the stuff you run on your computer is run as a program, and the kernel provides what this program needs to run.
An operating system’s main job is to run programs and the kernel is the code that actually runs to allow this to happen. Kernels create little sandboxes (this is the technical term btw) for programs to play in and give them all the tools they need to do whatever. The kernel hands over control of the CPU to all the processes so they can run the code they run then yanks it away so that something else can run, it provides RAM as needed so that the program has scratch paper to run, whenever the program has to access a file it asks the kernel to fetch it for it, anytime you press your keyboard or click your mouse the kernel tells the program that the keyboard/mouse was clicked. If a program has nothing to do at this current moment it just gives back the CPU to the kernel so that it can do whatever/hand it over to what needs it next.
Most of the stuff we consider part of the operating system is run on top of the kernel as a normal program. But the kernel is the bedrock of everything.
Kernel talked to the hardware directly. Stuff like running stuff on the cpu, accessing the ram and memory directly. The OS will run applications like your browser and if it needs access to the hardware like when you want access to a file it will ask the kernel to do work to get the resource it needs.
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.
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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