Device driver

A device driver is software that lets an operating system communicate with and control a hardware device. It translates operating-system requests into device-specific operations and reports results or errors.

Operating system: System software that manages computer hardware and provides services for applications. The operating system issues requests that drivers translate for hardware.
Device file: A filesystem object that provides a standard interface to a device or driver. Unix-like systems expose many driver-controlled devices through device files.
Graphics driver: Software that enables an operating system to control a graphics processing unit and display features. Graphics drivers translate rendering and display requests into GPU-specific commands.
Firmware: Software stored on a device that provides low-level control of its hardware. Firmware runs on the device itself; a driver runs on the host operating system.
Kernel panic: A fatal error that forces an operating-system kernel to stop normal execution. A faulty kernel-mode driver can corrupt kernel state and trigger a panic.
Device controller: Hardware circuitry that manages a device’s operations and communicates with the computer. Drivers send commands to controllers, which operate the physical device.
System call: A request through which a program asks the operating-system kernel to perform a service. Applications reach device services through system calls handled by the operating system.
Printer driver: Software that converts operating-system print requests into commands a printer can execute. Printer drivers adapt documents and print settings to a specific printer’s capabilities.
Device-independent input/output: An operating-system design that offers common input/output operations across different devices. This abstraction hides device differences but still relies on drivers for hardware-specific work.
Computer security: The protection of computer systems and data against unauthorized access, disruption, or damage. Privileged drivers can expose powerful attack paths into the operating system.

Linked from 13 pages