A system software component that is external to the operating system kernel. If the phrase is used to refer to the operating system itself, it is redundant because an operating system "is" software.

I'm not gonna lie: I don't give FreeBDS (or any of the BSDs) the attention they deserve. The reason for that is simple: I'm a Linux guy. But isn't FreeBSD Linux? It looks like Linux, it smells like ...

What are open-source operating systems? Underpinning an operating system, for example Windows on your PC or Android on your phone, is many, many lines of code. Allowing anyone to inspect the source ...

Developers talk a lot about “immutability.” Outside the technical world, it usually means something negative: unmoving, inflexible, and entrenched. However, in the technical field, these features ...

If you want to run a different operating system on your computer than what came preinstalled, check out the best virtualization software we've tested. I've been writing about software and hardware for ...

With cybersecurity threats on the rise and data breaches occurring almost every week, it’s natural to ask: What is the most secure operating system (OS)? Unfortunately, the answer isn’t ...

Facebook Inc. is building its own operating-system software to decrease its future dependence on rivals like Apple Inc. and Google, owners of the world’s most popular mobile operating systems. The ...

With all the hoopla about Software-as-a-Service apps and mobile computing, it’s easy to forget that infrastructure software—everything from operating systems to middleware to databases—remains the ...

Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed. There are two problems that Apple’s annual cadence causes. The first, as is the case this year, is that iOS and ...

Modern PCs, tablets and smartphones have an easy-to-use, graphical veneer that hides the complexity of the operating system software beneath that enables them work. While the developers of your device ...

Teaching little kids to use computers is a great idea, but the thought of exposing innocent minds to the drek that flies across the Internet is enough to make a sane parent think about relocating to ...