What is Windows?
Microsoft introduced the first version as 1.0
It was released for both home computing and professional functions of Windows on 10 November 1983. Later, it was released on many versions of Windows as well as the current version, Windows 10.
In 1993, the first business-oriented version of Windows was released, which is known as Windows NT 3.1. Then it introduced the next versions, Windows 3.5, 4/0, and Windows 2000. When the XP Windows was released by Microsoft in 2001, the company designed its various versions for a personal and business environment. It was designed based on standard x86 hardware, like Intel and AMD processor. Accordingly, it can run on different brands of hardware, such as HP, Dell, and Sony computers, including home-built PCs.
Editions of Windows
Microsoft has produced several editions of Windows, starting with Windows XP. These versions have the same core operating system, but some versions included advance features with an additional cost. There are two most common editions of Windows:
- Windows Home
- Windows Professional
Windows Home
Windows Home is basic edition of Windows. It offers all the fundamental functions of Windows, such as browsing the web, connecting to the Internet, playing video games, using office software, watching videos. Furthermore, it is less expensive and comes pre-installed with many new computers.
Windows Professional
Windows Professional is also known as Window Pro or win Pro. It is an enhanced edition of Windows, which is beneficial for power users and small to medium-size businesses. It contains all features of Windows Home as well as the following:
- Remote Desktop: Windows Professional editions allow users to create a remote desktop connection. It provides users the option to connect with another computer remotely, including share the control of its mouse, keyboard, and view display. It is mainly accessed with the help of port 3389. Additionally, we can also use the TeamViewer or VNC application to create a remote desktop connection.
- Trusted Boot: It provides security as encrypting to the boot loader and protects the computer from rootkits (Collection of software tools that allow users to enter another computer through an unauthorized way known as rootkits).
- Bitlocker: It allows users to encrypt a storage drive by using AES (Advanced Encryption Standard) algorithm. This feature is present in Windows 7, and Windows Vista (Only ultimate and Enterprise versions), including Windows Server 2008.
Business laptops or computers mainly use the Bitlocker feature to protect their data on the computer. As if your computer has been stolen, it is very difficult to break the Bitlocker password. It can be unlocked by entering the correct password only. Furthermore, if you forget your Bitlocker password, it cannot be retrieved.
- Windows Sandbox: A sandbox is located on a computer, network, or an online service enables users to experiment or test computer security without interrupting the system.
- Hyper-V: It stands for a hypervisor, and developed by Microsoft Corporation on 26 June 2008. It is also called Windows Server Virtualization. Hyper-V is used for virtualization of x86-64 servers, running virtual machines and third party software like VirtualBox.
- Group policy management: An admin can specify group policies in an organization to manage different Windows users.
- It provides support for the systems that have more than 128 GB of RAM.
- Furthermore, it also offers more Windows update installation options as well as flexible scheduling and postponement around 34 days.
Why is Microsoft Windows called Windows?
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When Microsoft Windows was not introduced, all of the Microsoft users were used MS-DOS operating system. Microsoft gave one word to most of its products; it required a new Word that can represent its new GUI operating system. Microsoft decided to call it Windows because it has the ability to perform several tasks and run applications simultaneously.
Another reason behind calling it Windows was that you could not trademark a common name like Windows. Its official name was Microsoft Windows, the first version 1.0 of Windows was introduced in 1995.
History of Microsoft Windows
Since 1983, Microsoft is producing Windows. The founder of Microsoft 'Bill Gates' announced for Microsoft Windows on 10 November 1983 and released the first version of Windows in 1985. The following table contains history of Windows from edition 1 to 10.
|
Version |
History |
|
Windows 1.0 |
Microsoft introduced Windows with its first version 1.0. It was
released on 20 November 1985, and at the beginning, it was sold for $100.00.
Additionally, it was the first effort by Microsoft to produce a graphical
user interface in 16-bit. |
|
Windows 2.0 |
The
second version, Windows 2.0, was
produced by Microsoft on 9
December 1987 as well as it also introduced the Window 386 on the same day. Initially, the price
was the same $100.00 for
both of the Windows in the market. |
|
Windows 286 |
It was
released in June 1988, and
at the beginning, its price was $100.00. |
|
Windows 3.0 |
It was
the first Windows that needed a hard drive. It was launched by Microsoft
on 22 May 1990. Its
full version was sold for $149.95, and
the updated version was $79.95.
Additionally, the multimedia supported Windows
3 was introduced in October 1991. |
|
Windows 3.1 |
It was
launched in April 1992, when it was in development its code name was Sparta.
It was the commonly used operating system for the PC graphical user
interface. In the first two months after its release, more than one million
copies were sold. It made the Windows usable publishing platform for the
first time by introducing the TrueType fonts. Minesweeper was also used for
the first time on the Windows 3.1. o In 1992, the Windows for Workgroups 3.1 was launched. o Microsoft
introduced Windows NT 3.1 on 27 July 1993. o An
updated version of Windows 3.1, Windows
3.11, was introduced on 31 December 1993. o In February 1994, the Windows for
Workgroups 3.11 was launched. o On 21 September 1994, the Windows NT 5 was introduced. o The
next version Windows NT 3.51, was
introduced on 30 May 1995. |
|
Windows 95 |
As the
name specifies, Windows 95 was launched on 24 August 1995, and within four days of
its release, more than one million copies were sold. It introduced the Start
button and Start menu features for the first time, including important
features such as a 32-bit environment, multitasking, and taskbar.
Furthermore, MS-DOS still played a vital role in Windows 95, with the help of
some programs and elements. |
|
Windows 95 Service Pack |
It was
introduced on 24 February 1996. |
|
Windows NT 4.0 |
On 29 July 1996, Windows NT 4.0 was
launched. |
|
Windows CE |
o The
first version 0 of
Windows CE was introduced in November
1996. o The
Second version 0 of
Windows CE was launched in November
1997. o The
next version 1 of
Windows CE was released in July
1998. o The
third version, 3.0 of
Windows CE, was introduced in 1999. |
|
Windows 98 |
It was
developed on Windows 95, and introduced in June 1998. It was released,
including Internet Explorer 4, Windows Address Book, Outlook Express,
Microsoft Chat, and NetShow Player. |
|
Windows 2000 |
On 17 February 2000, it was launched. |
|
Windows ME |
It was
invented in September 2000, and
it was the last operating system, which was based on MS-DOS and in the
Windows 9x line. According to the enterprise market, it was considered
consumer-aimed Windows with the Windows 2000. It was also provided some
useful features for consumers as well as more automated system recovery
tools. |
|
Windows 2000 |
It was
introduced on 17 February 2000. Basically,
it was based on Microsoft business-oriented system Windows NT, and later it
provided the base for the Windows XP. Furthermore, the automatic updating
feature made their appearance for the first time on Windows 2000, and it was
the first operating system to support hibernation. |
|
Windows XP |
Windows
XP was considered the best edition of Windows; it was introduced on 25 October 2001. It followed Windows ME
and provided consumer-friendly elements. The 64-bit version of Windows XP was introduced on 28 March 2003. Furthermore, Its Professional x64 version was introduced on 24 April 2005. |
|
Windows Vista |
It was
introduced by Microsoft In January 2007. It was brought the better look and
feel user interface and included transparent elements, security, and search.
When it was in the development phase, its code name was "Longhorn."
Windows Media Player 11 and Internet Explorer 7 were made their appearance
for the first time on Windows Vista, included Windows Defender, an
anti-spyware program. It was also provided some useful features such as
Windows DVD Maker, speech recognition, and Photo Gallery. Furthermore, it was
the first operating system to be distributed on DVD. |
|
Windows Server 2008 |
On 27 February 2008, Microsoft introduced
Windows Server 2008. |
|
Windows 7 |
It was
introduced on 22 October 2009 to
overcome all problems that were faced by Windows Vista. It was released with
user-friendly features and less dialogue box overload. It was more stable,
faster, and easy to use as compared to release other previous versions.
Additionally, the handwriting recognition feature was used for the first time
on Windows 7. |
|
Windows Server 2012 |
On 4 September 2012, Microsoft was released
Windows Server 2012. |
|
Windows 8 |
It was
introduced by Microsoft on 26
October 2012. It was released with new features, such as a fast
operating system, support for the USB 3.0 devices, and Web store. The Web
store is a place where you can download different types of Windows
applications; its full-screen mode was run for the first time on Windows 8. |
|
Windows 8.1 |
It was
launched by Microsoft on 17
October 2013. It was re-launched the Start button, which was able to
display the Start screen from the desktop view of Windows 8.1. Furthermore,
it provided a way to select boot directly into the desktop. |
|
Windows 10 |
On 29 July 2015, Microsoft introduced
Windows 10. It was released with some new features such as switching between
a keyboard and mouse mode and a tablet mode, which was beneficial for the
users who use computers like surface Pro 3 with a detachable keyboard. It was
designed for all Windows platforms across several devices, as well as Windows
tablets and Phones, including common applications. |
Features of Windows
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Microsoft Windows includes a lot of features to help users. Some of its excellent features are as follows:
- Control Panel: Windows provides a Control Panel feature that includes many tools to configure and manage the resources on their computer. For example, users can change settings for audio, video, printers, mouse, keyboard, network connections, date and time, power saving options, user accounts, installed applications, etc.
- Cortana: Windows 10 introduced a feature named Cortana, which is able to accept voice commands. It can perform various tasks such as it can answers your questions, search data on your computer, online purchases, set reminders, and appointments, etc. Furthermore, it acts like other voice-activated services such as Google Assistant, Alexa, or Siri, including one more benefit of searching the information on your computer. To open the Cortana in Windows 10, press Window key + S.
- File Explorer: It is also known as Windows Explorer, which displays your files and folders on the computer. It allows users to browse the data on the hard drive, SSD and other inserted removable disks like pen drives and CDs, and you can manage the content according to the requirements such as delete, rename, search, and transfer the data.
- Internet browser: As the internet browser is very important to search for anything, view pages, online shopping, play games, watch videos, etc. Windows come with a pre-installed internet browser. in Windows 10, the Edge internet browser is the default browser. Furthermore, Internet Explorer was the default browser in Microsoft Windows from the Windows edition 95 to 8.1 version.
- Microsoft Paint: Since November 1985, Microsoft Windows comes with pre-installed Microsoft Paint. It is a simple software to create, view, and edit an image. It offers several tools to draw an image, crop, resize, and save an image with a different file extension.
- Taskbar: Windows comes with a taskbar that displays currently opened programs, it also allows users to access any specific programs. Additionally, it includes the notification area on the right side that shows date and time, battery, network, volume, and other background running applications.
- Start menu: Microsoft Windows contains a start menu to the left side of the taskbar. It displays programs and utilities that are installed on the computer. It can be simply opened by clicking on the Start menu button or pressing the start key on the keyboard.
- Task Manager: Windows includes the task manager feature that provides detail of the running applications or programs on the computer. You can also check how much of the system resources, such as RAM, CPU, disk I/O, are being used by each of the applications.
- Disk Cleanup: It is used to free up disk space with the help of deleting temporary or unnecessary files. It also helps to enhance the performance of the computer, and boost storage space to download the programs and documents. To open Disk Cleanup, follow the below steps:
- Open the File Explorer by pressing Window + E.
- Then, right-click on any disk drive and select Properties option from the drop-down list.
- Now, click on the Disk Cleanup.
Difference between Linux and Windows OS
Below is a table to describe the major factors about Linux and Windows operating systems:
|
Topic |
Windows |
Linux |
|
Command Line |
Windows
allows users to use the command line, but not as a Linux command line. To
open the command line, click on the Run dialog box and type CMD in the run
search bar and press Enter key. |
Although
the Linux command-line offers more features for administration and daily
tasks, it does not offer much to end-users. |
|
Reliability |
Windows
has improved its reliability in the past few years, but still it is less
reliable as compared to Linux. |
Linux
is more reliable and secure then Windows OS. It mainly focuses on system
security, process management, and up-time. |
|
Usability |
Windows
is easier to use as it provides a simple user interface. But its installation
process can take more time. |
Although
Linux has the ability to perform complex tasks easier, its installation
process is complicated. |
|
Security |
Microsoft
has enhanced the security features in Windows over recent years. As it has a
huge user base, mostly for new computer users, it can be easily targeted for
malicious coders. Furthermore, among all of the operating systems, Microsoft
Windows can be part of developing malware and viruses. |
Linux
is a more secure operating system as compared to Microsoft Windows. Even
attackers found difficulty in breaking the security with the help of Linux. |
|
Support |
It
provides users the online and integrated help systems, as well as a large
number of informative books, are available to provide help for people at all
skill levels. |
A wide
number of books are available to offer help about Linux, including online
support. |
|
Updates |
Regular
Windows update makes users frustrated by alerting the Windows update for
inconvenient times. Additionally, it takes more time to get an update. |
Linux
provides users full control over updates. They can update it accordingly, and
it takes less time to get an update as well as without any reboot the system. |
|
Licensing |
Microsoft
Windows with license does not allow to modify the software (don't have access
to the source code). It can be installed only on the systems with a Windows
license key. |
Linux
operating system with a license offers users the benefit to re-use the source
code on any number of systems. It is also allowed the users to modify the
software and sell its modified version. |
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