Why Python Cannot Be Used For Making An Os

Last Updated : 15 Mar, 2024

An operating system is a piece of software that manages all the resources of a system, these include both the hardware and software resources and provide an environment in which users can execute their programs efficiently and conveniently as the operating system helps by hiding the underlying complexities of the hardware and works as a resource manager. In this article, we will explore why Python Cannot be used for making an OS.

Key Functions of the Operating Systems

Isolation and Memory Protection: It isolates the memory of different apps to protect the privacy and security of different apps.
Prevents bulkiness of the apps: If operating systems are absent then every app will write its, own code for memory management which will make the app very bulky.
Memory Management: If there is no concept of various operating systems then one program would occupy the entire memory and resources.
User Interface: The operating system provides a user interface through which users can interact with the hardware and perform operations.
Process Management: The operating system manages the scheduling of the process. It also includes tasks like creation, waiting state, and termination of processes.

Programming languages that are used to create Operating Systems

There are several programming languages that can be used to develop an operating system, some of them are mentioned below:

C : C is the programming language which is most commonly used for operating system development. C language is popular due to its properties like portability, efficiency, close access to hardware. C or its variant are used in operating system kernels like Unix, Windows NT, Linux.
C++: C++language is an extension of C language and is also widely used for operating system development. It is popular because of its object-oriented feature and is used to design some operating system components, particularly those with complex data structures. C++ is used in MacOs,Linux,Microsoft Windows.
Rust: Rust is a relatively new language that provides memory safety. It has gained popularity due to its focus on safety and reliability which are very important parts for a system. Rust is used in Tock, Redox, and Fuchsia.
Ada: Ada is a structured,statically typed programming language that has been used in some of the operating systems, more particular in real-time systems. It is highly reliable ada maintainable software. Ada is used in VxWorks, QNX, and Green Hills Integrity.

Why Python Is Not Used For Making An Operating System

Python is a high level,interpreted programming language which means that the programs written in python are executed line-by-line by an interpreter at runtime,unlike other languages which first compile into machine code before actually executing it. Python is popular among new programmers due to its easy syntax and dynamic nature. It can be used for multiple purposes such as web development, machine learning and artificial intelligence, automation,scripting.

Despite of having so much applications, python is not used a programming language for developing the core components of an operating system(OS). There are few reasons that can support this:

Low-Level Access: Operating Systems need to interact closely with the hardware components of the computer system which are Central Processing Unit (CPU),memory and peripherals. Python does not provide the level of control over hardware interactions required by an operating system. Languages such as C which can interact with the hardware in a better way are prefered over Python.
Performance: Python is slower in performance as compared to other languages like C++ or C because python is an interpreted language which means that the code is executed one line by line by interpreter at runtime. Operating system require high performance to manage the system resources properly,handle the hardware properly,and provide responsiveness to the system. Python's runtime overhead due to its interpreted nature makes it less suitable for using in operating system to make components of it.

Difference Between Python VS Other Languages

Dependencies of Python: Python uses a lot of external libraries. If we would use Python in an operating system than we need to embed the dependencies into an operating system's kernel that would introduce the kernel to unnecessary complexities. As operating system is made with the aim to minimize the complexities of the core components of the operating system and increase their reliability, which is not possible using python due to its dependencies.
Memory Management in Python: Memory management in Python is handled at run time and the memory management is not designed for the level that it can handle the load of an operating system. Operating system need to implement many features such as the virtual memory,paging so that the processes can be handled in a efficient way. In operating system memory protection is very essential to isolate processes to ensure security which is not possible through python.
Bootstrapping is not possible in Python: Operating systems need a way to bootstrap themselves during boot processes. Python cannot server this role because it relies on an existing operating system to execute its code. Hence,Python cannot be used to bootstrap an operating system from scratch.

Conclusion

Operating system is a crucial part of a computer system that manages all the resources of a computer system where user can conveniently execute their programs. Key functions of operating system include isolation and memory protection. Several programming language can be used for operating system like Rust, Ada, C++,C. These languages are preferred because of their low level access to the hardware,efficiency,reliability and memory management capabilities.

However, Python despite its popularity amongst new developers due to its various applications is not suitable for developing the components of an operating system. The primary reason for this is the interpreted nature which led to slower performance compared to compiled languages like C++ or C. Also, python cannot manage memory efficiently. Hence, Python is not preferred as a language to make components for the operating systems.

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