What is the primary purpose of an operating system?

The primary purpose of an operating system is to manage computer hardware and software resources. This involves overseeing the computer's hardware components—such as the CPU, memory, disk drives, and input/output devices—and ensuring that they work together efficiently and effectively. The operating system acts as an intermediary between users and the computer hardware, allowing users to perform tasks without needing to understand the underlying complexities of the hardware.

In addition to resource management, the operating system provides essential services such as process scheduling, memory management, file management, and user interface support. This enables multiple applications to run simultaneously while ensuring that they do not conflict with one another, thereby maximizing the system's responsiveness and overall functionality.

While other options may represent specific functionalities or tools that can be built on top of an operating system, they do not capture its fundamental role. For instance, providing a platform for game development or serving as a database management system are specific applications that rely on the underlying management and coordination functions of an operating system. Enhancing the speed of Internet connectivity is also more of a networking aspect provided by services, rather than a core purpose of the operating system itself. Hence, managing hardware and software resources remains the essential role of the operating system.