Microsoft Windows
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Microsoft Windows
Working state Publicly released
Initial release November 20, 1985; 28 years ago, as
Windows 1.0
Marketing target Personal computing
Update method
Version history
The term Windows collectively describes any or all of several generations of
Microsoft operating system products. These products are generally categorized as follows:
Early versions
The history of Windows dates back to September 1981, when Chase Bishop, a computer scientist, designed the first model of an electronic device and project "Interface Manager" was started. It was announced in November 1983 (after the
Apple Lisa, but before the
Macintosh) under the name "Windows", but
Windows 1.0 was not released until November 1985.
[6] Windows 1.0 was to compete with
Apple's operating system, but achieved little popularity. Windows 1.0 is not a complete operating system; rather, it extends
MS-DOS. The shell of Windows 1.0 is a program known as the
MS-DOS Executive. Components included
Calculator,
Calendar,
Cardfile,
Clipboard viewer, Clock,
Control Panel,
Notepad,
Paint,
Reversi,
Terminal and
Write. Windows 1.0 does not allow overlapping windows. Instead all windows are
tiled. Only modal dialog boxes may appear over other windows.
Windows 2.0 was released in December 1987 and was more popular than its predecessor. It features several improvements to the user interface and memory management.[
citation needed] Windows 2.03 changed the OS from tiled windows to overlapping windows. The result of this change led to Apple Computer filing a suit against Microsoft alleging infringement on Apple's copyrights.
[7][8] Windows 2.0 also introduced more sophisticated
keyboard shortcuts and could make use of
expanded memory.
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.
[9] However, even the earliest Windows versions already assumed many typical operating system functions; notably, having their own
executable file format and providing their own
device drivers (timer, graphics, printer, mouse, keyboard and sound). 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 3.0 and 3.1
Windows 3.0, released in 1990, improved the design, mostly because of
virtual memory and loadable virtual device drivers (
VxDs) that allow Windows to share arbitrary devices between multi-tasked DOS applications.[
citation needed] Windows 3.0 applications can run in
protected mode, which gives them access to several megabytes of memory without the obligation to participate in the software virtual memory scheme. They run inside the same address space, where the segmented memory provides a degree of protection. Windows 3.0 also featured improvements to the user interface. Microsoft rewrote critical operations from
C into
assembly. Windows 3.0 is the first Microsoft Windows version to achieve broad commercial success, selling 2 million copies in the first six months.
[10][11]
Windows 3.1, made
generally available on March 1, 1992, featured a facelift. In August 1993, Windows for Workgroups, a special version with integrated
peer-to-peer networking features and a version number of 3.11, was released. It was sold along Windows 3.1. Support for Windows 3.1 ended on December 31, 2001.
[12]
Windows 9x
The next major consumer-oriented release of Windows,
Windows 95, was released on August 24, 1995. While still remaining MS-DOS-based, Windows 95 introduced support for native
32-bit applications,
plug and play hardware,
preemptive multitasking,
long file names of up to 255 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 2001, it had become a fixture on computer desktops around the world."
[13] Microsoft published four OEM Service Releases (OSR) of Windows 95, each of which was roughly equivalent to a
service pack. The first OSR of Windows 95 was also the first version of Windows to be bundled with Microsoft's
web browser,
Internet Explorer.
[14] Mainstream support for Windows 95 ended on December 31, 2000 and extended support for Windows 95 ended on December 31, 2001.
[15]
Windows 95 was followed up with the release of
Windows 98 on June 25, 1998, 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 95). In May 1999, Microsoft released
Windows 98 Second Edition, an updated version of Windows 98. Windows 98 SE added
Internet Explorer 5.0 and
Windows Media Player 6.2 amongst other upgrades. Mainstream support for Windows 98 ended on June 30, 2002 and extended support for Windows 98 ended on July 11, 2006.
[16]
On September 14, 2000, Microsoft released
Windows ME (Millennium Edition), the last DOS-based version of Windows. Windows ME incorporated visual interface enhancements from its Windows NT-based counterpart
Windows 2000, had faster boot times than previous versions (which however, required the removal of the ability to access a
real modeDOS environment, removing compatibility with some older programs),
[17] 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.
[18] However, Windows ME was faced with criticism for its speed and instability, along with hardware compatibility issues and its removal of real mode DOS support.
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.
[19]
Windows NT
In November 1988, a new development team within Microsoft (which included former
Digital Equipment Corporation developers
Dave Cutler and
Mark Lucovsky) began work on a revamped version of
IBM and Microsoft's
OS/2 operating system known as "NT OS/2". NT OS/2 was intended to be a secure,
multi-user operating system with
POSIX compatibility and a modular,
portable kernel with
preemptive multitasking and support for multiple processor architectures. However, following the successful release of
Windows 3.0, the NT development team decided to rework the project to use an extended
32-bit port of the
Windows API known as Win32 instead of those of OS/2. 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 32-bit version of Windows. However, IBM objected to the changes, and ultimately continued OS/2 development on its own.
[20][21]
The first release of the resulting operating system,
Windows NT 3.1 (named to associate it with
Windows 3.1) was released in July 1993 with versions for desktop
workstations and
servers.
Windows NT 3.5 was released in September 1994, focusing on performance improvements and support for
Novell's
NetWare, and was followed up by
Windows NT 3.51 in May 1995, which included additional improvements and support for the
PowerPC architecture.
Windows NT 4.0 was released in June 1996, introducing the redesigned interface of
Windows 95 to the NT series. On February 17, 2000, Microsoft released
Windows 2000, a successor to NT 4.0. The Windows NT name was dropped at this point in order to put a greater focus on the Windows brand.
[21]
Windows XP
The next major version of Windows,
Windows XP, was released on October 25, 2001. 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, modes to help provide compatibility with software designed for previous versions of Windows, and
Remote Assistance functionality.
[22]
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).
[23][24][25] Mainstream support for Windows XP ended on April 14, 2009. Extended support ended on April 8, 2014.
[26]
After Windows 2000, Microsoft also changed its release schedules for server operating systems; the server counterpart of Windows XP,
Windows Server 2003, was released in April 2003.
[21] It was followed in December 2005 by Windows Server 2003 R2.
Windows Vista and later
On July 22, 2009,
Windows 7 and
Windows Server 2008 R2 were released as RTM (release to manufacturing) while the former was released to the public 3 months later on October 22, 2009. Unlike its predecessor, Windows Vista, which introduced a large number of new features,[
which?] 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.
[27] Windows 7 has
multi-touchsupport, a redesigned
Windows shell with an updated
taskbar, a home networking system called HomeGroup,
[28] and performance improvements.
Windows 8, the successor to Windows 7, was released generally on October 26, 2012. 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
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.
[29][30][31][32][33][34] An update to Windows 8, called
Windows 8.1, was released on October 17, 2013, and includes features such as new live tile sizes, deeper
SkyDrive integration, and many other revisions.
[35]
Multilingual support: IMEs and LIPs
There are three main issues involved in making English-language Windows multilingual: (1) some languages require an
Input Method Editor (IME) to enter text, (2) many users want application menus (such as MS Office menus) to display in their own language, and they may also want to use a keyboard that matches the normal keyboard layout and marking for their own language, and (3) some users want Windows menus and messages to display in their own language, i.e. they want to be able to switch from an English Windows environment to another language.
For languages like Italian, Spanish, French and German,
(2) alone may suffice. For languages like Chinese, Japanese, and Korean (
CJK), an IME
(1) is also required. This is bundled with the corresponding language version of Windows, but is also available as a separate download for English Windows, as described below; (1) and (2) can be essentially free (apart from the custom keyboard). For some languages,
(3), multilingual support for Windows, is a free download for Windows XP and later—but it requires Windows 7 Ultimate or better for languages such as Chinese, Japanese, and Korean.
(1) After releasing Chinese, Japanese, and Korean bundles of Office 2010 and IME 2010, Microsoft made IME 2010 available as a free upgrade for users of the earlier
IMEversions of Windows. Microsoft later made these Chinese, Japanese, and Korean IME versions available free to users of Windows XP and later, including English Windows XP (but now says that users should own some version of MS Office).
[36] Each IME package enables the entering of text in the corresponding language; necessary fonts may be bundled with it (or supplementary fonts offered with the corresponding version of Office).
(2) Microsoft now also offers
Language Interface Packs (LIPs) for MS Office. Some LIPs are free;
[37] some "Language Packs" (such as the CJK ones) are sold separately and may include spelling and grammar checking tools.
[38] (Recent application software from some companies may support two or more popular languages).
(3) Microsoft now also offers Language Interface Packs (LIPs) that allow users to view Windows menus, dialog boxes, and other user interface items in their preferred language. These are free; most are for English Windows (XP and later)—however, Chinese, Japanese, and Korean LIP downloads require Windows 7 Ultimate or Enterprise.
[39] These LIPs include IMEs where applicable.
Platform support
Windows NT included support for several different platforms before the
x86-based
personal computer became dominant in the professional world.
Windows NT 4.0 and its predecessors supported
PowerPC,
DEC Alpha and
MIPS R4000. (Although some these platforms implement
64-bit computing, the operating system treated them as 32-bit.) However, Windows 2000, the successor of Windows NT 4.0, dropped support for all platforms except the third generation x86 (known as
IA-32) or newer in 32-bit mode. The client line of Window NT family still runs on IA-32, although the
Windows Server line has ceased supporting this platform with the release of
Windows Server 2008 R2.
With the introduction of the
Intel Itanium architecture (IA-64), Microsoft released new versions of Windows to support it. Itanium versions of
Windows XP and
Windows Server 2003were released at the same time as their mainstream x86 counterparts. Windows XP 64-Bit Edition, released in 2005, is the last Windows client operating systems to support Itanium. Windows Server line continued to support this platform until
Windows Server 2012; Windows Server 2008 R2 is the last Windows operating system to support Itanium architecture.
On April 25, 2005, Microsoft released
Windows XP Professional x64 Edition and Windows Server 2003 x64 Editions to support the
x86-64 (or simply x64), the eighth generation of x86 architecture.
Windows Vista was the first client version of Windows NT to be released simultaneously in IA-32 and x64 editions. x64 is still supported.
Windows CE
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. Windows Embedded Compact is based on its own dedicated kernel, dubbed Windows CE kernel. Microsoft licenses Windows CE to
OEMs and device makers. 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.
Timeline of releases
Windows timeline: Table
[show]
Windows timeline: Bar chart
[show]
The Windows family tree
Usage share
Date June 2014 June 2014 June 2014
All versions 90.82% 88.92% 61.56%
Windows 7 48.88% 55.02% 38.70%
Windows XP 27.28% 16.29% 10.22%
Windows 8 6.34% 7.57% 8.88%
Windows 8.1 5.3% 6.7% —
Windows Vista 3.02% 3.38% 3.76%
Windows 2000 0.03% — —
This section contains information of unclear or questionable 
