This document provides an overview of operating systems. It discusses the history of operating systems, including important operating systems from 2000 to 2014 like Windows Vista, Windows Server 2008, and Mac OS X 10.5. It also compares the salient features of common operating systems like Windows, Mac, and Linux in terms of viruses, lines of code, advantages, and disadvantages. The document serves to help understand what an operating system is, its operational interaction with computer hardware and applications, and types of operating systems like real-time and multi-user systems.