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Windows is a group of several proprietary graphical operating system families developed and marketed by Microsoft. Each family caters to a certain sector of the computing industry. Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, , as a graphical operating system shell for MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces GUIs.

Apple came to see Windows as an unfair encroachment on their innovation in GUI development as implemented on products such as the Lisa and Macintosh eventually settled in court in Microsoft’s favor in On PCs, Windows is still the most popular operating system in all countries.

This comparison, however, may not be fully relevant, as the two operating systems traditionally target different platforms. Still, numbers for server use of Windows that are comparable to competitors show one third market share, similar to that for end user use. The most recent version for embedded devices is Windows 11 , version 21H2. Microsoft, the developer of Windows, has registered several trademarks, each of which denotes a family of Windows operating systems that target a specific sector of the computing industry.

As of , the following Windows families were being actively developed:. The term Windows collectively describes any or all of several generations of Microsoft operating system products. These products are generally categorized as follows:. The history of Windows dates back to when Microsoft started work on a program called “Interface Manager”.

It was announced in November after the Apple Lisa , but before the Macintosh under the name “Windows”, but Windows 1. Windows 1. The shell of Windows 1. Instead all windows are tiled. Only modal dialog boxes may appear over other windows.

Microsoft sold as included Windows Development libraries with the C development environment, which included numerous windows samples. Windows 2. It features several improvements to the user interface and memory management. The result of this change led to Apple Computer filing a suit against Microsoft alleging infringement on Apple’s copyrights.

It runs in real mode but can make use of the high memory area. In addition to full Windows-packages, there were runtime-only versions that shipped with early Windows software from third parties and made it possible to run their Windows software on MS-DOS and without the full Windows feature set.

The early versions of Windows are often thought of as graphical shells, mostly because they ran on top of MS-DOS and use it for file system services. Unlike MS-DOS, Windows allowed users to execute multiple graphical applications at the same time, through cooperative multitasking.

Windows implemented an elaborate, segment-based, software virtual memory scheme, which allows it to run applications larger than available memory: code segments and resources are swapped in and thrown away when memory became scarce; data segments moved in memory when a given application had relinquished processor control. Windows 3. They run inside the same address space, where the segmented memory provides a degree of protection.

Microsoft rewrote critical operations from C into assembly. In August , Windows for Workgroups, a special version with integrated peer-to-peer networking features and a version number of 3. It was sold along with Windows 3. Support for Windows 3. The next major consumer-oriented release of Windows, Windows 95 , was released on August 24, While still remaining MS-DOS-based, Windows 95 introduced support for native bit applications , plug and play hardware, preemptive multitasking , long file names of up to characters, and provided increased stability over its predecessors.

Windows 95 also introduced a redesigned, object oriented user interface, replacing the previous Program Manager with the Start menu , taskbar , and Windows Explorer shell. Windows 95 was a major commercial success for Microsoft; Ina Fried of CNET remarked that “by the time Windows 95 was finally ushered off the market in , it had become a fixture on computer desktops around the world.

Windows 95 was followed up with the release of Windows 98 on June 25, , which introduced the Windows Driver Model , support for USB composite devices , support for ACPI , hibernation , and support for multi-monitor configurations. Windows 98 also included integration with Internet Explorer 4 through Active Desktop and other aspects of the Windows Desktop Update a series of enhancements to the Explorer shell which were also made available for Windows Windows 98 SE added Internet Explorer 5.

Mainstream support for Windows 98 ended on June 30, , and extended support for Windows 98 ended on July 11, Windows Me incorporated visual interface enhancements from its Windows NT-based counterpart Windows , had faster boot times than previous versions which however, required the removal of the ability to access a real mode DOS environment, removing compatibility with some older programs , [30] expanded multimedia functionality including Windows Media Player 7, Windows Movie Maker , and the Windows Image Acquisition framework for retrieving images from scanners and digital cameras , additional system utilities such as System File Protection and System Restore , and updated home networking tools.

PC World considered Windows Me to be one of the worst operating systems Microsoft had ever released, and the 4th worst tech product of all time. However, following the successful release of Windows 3. Win32 maintained a similar structure to the Windows APIs allowing existing Windows applications to easily be ported to the platform , but also supported the capabilities of the existing NT kernel. Following its approval by Microsoft’s staff, development continued on what was now Windows NT, the first bit version of Windows.

Windows NT was the first Windows operating system based on a hybrid kernel. The hybrid kernel was designed as a modified microkernel , influenced by the Mach microkernel developed by Richard Rashid at Carnegie Mellon University, but without meeting all of the criteria of a pure microkernel.

The first release of the resulting operating system, Windows NT 3. Windows NT 3. Windows NT 4. The Windows NT name was dropped at this point in order to put a greater focus on the Windows brand.

The introduction of Windows XP aimed to unify the consumer-oriented Windows 9x series with the architecture introduced by Windows NT, a change which Microsoft promised would provide better performance over its DOS-based predecessors. Windows XP would also introduce a redesigned user interface including an updated Start menu and a “task-oriented” Windows Explorer , streamlined multimedia and networking features, Internet Explorer 6 , integration with Microsoft’s. NET Passport services, a ” compatibility mode ” to help provide backwards compatibility with software designed for previous versions of Windows, and Remote Assistance functionality.

At retail, Windows XP was now marketed in two main editions : the “Home” edition was targeted towards consumers, while the “Professional” edition was targeted towards business environments and power users , and included additional security and networking features. Home and Professional were later accompanied by the “Media Center” edition designed for home theater PCs , with an emphasis on support for DVD playback, TV tuner cards , DVR functionality, and remote controls , and the “Tablet PC” edition designed for mobile devices meeting its specifications for a tablet computer , with support for stylus pen input and additional pen-enabled applications.

Extended support ended on April 8, After Windows , Microsoft also changed its release schedules for server operating systems; the server counterpart of Windows XP, Windows Server , was released in April After a lengthy development process , Windows Vista was released on November 30, , for volume licensing and January 30, , for consumers. It contained a number of new features , from a redesigned shell and user interface to significant technical changes , with a particular focus on security features.

It was available in a number of different editions , and has been subject to some criticism , such as drop of performance, longer boot time, criticism of new UAC, and stricter license agreement. Vista’s server counterpart, Windows Server was released in early On July 22, , Windows 7 and Windows Server R2 were released as RTM release to manufacturing while the former was released to the public 3 months later on October 22, Unlike its predecessor, Windows Vista, which introduced a large number of new features , Windows 7 was intended to be a more focused, incremental upgrade to the Windows line, with the goal of being compatible with applications and hardware with which Windows Vista was already compatible.

Windows 8 , the successor to Windows 7, was released generally on October 26, A number of significant changes were made on Windows 8, including the introduction of a user interface based around Microsoft’s Metro design language with optimizations for touch-based devices such as tablets and all-in-one PCs.

These changes include the Start screen , which uses large tiles that are more convenient for touch interactions and allow for the display of continually updated information, and a new class of apps which are designed primarily for use on touch-based devices.

Other changes include increased integration with cloud services and other online platforms such as social networks and Microsoft’s own OneDrive formerly SkyDrive and Xbox Live services , the Windows Store service for software distribution, and a new variant known as Windows RT for use on devices that utilize the ARM architecture , and a new keyboard shortcut for screenshots. Windows 8 and Windows 8. On September 30, , Microsoft announced Windows 10 as the successor to Windows 8.

It was released on July 29, , and addresses shortcomings in the user interface first introduced with Windows 8. Changes on PC include the return of the Start Menu, a virtual desktop system, and the ability to run Windows Store apps within windows on the desktop rather than in full-screen mode.

Windows 10 is said to be available to update from qualified Windows 7 with SP1, Windows 8. In February , Microsoft announced the migration of its Windows source code repository from Perforce to Git.

This migration involved 3. In June , shortly before Microsoft’s announcement of Windows 11, Microsoft updated their lifecycle policy pages for Windows 10, revealing that support for their last release of Windows 10 will be October 14, On June 24, , Windows 11 was announced as the successor to Windows 10 during a livestream.

The new operating system was designed to be more user-friendly and understandable. It was released on October 5, In July , Microsoft announced it will start selling subscriptions to virtualized Windows desktops as part of a new Windows service in the following month.

It is not a standalone version of Windows, but a web service that provides access to Windows 10 and Windows 11 built on top of Azure Virtual Desktop. The new service will allow for cross-platform usage , aiming to make the operating system available for both Apple and Android users. The subscription service will be accessible through any operating system with a web browser. The new service is an attempt at capitalizing on the growing trend, fostered during the COVID pandemic , for businesses to adopt a hybrid remote work environment, in which “employees split their time between the office and home”.

As the service will be accessible through web browsers, Microsoft will be able to bypass the need to publish the service through Google Play or the Apple App Store. Microsoft announced Windows availability to business and enterprise customers on August 2, Multilingual support has been built into Windows since Windows 3.

The language for both the keyboard and the interface can be changed through the Region and Language Control Panel. Components for all supported input languages, such as Input Method Editors , are automatically installed during Windows installation in Windows XP and earlier, files for East Asian languages, such as Chinese, and right-to-left scripts, such as Arabic, may need to be installed separately, also from the said Control Panel.

Third-party IMEs may also be installed if a user feels that the provided one is insufficient for their needs. Interface languages for the operating system are free for download, but some languages are limited to certain editions of Windows. Language Interface Packs LIPs are redistributable and may be downloaded from Microsoft’s Download Center and installed for any edition of Windows XP or later — they translate most, but not all, of the Windows interface, and require a certain base language the language which Windows originally shipped with.

This is used for most languages in emerging markets. Full Language Packs, which translates the complete operating system, are only available for specific editions of Windows Ultimate and Enterprise editions of Windows Vista and 7, and all editions of Windows 8, 8. They do not require a specific base language, and are commonly used for more popular languages such as French or Chinese. These languages cannot be downloaded through the Download Center, but available as optional updates through the Windows Update service except Windows 8.

The interface language of installed applications is not affected by changes in the Windows interface language. The availability of languages depends on the application developers themselves.

 
 

Windows 10 – Wikipedia

 
View source. These products are generally categorized as follows:. Shop now. On May 2, , Microsoft unveiled Windows 10 S referred to in leaks as Windows 10 Cloud , a feature-limited edition of Windows 10 which was designed primarily for devices in the education market competing, in particular, with ChromeOS netbooks , such as the Surface Laptop that Microsoft also unveiled at this time. Retrieved April 8, Microsoft announced a new installation option, Nano Server, which offers a minimal-footprint headless version of Windows Server. The next major consumer-oriented release of Windows, Windows 95 , was released on August 24,

 

Windows 11 – Wikipedia

 

A new build was shown off, which shows off a more unified and complete user interface. Cortana is now integrated and functioning properly within Windows. A cleaner Start Menu, coded using XAML, was also presented, along with the ability to switch between the standard and full-screen modes of the Start Menu.

Windows 10 was also unveiled for the first time on mobile phones. With this announcement came the presentation of a new Action Center with interactive notifications for both desktop and phones.

New universal apps for both systems were unveiled, including new apps for Photos, Outlook Mail, People and Calendar. The rumored ” Project: Spartan “, a new browser that could potentially replace Internet Explorer , was unveiled and shown off, with integrated Cortana, a new annotation mode that works with Microsoft OneNote and a new Reading List.

The build shown off at throughout most of the event was Build , though the next build is reported to be Build , [4] and not all the features shown off at the event would be immediately available.

The build would be available through the Windows Insider Program in the week following the event, while the first build for Windows 10 on mobile phones would be made available in early February “After the Seahawks win the Super Bowl”. Microsoft also announced that Windows 10 would be a free upgrade for all computers and devices running Windows 8. Microsoft made Windows 10 available as free upgrade for qualified Windows 7 , Windows 8.

It became available on July 29, and remained a free upgrade for one year. You can still technically upgrade to Windows 10 for free, but it requires using the Media Creation Tool to upgrade your PC to Windows For example, Windows 7 Professional will upgrade to Windows 10 Home.

Windows 2. Windows 7 Professional Windows 7 Ultimate Windows 8. Windows 10 is serviced in a significantly different manner from previous releases of Windows. Is delivery is often described by Microsoft as a “service”, due to its ongoing updates, with Terry Myerson explaining that Microsoft’s aim is that “the question of ‘what version of Windows are you running’ will cease to make sense. Windows Central. April 26, Retrieved May 18, Tom’s Hardware.

Archived from the original on March 8, Retrieved November 14, Archived from the original on May 18, May 25, Archived from the original on June 5, Retrieved June 15, June 2, Archived from the original on June 11, Archived from the original on June 16, June 10, Archived from the original on June 12, Retrieved June 15, — via YouTube.

Archived from the original on June 24, Retrieved June 24, Retrieved June 25, — via Twitter. Archived from the original on June 23, Retrieved June 24, — via YouTube. Windows Developer Blog.

Retrieved June 25, Windows Latest. Archived from the original on June 20, Tech Radar. Archived from the original on June 22, Baidu in Chinese. Archived from the original on June 15, Retrieved June 17, Archived from the original on June 28, Archived from the original on June 25, June 15, Archived from the original on July 7, Retrieved July 5, June 24, Archived from the original on June 26, Retrieved June 26, June 28, Archived from the original on June 29, Retrieved June 29, Archived from the original on August 31, Retrieved October 6, Archived from the original on November 2, Retrieved November 2, Archived from the original on May 9, Future plc.

Archived from the original on May 10, Archived from the original on October 5, Retrieved October 5, Archived from the original on February 17, Retrieved February 20, November 10, The Times of India.

Retrieved February 23, October 5, Archived from the original on November 16, Retrieved November 16, Ars Technica. Archived from the original on November 17, Retrieved November 17, Retrieved August 12, Microsoft Docs. Archived from the original on October 17, Retrieved October 12, IE mode on Microsoft Edge [..

Archived from the original on August 13, Retrieved August 13, After Windows , Microsoft also changed its release schedules for server operating systems; the server counterpart of Windows XP, Windows Server , was released in April After a lengthy development process , Windows Vista was released on November 30, , for volume licensing and January 30, , for consumers.

It contained a number of new features , from a redesigned shell and user interface to significant technical changes , with a particular focus on security features. It was available in a number of different editions , and has been subject to some criticism , such as drop of performance, longer boot time, criticism of new UAC, and stricter license agreement. Vista’s server counterpart, Windows Server was released in early On July 22, , Windows 7 and Windows Server R2 were released as RTM release to manufacturing while the former was released to the public 3 months later on October 22, Unlike its predecessor, Windows Vista, which introduced a large number of new features , Windows 7 was intended to be a more focused, incremental upgrade to the Windows line, with the goal of being compatible with applications and hardware with which Windows Vista was already compatible.

Windows 8 , the successor to Windows 7, was released generally on October 26, A number of significant changes were made on Windows 8, including the introduction of a user interface based around Microsoft’s Metro design language with optimizations for touch-based devices such as tablets and all-in-one PCs.

These changes include the Start screen , which uses large tiles that are more convenient for touch interactions and allow for the display of continually updated information, and a new class of apps which are designed primarily for use on touch-based devices. Other changes include increased integration with cloud services and other online platforms such as social networks and Microsoft’s own OneDrive formerly SkyDrive and Xbox Live services , the Windows Store service for software distribution, and a new variant known as Windows RT for use on devices that utilize the ARM architecture , and a new keyboard shortcut for screenshots.

Windows 8 and Windows 8. On September 30, , Microsoft announced Windows 10 as the successor to Windows 8. It was released on July 29, , and addresses shortcomings in the user interface first introduced with Windows 8. Changes on PC include the return of the Start Menu, a virtual desktop system, and the ability to run Windows Store apps within windows on the desktop rather than in full-screen mode. Windows 10 is said to be available to update from qualified Windows 7 with SP1, Windows 8. In February , Microsoft announced the migration of its Windows source code repository from Perforce to Git.

This migration involved 3. In June , shortly before Microsoft’s announcement of Windows 11, Microsoft updated their lifecycle policy pages for Windows 10, revealing that support for their last release of Windows 10 will be October 14, On June 24, , Windows 11 was announced as the successor to Windows 10 during a livestream.

The new operating system was designed to be more user-friendly and understandable. It was released on October 5, In July , Microsoft announced it will start selling subscriptions to virtualized Windows desktops as part of a new Windows service in the following month. It is not a standalone version of Windows, but a web service that provides access to Windows 10 and Windows 11 built on top of Azure Virtual Desktop.

The new service will allow for cross-platform usage , aiming to make the operating system available for both Apple and Android users. The subscription service will be accessible through any operating system with a web browser. The new service is an attempt at capitalizing on the growing trend, fostered during the COVID pandemic , for businesses to adopt a hybrid remote work environment, in which “employees split their time between the office and home”.

As the service will be accessible through web browsers, Microsoft will be able to bypass the need to publish the service through Google Play or the Apple App Store. Microsoft announced Windows availability to business and enterprise customers on August 2, Multilingual support has been built into Windows since Windows 3. The language for both the keyboard and the interface can be changed through the Region and Language Control Panel.

Components for all supported input languages, such as Input Method Editors , are automatically installed during Windows installation in Windows XP and earlier, files for East Asian languages, such as Chinese, and right-to-left scripts, such as Arabic, may need to be installed separately, also from the said Control Panel. Third-party IMEs may also be installed if a user feels that the provided one is insufficient for their needs. Interface languages for the operating system are free for download, but some languages are limited to certain editions of Windows.

Language Interface Packs LIPs are redistributable and may be downloaded from Microsoft’s Download Center and installed for any edition of Windows XP or later — they translate most, but not all, of the Windows interface, and require a certain base language the language which Windows originally shipped with.

This is used for most languages in emerging markets. Full Language Packs, which translates the complete operating system, are only available for specific editions of Windows Ultimate and Enterprise editions of Windows Vista and 7, and all editions of Windows 8, 8.

They do not require a specific base language, and are commonly used for more popular languages such as French or Chinese. These languages cannot be downloaded through the Download Center, but available as optional updates through the Windows Update service except Windows 8.

The interface language of installed applications is not affected by changes in the Windows interface language. The availability of languages depends on the application developers themselves. Windows 8 and Windows Server introduces a new Language Control Panel where both the interface and input languages can be simultaneously changed, and language packs, regardless of type, can be downloaded from a central location.

The PC Settings app in Windows 8. Changing the interface language also changes the language of preinstalled Windows Store apps such as Mail, Maps and News and certain other Microsoft-developed apps such as Remote Desktop. The above limitations for language packs are however still in effect, except that full language packs can be installed for any edition except Single Language, which caters to emerging markets. Windows NT included support for several platforms before the x86 -based personal computer became dominant in the professional world.

Windows dropped support for all platforms, except the third generation x86 known as IA or newer in bit mode. With the introduction of the Intel Itanium architecture IA , Microsoft released new versions of Windows to support it.

Itanium versions of Windows XP and Windows Server were released at the same time as their mainstream x86 counterparts. Windows Server line continues to support this platform until Windows Server ; Windows Server R2 is the last Windows operating system to support Itanium architecture. Windows 11 is the first version to drop support for bit hardware. Windows CE officially known as Windows Embedded Compact , is an edition of Windows that runs on minimalistic computers , like satellite navigation systems and some mobile phones.

The OEMs and device makers can modify and create their own user interfaces and experiences, while Windows CE provides the technical foundation to do so.

Windows CE was the core from which Windows Mobile was derived. Windows Phone 8 however, is based on the same NT-kernel as Windows 8. Xbox OS is an unofficial name given to the version of Windows that runs on Xbox consoles. Shortly after Windows was released, Microsoft switched to a fork of Perforce named Source Depot.

In Microsoft announced that it would start using Git , an open source version control system created by Linus Torvalds and in May they reported that has completed migration into the Git repository. Because of its large, decades-long history, however, the Windows codebase is not especially well suited to the decentralized nature of Linux development that Git was originally created to manage.

Version market share As a percentage of desktop and laptop systems using Windows, [81] according to StatCounter data from April Use of Windows 10 has exceeded Windows 7 globally since early Including personal computers of all kinds e. Those statistics do not include servers including so-called cloud computing , where Microsoft is known not to be a leader, with Linux used more than Windows , as Net Applications and StatCounter use web browsing as a proxy for all use.

Consumer versions of Windows were originally designed for ease-of-use on a single-user PC without a network connection, and did not have security features built in from the outset. These design issues combined with programming errors e.

In June , Bruce Schneier ‘s Counterpane Internet Security reported that it had seen over 1, new viruses and worms in the previous six months. Microsoft releases security patches through its Windows Update service approximately once a month usually the second Tuesday of the month , although critical updates are made available at shorter intervals when necessary. While the Windows 9x series offered the option of having profiles for multiple users, they had no concept of access privileges , and did not allow concurrent access; and so were not true multi-user operating systems.

In addition, they implemented only partial memory protection. They were accordingly widely criticised for lack of security. The Windows NT series of operating systems, by contrast, are true multi-user, and implement absolute memory protection. However, a lot of the advantages of being a true multi-user operating system were nullified by the fact that, prior to Windows Vista, the first user account created during the setup process was an administrator account, which was also the default for new accounts.

Though Windows XP did have limited accounts, the majority of home users did not change to an account type with fewer rights — partially due to the number of programs which unnecessarily required administrator rights — and so most home users ran as administrator all the time.

Windows Vista changes this [94] by introducing a privilege elevation system called User Account Control. When logging in as a standard user, a logon session is created and a token containing only the most basic privileges is assigned. In this way, the new logon session is incapable of making changes that would affect the entire system. When logging in as a user in the Administrators group, two separate tokens are assigned. The first token contains all privileges typically awarded to an administrator, and the second is a restricted token similar to what a standard user would receive.

User applications, including the Windows shell , are then started with the restricted token, resulting in a reduced privilege environment even under an Administrator account.

When an application requests higher privileges or “Run as administrator” is clicked, UAC will prompt for confirmation and, if consent is given including administrator credentials if the account requesting the elevation is not a member of the administrators group , start the process using the unrestricted token.

Leaked documents published by WikiLeaks , codenamed Vault 7 and dated from to , detail the capabilities of the CIA to perform electronic surveillance and cyber warfare, [96] such as the ability to compromise operating systems such as Windows. In August , computer experts reported that the BlueKeep security vulnerability , CVE – , that potentially affects older unpatched Windows versions via the program’s Remote Desktop Protocol , allowing for the possibility of remote code execution , may now include related flaws, collectively named DejaBlue , affecting newer Windows versions i.

These global groups then hold other groups or users depending on different Windows versions used. This system varies from other vendor products such as Linux and NetWare due to the ‘static’ allocation of permission being applied directly to the file or folder. Owing to the operating system’s popularity, a number of applications have been released that aim to provide compatibility with Windows applications, either as a compatibility layer for another operating system, or as a standalone system that can run software written for Windows out of the box.

These include:. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Family of computer operating systems developed by Microsoft. For the part of a building, see Window. For other uses, see Windows disambiguation.

This article relies too much on references to primary sources. Please improve this by adding secondary or tertiary sources. May Learn how and when to remove this template message. Closed-source Source-available through Shared Source Initiative. Main article: History of Microsoft Windows.

See also: List of Microsoft Windows versions. Main articles: Windows 1. Main articles: Windows 3. Main article: Windows NT. Main articles: Windows NT 3. The basic hardware requirements to install the Windows 10 Insider Preview are the same as Windows 8. Microsoft Wiki. Microsoft Wiki Explore. Windows families. Windows Windows 11 Windows 10 Windows 8. Windows CE Windows Embedded.

Microsoft Surface. European Union Microsoft antitrust case United States v. Microsoft Shared source. Explore Wikis Community Central. Don’t have an account? Windows View source. History Talk 0. Main article: Windows 10 version history. Nov 29, Microsoft Windows family. Categories : Microsoft Windows Windows 10 Operating systems releases. Fan Feed 1 Windows 95 2 Windows 10 3 Windows 3.

 
 

http://replace.me – Windows 10 version history – Wikipedia

 
 
This is a list of Microsoft Windows versions. Microsoft Windows is a major computer operating system developed by Microsoft. Original Windows logo from The best Wikipedia experience on your device. Ad-free and free of charge, forever. With the official Wikipedia app, you can search and explore 40+ million. Windows 10 was made available for download via MSDN and TechNet, as a free upgrade for retail copies of Windows 8 and Windows users via the Windows.