Windows is a desktop operating system developed by
Microsoft. Windows is the most popular operating system for personal computers.
Microsoft Windows also referred to as Windows or Win. It is
a graphical operating system developed and published by Microsoft. It provides
a way to store files, run software, play games, watch videos, and connect to
the Internet.
Microsoft Windows is a group of OSs manufactured by
Microsoft. Windows is available in 32 and 64-bit versions and offers a Graphical
User Interface (GUI), multitasking functionalities, virtual memory management
capabilities, and support for several peripheral devices. Windows OSs
constitute client and server versions.
Microsoft announced the impending release of Windows 1.0 in
1983. The company used some features it licensed from Apple for portions of its
interface. Microsoft released Windows 1.0 in 1985. Apple sued Microsoft and
Hewlett-Packard for $5.5 billion in 1988 claiming it did not give the companies
authorization to use certain GUI elements. In 1992, a federal court concluded
Microsoft and Hewlett-Packard did not go beyond the 1985 agreement. Apple
appealed that decision, which was upheld in 1994.
Microsoft Windows was first introduced with version 1.0 on
November 10, 1983.
In 1983, Windows was announced by Microsoft's founders Bill
Gates and Paul Allen.
Windows comes with a Graphical User Interface (GUI) that
includes a desktop with icons and task bar that is displayed at the bottom of
the screen by default. File Explorer allows users to open multiple windows,
browse folders, and open files and applications. Windows has a Start menu, which provides
quick access to files, settings, and the Windows search feature.
The graphical user interface (GUI)-based OS was introduced
in 1985 and has been released in many versions since then, as described below.
Microsoft got its start with the partnership of Bill Gates and Paul Allen in
1975. Gates and Allen co-developed Xenix (a version of Unix) and also
collaborated on a BASIC interpreter for the Altair 8800. The company was
incorporated in 1981.
On November, 1985, Microsoft introduced Windows 1.0. which users
use a mouse to click through windows or screens. Windows 1.0 included scroll
bars, drop-down menus, dialog boxes, and icons. Users could now switch between
multiple programs without quitting and restarting each program.
Desktop icons and expanded memory were developed in later
versions of Microsoft Windows, along with the capabilities of installing
Windows by way of floppy disks.
In August 1995, Windows 95 emerged to include built-in
Internet support and dial-up networking. It also included its own email client
known as Microsoft Outlook. Windows 95 offered multimedia functions, mobile computing
features, and integrated networking features. 1995, Microsoft Internet Explorer
was introduced.
In 1998, Windows 98
was introduced as the first software for personal computer. System-restore
applications and the ability to record, play, and share digital music and
movies with Microsoft Windows Media Player.
Windows 2000 has
online security updates, which helped to educate consumers about computer
threats such as viruses. The plug and play hardware, often used in gaming, was
introduced with Windows 2000, along with mobile and USB device compatibility.
Windows XP (2001), Windows Vista (2006) and Windows 7
(2009). Have wireless and finger browsing compatibilities. Microsoft Windows
has grown to accommodate streamed data, data saved on flash drives, and data
saved in the cloud, which included an online space for file sharing.
The first version of Windows was released in 1985.
A few of the most notable Windows releases include:
1. Windows
3.1 (1992)
2. Windows
95 (1995)
3. Windows
98 (1998)
4. Windows
Me (2000)
5. Windows
XP (2001)
6. Windows
Vista (2006)
7. Windows 7
(2009)
8. Windows 8
(2012)
9. Windows
10 (2015)
The two most common editions of Windows for home
computers are Windows Home and Windows Professional
Windows 10 is available in "Home" and
"Pro" editions. The Home edition is for common users, while the Pro (Professional)edition
includes additional networking and administrative features useful in corporate
workspaces. Windows runs on x86 hardware, such as Intel and AMD processors.
Software programs for Windows are called apps or
applications, or executable files. Windows software programs have an .EXE file
extension.
NB: 64-bit versions of Windows run both 32 and 64-bit apps,
32-bit versions only run 32-bit applications.
Windows Home (also called Win Home) is the basic edition of
Windows. It provides all the fundamental functions of Windows, such as
connecting to the Internet, browsing the web, watching videos, using office
software, and playing video games. It is the least expensive edition of
Windows, and it comes preinstalled on many new computers.
Windows Professional (also called Windows Pro, or Win Pro)
is an enhanced Windows edition, for power users, and small to medium sized
businesses. It includes all the features of Windows Home, plus the following:
•
Remote Desktop - allows you to remotely control
another Windows computer connected to the Internet.
•
Bitlocker - Microsoft's integrated file
encryption.
•
Trusted Boot - provides encryption of the boot
loader, protecting the computer against rootkits.
•
Hyper-V - a Windows hypervisor for running
virtual machines, equivalent to third-party software, such as VirtualBox.
•
Windows Sandbox - provides a lightweight,
sandboxed Windows 10 instance. You can use this isolated "Windows within
Windows" environment to safely run suspicious or untrusted software.
Windows Sandbox requires a Windows Insider build of Windows 10 Pro or
Enterprise.
•
Group policy management - Administrators can
define group policies, for managing multiple Windows users in a business or
organization.
•
Support for more than 128 GB of RAM.
•
Greater Windows Update installation options,
including more flexible scheduling and postponement for up to 35 days.
Windows Professional for Workstations and Windows Enterprise
provide advanced features for professional studios and large businesses.
Microsoft users were used to the single task command line
operating system MS-DOS. Because Microsoft names most of its products with one
word, it needed a word that best described its new GUI operating system.
Microsoft chose "Windows" because of the multiple windows that allow
different tasks and programs to run at the same time. Because you cannot
trademark a common name like "Windows," it's officially known as
"Microsoft Windows".
The first version of
Microsoft Windows was version 1.0, released in 1985.
• Windows
11
• Windows
10
• Windows 8
and 8.1
• Windows 7
• Windows
Vista
• Windows
XP
• Windows
2000
• Windows
NT
• Windows
ME
• Windows
98
• Windows
95
• Windows
3.1 and 3.11
History and development of Microsoft and Windows
Microsoft gained prominence in the tech field with the
release of MS-DOS, a text-based command-line-driven operating system. DOS was
mostly based on a purchased intellectual property, QDOS. GUI-based operating
systems of that time included Xerox's Alto, released in 1979, and Apple's LISA
and Macintosh systems, which came later. Die-hard fans of MS-DOS referred to
such systems as WIMPs, which stood for "windows, icons, mouse and
pull-down menus (or pointers)."
1985: Windows 1.0
Windows 1.0 was essentially a program that ran on top of
DOS. the point-and-click interface made it easier for new users to operate a
computer. user-friendly nature of Windows also drew interest from customers who
might have been intimidated by a command-line interface. Windows 1.0 offered
many of the common components found in today's graphical user interface, such
as scroll bars and "OK" buttons.
1987: Windows 2.0 and 2.11
Windows 2.0 introduced the control panel and ran the first
versions of Excel and Word. Windows 2.0 supported extended memory, and
Microsoft updated it for compatibility with Intel's 80386 processor.
1990: Windows 3.0
Microsoft Windows 3.0 operating system, which still ran on
top of DOS, for the 386 processor for a more responsive system. Windows 3.0
supported 16 colours and included the casual games familiar to most Windows
users: Solitaire, Minesweeper and Hearts. Games that required more processing
power still ran directly on MS-DOS. Windows 3.1 features included support for
TrueType fonts and peer-to-peer networking.
1993: Windows NT
Windows. NT was 32-bit and had a hardware abstraction layer.
DOS was available through the command prompt, but it did not run the Windows
OS. Microsoft designed NT as a workstation OS for businesses rather than home
users. They introduced the Start button.
1995: Windows 95
Windows 95 facilitated hardware installation with its plug
and play feature. Microsoft also unveiled 32-bit color depth, enhanced
multimedia capabilities and TCP/IP network support.
1998: Windows 98
Microsoft improved speed and Plug and Play hardware support
in Windows 98. USB support and the Quick Launch bar in this release. Microsoft
integrated web technology into the Windows user interface and built its own web
browser into the desktop. This feature was one of the defining issues in the
U.S. Justice Department's antitrust suit against Microsoft in the 1990s.
2000: Windows ME
Windows ME (Millennium Edition) was the last use of the
Windows 95 codebase. Its most notable new feature was System Restore.
Microsoft released the professional desktop OS Windows 2000
the same year. Microsoft based this OS on the more stable Windows NT code. Some
home users installed Windows 2000 for its greater reliability. Microsoft
updated Plug and Play support, which spurred home users to switch to this OS.
Microsoft Windows XP, the first NT-based system with a
version aimed at home user. Home users
and critics rated XP highly. The system improved Windows appearance with colourful
themes and provided a more stable platform.
DirectX-enabled features in 3D gaming that OpenGL had
difficulties with. XP offered the first Windows support for 64-bit computing,
Microsoft built Windows 7 on the Vista kernel. featured more
stability.
With true 64-bit support and more Direct X features, Windows
7 proved to be a popular release for Windows users.
Microsoft Windows 8 with a number of enhancements and
debuted its tile-based Metro user interface. Windows 8 took better advantage of
multicore processing, solid-state drives (SSD), touchscreens and other
alternate input methods. Users found the switching from the traditional desktop
to the tile-based interface awkward. Even after Microsoft's UI and other
updates in 8.1, Windows 8 trailed not just Windows 7 but XP in user numbers
into 2014.
Microsoft Windows 10 released in September 2014, skipping
Windows 9. Version 10 includes the Start menu, which was absent from Windows 8.
A responsive design feature called Continuum adapts the interface depending on
whether the user works with a touchscreen or a keyboard and mouse for input.
New features like an onscreen back button simplified touch input. Microsoft
designed the OS to have a consistent interface across devices including PCs,
laptops and tablets.
Microsoft release monthly patches every second Tuesday of
the month, known as Patch Tuesday, in 2003. Patches to update critical issues
may be released on a faster schedule, known as out-of-band patches.
Windows Vista added User Account Control, which allowed
users only the most basic privileges, such as the ability to execute tasks that
may modify system data. When an administrator logged on, they received two
tokens: a standard user and administrator-level tasks.
Windows Defender security application as a beta program for
Windows XP in 2005. Windows Defender protects systems from spyware threats.
Defender Credential Guard for virtualization-based security, System Guard to
protect firmware components and configurations and Application Guard to protect
against malware and hacking threats in the Microsoft Edge browser.