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Showing posts with the label CPU Scheduling

How an Operating System Schedules Tasks: A Simple and Modern Explanation

When you use a computer or smartphone, it feels like everything is happening at the same time. You can listen to music, browse the web, download files, and receive notifications — all without thinking about how the system manages it. Behind this smooth experience is an important operating system responsibility known as task scheduling . Task scheduling determines which process gets to use the CPU, when, and for how long . Without it, modern multitasking would not be possible. Why Task Scheduling Is Necessary The CPU is one of the most valuable resources in a computer system. At any moment, many processes want to use it, but only one process can execute on a single CPU core at a time. Task scheduling exists because: Multiple processes compete for CPU time Some tasks are more urgent than others Fairness is required, so no task is ignored System responsiveness must be maintained The operating system acts as a traffic controller, deciding how CPU time is shared among ru...