An operating system is a complex of control and processing programs. The operating system controls the technical component of the computer (smartphone, tablet) and provides interaction between the device and the user.
Open and closed OS
All modern digital devices run on a specific operating system. For example, for a computer it can be Windows or Linux, and for smartphones and tablets - Android and iOS.
Operating systems are open and closed. An open operating system is an open source system. This code is open for editing, and any user can change it (of course, within the framework of the license and the law). And a closed operating system does not allow you to "dig" into its source code.
Open source operating systems are usually free, develop very quickly, and can be fine-tuned for any device. And all because any user who understands at least a little in this can fix errors in the system, write drivers, etc. Errors in closed operating systems are corrected only by service packs that are released by the official developers of this OS.
Examples of open and closed operating systems
An example of an open source operating system for smartphones and tablets is Google Android. This OS allows the user to do whatever he wants - to rewrite some drivers, add support for new functions, etc. But the Windows Phone operating system is considered closed, and does not give users any right to intervene. All they have to do is periodically install service packs, buy programs, or use free ones.
There are also conditionally open operating systems - iOS and Symbian. In such operating systems, you cannot change anything either, but you can write programs for them using special software provided by the developers. The most popular smartphone operating systems are Google Android and iOS. For an ordinary user who is not involved in the creation of new programs, the difference between these OS will be only in the interface.
When it comes to computer operating systems, Windows is considered a closed operating system and Linux is an open operating system. Naturally, you can only change Linux for yourself. There is another operating system - Mac OS, which is very similar in architecture to Linux, but it is considered a closed OS.
As for the choice of OS for use, then each user decides for himself. For example, in closed operating systems, the probability of catching a virus is much higher, and in this case, you will have to wait for the developers to fix the hole in the system with the next service pack. In addition, Windows and Mac OS are paid operating systems, and Linux is freely available to everyone.
