![[LMG S10] Issue 118: When I run two file-copy processes at the same time, why are they much slower?](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ngjunsiang/laymansguide/release/season10/issue118/issue118_01.gif)
[LMG S10] Issue 118: When I run two file-copy processes at the same time, why are they much slower?
Previously: Operating systems use a page file on the storage disk as a complement to physical memory. This allows OSes to behave more performantly than they...
[LMG S9] Issue 117: Swap space
Previously: Hibernation mode causes the computer to store the data configuration into a hibernation file on disk. When powered up, the OS reads the data...
[LMG S9] Issue 116: Hibernation
Previously: When you shut a computer down, it sends an exit signal to all running programs to get them to do their exit routine. This process can sometimes...
[LMG S9] Issue 115: Shutdown & standby
Previously: Embedded operating systems are unlike user operating systems. They are designed to run the software needed for an appliance’s operation, and are...
[LMG S9] Issue 114: In the beginning (firmware)
Previously: If you can’t get to a BIOS screen, it is likely a hardware problem and has to be solved by a technician. If you can’t get the the OS loading...
[LMG S9] Issue 113: A computer’s existential crisis (boot failure)
Previously: When a computer is booted up, it runs the BIOS from a chip on the motherboard. The chip checks that core parts are present, checks for a storage...
[LMG S9] Issue 112: Bootstrapping into existence (bootup)
Previously: Moving a file (within the same disk region) merely updates its file table record, and this happens really quickly. Copying a file, or moving it...
[LMG S9] Issue 111: Copying, moving, and deleting files
Previously: Filesystem journals are a record of changes made to the disk, so as to enable those changes to be rolled back, or to be completed properly in...
[LMG S9] Issue 110: Safeguarding against data corruption with a journal
Previously: Fast writes dump the data to a write cache (in computer memory), then update the file table to look like the file is already written to disk....
[LMG S9] Issue 109: Speeding up data operations
Previously: Safe writes ensure that all the data is written to disk sectors properly first before updating the file table. The result is that write...
[LMG S9] Issue 108: Safeguarding data operations
Previously: When write operations are interrupted prematurely, filesystem corruption often results. When a batch of data (shipment of cargo)) arrives at our...
[LMG S9] Issue 107: The challenges of storage
Previously: A hard disk is organised into sectors, which are the smallest unit of storage. The OS’s filesystem determines how and where to store each file on...
[LMG S9] Issue 106: Organising storage
Previously: The OS takes care of booting up, login and user management, window management, memory allocation, storage interfaces, background services,...
[LMG S9] Issue 105: Operating Systems
Previously: Shared secrets allow secured access to resources, such as databases or other services. These shared secrets are typically kept on a server...
[LMG S8] Issue 104: Storing sensitive data
Previously: A race condition happens when threads depend on instructions happening with coincidental timing for success. When instructions are not executed...
[LMG S8] Issue 103: Why apps hang even with multiple threads
Previously: Applications are assigned a thread by the OS for running a sequence of instructions. The instructions are executed sequentially, and the app...
[LMG S8] Issue 102: Threading
Previously: An app crashes when it encounters a situation it can’t handle, or when it attempts to perform an operation that is disallowed by the operating...
[LMG S8] Issue 101: Why apps crash
Previously: Windows systems categorise data into two types: files, and settings. Files are stored under an appropriate subfolder in C:\, while other storage...
[LMG S8] Issue 100: Where does all the app data go? A look at Windows systems
Previously: MacOS, Linux, and other similar systems treat everything as a file, organised into appropriate subfolders. Previous issue: Mac- and Linux-like...
[LMG S8] Issue 99: Where does all the app data go? A look at Mac-like systems
Previously: Apps generally handle three categories of files: its own (permanent) app files, (shared) user files, and (ephemeral) temporary files. What we are...