Term: Kernel
Hi team, I have chosen “Kernel” as the relatively complex term from my field of computer science. The objective of this assignment is to explain a complex term through parenthetical, sentence, and expanded definitions for a non-technical audience. This allows the audience to understand the complex term with ease.
Parenthetical definition:
The resources manager (Kernel) makes sure that every program is given the appropriate resources to run effectively and block access to restricted resources.
Sentence definition:
The kernel is a computer program that controls and manages all the resources of a computer.
Expanded definition:
The kernel is a computer program that is a part of an operating system such as Windows, and MacOS. It is the layer between the user programs and computer resources as displayed in the diagram. It communicates with the hardware and manages the resources required by user programs (Christensson, 2017). Early computers in the 1950’s and 60’s only ran one program at a time without any operating system. To provide more efficiency, programmers began retaining small programs and this resulted in the kernel (Information Project, 2005). The kernel was designed to allocate resources effectively to the many running user programs and provide security by shielding the resources from malicious programs.
The kernel is the first part of the operating system to be loaded when the system starts up and is running during the entire session the computer is powered on. The kernel runs continuously as its services are required at all times (Information Project, 2005). As computers play a more important role in society, it has become more important for them to be very reliable. They provide many tools for programs and must provide these tools without any interruption. The kernel comes to our rescue where it ensures that programs do not cause any interruptions. A user program may sometimes try to access resources that are allocated to another program. This may lead to system failures such as the program terminating, or the entire system shutting down unexpectedly.
The kernel is a vital component as it is the core program in an operating system. This requires the kernel to start first before any other program from the operating system begins. This is due to the kernel having control over everything in an operating system. It runs in a protected space to prevent itself from being overwritten by other operating system programs and user applications.
The kernel plays an important role in a supervisor capacity. A user program running on a computer will want to gain access to a restricted memory space or needs to get input from the keyboard. The kernel ensures that it only accesses the memory space it has been assigned and relays the input from the keyboard without giving the user program direct access to it, protecting the resources of the computer from potential malicious programs.
Citations:
- Corbato, F. J., & Vyssotsky, V. A. (1992). Introduction and overview of the multics system. IEEE Annals of the History of Computing, 14(2), 12. doi:10.1109/MAHC.1992.10016
- Information Project, Linux (2005). “Kernel Definition.” The Linux Information Project (LINFO) Home Page. Retrieved 2019, Jan 16, from www.linfo.org/kernel.html.
- Christensson, P. (2017, January 13). Kernel Definition. Retrieved 2019, Jan 17, from https://techterms.com
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