It is believed by some scholars that the operating system is the master instructor. To what extent do you agree with the above statement? Use the...

I completely agree with the statement that the operating system (or OS) is the master instructor. An operating system has the following functions:

• Provides a user interface: An operating system provides a user interface for input and output of commands. Using this interface, the user feeds in the commands (using a keyboard and a mouse) and obtains an output.


• Process management: many applications need to use the limited system resources and the operating system prioritizes the use of these resources. Thus, the CPU (central processing unit) time is shared between various processes depending on their priority listing.


• Memory management: OS also manages the memory of the system and allocates and deallocates the memory to the processes as per the needs.


• Control of peripheral devices: An OS also controls the peripheral hardware devices such as printers, mouse, keyboard, etc. These devices are commonly used for input and output operations.


• Maintains the file system: An OS manages the filing system in a computer. It manages how files are created, deleted and accessed and it contains native file systems. 

Looking at all these functionalities, one can deduce that the OS is the master instructor. It manages all the hardware devices and enables input & output into the computer. It controls filing of data and allocates system resources as per the need. Thus, it not only controls the hardware, but also how the system functions and therefore is the master instructor.

Hope this helps.