Ch 1 · System vs Application Software · Theory
Topic 1 of 9 in System Software & the Toolchain — What Runs Your Programs — 2 lessons.
Two Families of Software
All software falls into two groups:
The OS Sits in the Middle
Applications don't talk to the hardware directly. They ask the operating system, which manages the hardware on their behalf. This layering means an app doesn't need to know the details of every printer or disk — the OS handles it.