[[!meta copyright="Copyright © 2004, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010 Free Software Foundation, Inc."]] [[!meta license="""[[!toggle id="license" text="GFDL 1.2+"]][[!toggleable id="license" text="Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.2 or any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with no Invariant Sections, no Front-Cover Texts, and no Back-Cover Texts. A copy of the license is included in the section entitled [[GNU Free Documentation License|/fdl]]."]]"""]] The kernel of an operating system is a fundamental program which provides essential resources from the hardware of the computer to other programs. A kernel typically runs all the time and remains resident in main memory. The amount of functionality and resources which it provides vary tremendously. * [[microkernel]] * [[UNIX]]