Job queues in operating systems: Special system software that assembles incoming jobs and manages a queue for later processing is called what?

Introduction / Context:
Batch and time sharing systems rely on components that accept work, queue it, and feed it to devices or subsystems when they are ready. This is crucial for printers, mail systems, and batch processing pipelines.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• Jobs may arrive faster than a device can service them.
• An intermediate buffer or queue is needed.
• The OS or utility should manage ordering and access control.

Concept / Approach:

Spooling stands for Simultaneous Peripheral Operations On Line. A spooler collects output (or input) into a queue on disk and later feeds it to the target device, decoupling job submission from device availability. Examples include print spoolers and mail queue daemons.

Step-by-Step Solution:

Verification / Alternative check:

Administrative tools such as print management utilities explicitly refer to the spooler that holds jobs before printing.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:

• Drive: storage hardware, not queue management software.
• Interpreter: executes high level code, not queueing.
• Linkage editor: links objects into executables.
• None of the above is incorrect because spooler is correct.

Common Pitfalls:

Confusing a device driver with a spooler; a driver interfaces hardware, while a spooler manages queues and scheduling for that hardware.

Final Answer:

Spooler