Why are these considered privileged/not privileged?

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The discussion centers on the classification of certain operations as privileged or not privileged within an operating system context. Specifically, setting a timer and invoking a system call are deemed privileged actions, while reading the clock and checking the current list of running processes are not. The rationale is that privileged actions can affect system stability and security, whereas non-privileged actions do not pose the same risks. This distinction is crucial for understanding access control in operating systems.

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whitehorsey
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1. Why are these considered privileged/not privileged?
a. Set value of timer.
b. Read the clock.
c. Invoking a system call
d. Check the current list of running processes


3. a. Yes
b. No
c. Yes
d. No

I'm thinking b/d is not privileged because anyone can have access to it? But I'm not sure what makes a and c privileged.
 
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Think about (c): would you really want just anybody to be able to invoke a system call?
Compare with (b) - does it matter who can read the clock?
 

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