A Series of Usual Events

Keyboard: Hey boss? He just hit a key. You ready for this?

Operating System: Yeah, I'm ready - send it.

Keyboard: 01100100

Operating System: Okey dokey. Hey! Memory! Take this and hang onto it, 'til I tell you to let go! You ready?

Memory: Sure, boss, I'm ready.

Operating System: 01100100 - got it?

Memory: Yeah, boss.

Operating System: Hey! Word Program! I've got a letter for ya in memory.

Word Program: 'K, thanks.

Operating System: Hey Monitor! You ready to put this on the screen?

Monitor: Sure, boss, I'm ready.

Operating System: 01100100 - got it?

Monitor: Yeah, boss. It's up there.

Mouse: Hey, Boss? He just clicked me.

Operating System: Okay - let's see, where were you when he clicked? Okay, got it. Word program! What part of you is at these coordinates?

Word Program: That's the print button, Boss.

Operating System: Okay, then. Printer! You ready to do some work?

Printer: Yeah, boss, I'm ready.

Operating System: Ok - 01100100 - got it?

Printer: Yeah, boss, I'm printing it.

Operating System: Good - everybody wait where you are 'til something happens.

Everybody: 'K, Boss.

This is an incredibly basic sequence of events. Remember that there are always things going on inside a computer. The monitor may be on, or it may be a screen saver. The keyboard could be typed on at any time. The hard drive might be saving something or the CD might be playing. The operating system has to control all of them.

You may have noticed that I used Microsoft Word in the example above. It's probably a pretty safe bet that Microsoft Word and Microsoft Excel are written by the same people, so they must talk a fairly similar language. But, what if you were using Wordperfect? Wordperfect was written by a different group of people, so it probably talks a completely different language.

It is the Operating System that translates this to the monitor and printer and memory - no matter what program you are using.