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operating system: n. [techspeak] (Often abbreviated ‘OS’) The foundation
software of a machine; that which schedules tasks, allocates storage, and
presents a default interface to the user between applications. The
facilities an operating system provides and its general design philosophy
exert an extremely strong influence on programming style and on the
technical cultures that grow up around its host machines. Hacker folklore
has been shaped primarily by the Unix,
ITS, TOPS-10,
TOPS-20/TWENEX,
WAITS, CP/M,
MS-DOS, and Multics operating
systems (most importantly by ITS and Unix). See also
timesharing.
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