The computer's master control program. When a computer is turned on, a small "boot program" loads the operating system. Although additional system modules may be loaded as needed, the main part, known ...

Zach was an Author at Android Police from January 2022 to June 2025. He specialized in Chromebooks, Android smartphones, Android apps, smart home devices, and Android services. Zach loves unique and ...

An operating system is a master control program that runs the computer system. In all environments, except for specialized scientific and process control applications, the operating system (OS) ...

Follow ZDNET: Add us as a preferred source on Google. Imagine you're using Windows 11 and you've learned that an upgrade is available. You struggle to approve the upgrade, but you know you will ...

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 ...

One problem with building things using state-of-the-art techniques is that sometimes those that look like they will be “the next big thing” turn out to be dead ends. Next thing you know, that hot new ...

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 ...

After decades on Linux, FreeBSD finally gave me a reason to switch operating systems ...

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 ...