Understanding FCFS Scheduling Algorithm: Pros, Cons, and Use Cases

FCFS (First-Come-First-Served) is a scheduling algorithm used to assign resources to processes in a computer system. It is one of the most commonly used scheduling algorithms, and it works as follows:

1. The process that arrives first in the ready queue is selected for execution.
2. Once a process is selected, it is given access to the CPU and any other resources it needs.
3. The process runs until it completes or a higher-priority process arrives in the ready queue.
4. If a higher-priority process arrives while a lower-priority process is running, the lower-priority process is preempted (interrupted) and the higher-priority process is given access to the CPU.

FCFS is a simple algorithm that is easy to implement and understand, but it can have some drawbacks in certain situations. For example:

* FCFS can cause starvation for lower-priority processes if higher-priority processes are not released from the CPU soon enough.
* FCFS can lead to poor average-case performance if the arrival times of processes are not uniform.

Despite these limitations, FCFS is still widely used in many systems because it is simple and easy to understand, and it can work well in certain scenarios.