Microsoft Windows

Microsoft Windows

Screenshot of Microsoft Windows Vista

Website: http://www.microsoft.com/windows/

Developer: Microsoft Corporation

OS family: Windows NT-based

Source model: Closed source

Latest stable release: Windows Vista / November 8, 2006

Supported platforms: x86, x86-64

Kernel type: Hybrid kernel

Default user interface: Graphical user interface (Aero)

License: MS-EULA

Working state: Current

Microsoft Windows is the name of several families of proprietary software operating systems developed by Microsoft.

Microsoft first introduced an operating environment named Windows in November 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces (GUI), which was originated by the release of the first Macintosh in 1984.

Microsoft Windows eventually came to dominate the world's personal computer market, overtaking OS/2 and Mac OS which had been introduced earlier. As of 2004, Windows had approximately 90% of the client operating system market.

History

There are two development tracks of Windows that were kept updated through subsequent versions, the versions of Windows which still relied on an MS-DOS subsystem, and Windows NT, which was written from scratch on a completely new, Hybrid microkernel design.

Windows/286 through Windows ME

Windows started life as an attempt at creating a graphical user interface on top of MS-DOS. The first "breakthough" version of Windows that started gaining in popularity was Windows 3.0. Earlier versions weren't feature complete in various ways yet, such as they didn't support overlapped windows, and they couldn't run MS-DOS programs very well. Windows 3.0 changed all that, and combined with the popularity of Microsoft Office on Windows, popularity of Windows boomed.

External links

• Microsoft's Windows website