Microsoft Windows

The first logo of Windows (1985-1991)

Windows is the name of a family of software distributions for PCs, servers, embedded systems, and formerly smartphones developed and sold by Microsoft and available for multiple architectures, such as x86, x86-64 (x64), and ARM.

From a technical point of view, they are not operating systems, but instead contain one (traditionally MS-DOS or the more current one whose core is Windows NT) together with a wide variety of software; however, it is usual (though not necessarily correct) to refer to the suite as an operating system rather than a distribution. Microsoft introduced an operating environment called Windows on November 20, 1985 as a plug-in for MS-DOS in response to growing interest in graphical user interfaces (GUIs). Microsoft Windows came to dominate the market. world of personal computers, with more than 70% of the market share, surpassing Mac OS, which had been introduced in 1984.

The latest version of Windows is Windows 11 for desktop, Windows Server 2022 for servers, and Windows 10 Mobile for mobile devices. The first version in Spanish was Windows 2.1.

The first version was released in 1985 and became widely used thanks to its window-based Graphical User Interface (GUI). Until then (and until much later as the heart of Windows), the most widespread operating system was MS-DOS (Microsoft Disk Operating System), which at that time had a command line-based interface..

Windows 10 came officially and free to users with genuine license of Windows 7, Windows 8 and Windows 8.1 on July 29, 2015, it is the first version that sought the unification of devices (desktop, laptops, smartphones, tablets and game consoles) under a common experience. Its replacement Windows 11 was officially released on October 5, 2021, as a free update through Windows Update of Windows 10 for those computers that meet certain compatible technical specifications of the new system. Microsoft touted that Windows 11 would have improved performance and usability over Windows 10, boasting major changes to the Windows Shell influenced by the canceled Windows 10X, including a redesigned Start menu, as well as incompatibility with 32's x86 architecture. bits or systems using BIOS firmware.

Most used versions

The second logo of Windows (1992-1995)

History

The third logo of Windows (1995-2001)

Windows Genealogical Tree

The first version of Microsoft Windows, version 1.0, released in December 1985, competed with Apple's operating system. It lacked a certain degree of functionality and achieved very little popularity. Windows 1.0 was not a complete operating system; rather it was a graphical extension to MS-DOS.

Windows version 2.0 was released in November 1987 and was slightly more popular than its predecessor. Windows 2.03 (released in January 1988) included for the first time windows that could overlap each other. The result of this change led Apple to file a lawsuit against Microsoft, due to copyright infringement.

Windows version 3.0, released in 1990, was the first version of Microsoft Windows to achieve widespread commercial success, selling 2 million copies in its first six months. It featured improvements to the user interface and multitasking. It received a facelift in Windows 3.1, which became generally available on March 1, 1992. Support for Windows 3.1 ended on December 31, 2001.

On August 24, 1995, Microsoft released Windows 95, a new consumer version of the Windows operating system intended to replace Windows 3.1 as the graphical interface and MS-DOS as the operating system. In this edition, very significant improvements were introduced with respect to its predecessors, among which we can mention the profound changes made to the Windows graphical user interface, which was completely different from those of previous versions, and going from using a multitasking architecture. 16-bit cooperative to using a 32-bit preemptive multitasking architecture.

Windows 95 was the first version of Windows to include the taskbar and Start button, which continued to be included in later versions of Windows, as well as being the first version to support Plug and Play.

Accompanied by an extensive multi-million dollar marketing campaign, Windows 95 was a huge success in the market upon its release and soon became one of the most popular desktop operating systems.

The next for the user line was released on June 25, 1998, Microsoft Windows 98. It was heavily criticized for its slowness and unreliability compared to Windows 95, but many of its basic problems were later rectified with the release of Windows 98 Second Edition in 1999. Mainstream support for Windows 98 ended on June 30, 2002, and extended support for Windows 98 ended on July 11, 2006.

The sixth logo of Windows (2012-2021)

The seventh and current logo of Windows (2021-presente)

As part of its "professional" line, Microsoft released Windows 2000 in February 2000. The consumer version after Windows 98 was Windows Me (Windows Millennium Edition). Windows Me implemented a series of new technologies for Microsoft: in particular it was the "Universal Plug and Play". During 2004 part of the source code of Windows 2000 was leaked on the internet, this was bad for Microsoft because the same kernel used in Windows 2000 was used in Windows XP.

In October 2001, Microsoft released Windows XP, a version built on the Windows NT kernel that also retains the consumer-oriented usability of Windows 95 and its successors. In two distinct editions, "Home" and "Professional," the former largely lacks the security and networking features of the Professional edition. Also, the first "Media Center" edition was released in 2004, with an emphasis on supporting DVD and TV functionality, thus including TV recording and a remote control. At the beginning of the 2000s, Windows was beginning to position itself as the innovator in the market, but its position was in decline.

On January 30, 2007, Microsoft released Windows Vista. It contains a host of new features, starting with a redesigned shell, and the user interface offers significant major technical changes, with a focus on security features. It is available in six different editions.

On October 22, 2009, Microsoft released Windows 7. Unlike its predecessor, Windows Vista, which introduced a large number of new features, Windows 7 was intended to be an incremental, focused update to the Windows lineup, with the goal of being compatible with applications and hardware that Windows Vista was not compatible with. Windows 7 has multi-touch support, a redesigned Windows shell with a new taskbar, known as Superbar, a network system called HomeGroup, and performance improvements, especially speed and less resource consumption.

On October 26, 2012, Microsoft released Windows 8. The biggest change introduced is the replacement of the Start Menu with a full-size Start screen, which includes new apps. Its use is emphasized for devices with touch screens, although it can be used with a mouse and keyboard. For the first time since Windows 95, the Start button disappears from the taskbar. The desktop has a new interface and Windows Explorer has a "Ribbon" from Microsoft Office. A massive system update, Windows 8.1, was released on October 17, 2013 with new improvements to customization, performance, and a Start screen button, the absence of which in Windows 8 was criticized.

On July 29, 2015, Microsoft released Windows 10. It features a suite of applications and an interface that can be used on personal computers and mobile devices. Visually it is similar to its predecessor, however, the Start Menu returns in this version. Windows 10 introduces a new browser: Microsoft Edge, and a personal voice assistant: Cortana, along with a minimalist system interface. It is a system that, unlike its predecessors, will launch massive updates periodically to become a service system. Until July 29, 2016, Microsoft offered a free upgrade to Windows 10 from a PC running Windows 7 or Windows 8.1.

On June 24, 2021, Microsoft announced and confirmed Windows 11 as the operating system that was officially released on October 5, 2021. It incorporates a Fluent Design-based user interface including transparency, drop shadows, rounded icons throughout the system. The Start menu undergoes a redesign that removes the tiles from the side. Icons on the taskbar including the Start button appear centered in the middle of the screen, a layout that has been compared to the macOS dock.

Windows beta versions

Beta, Alpha or trial versions are free versions that are created as a base for the next Windows operating system to be released. In them are placed some functions that Microsoft has set by default and releases them to the public to show users what the future version of Windows can be like. While these versions are active, users can report bugs found in the operating system, (since they do not have support for updates) and if the report is fixed, Microsoft will give an amount of money to the user who has reported said bug.

Trial versions are very different from the original ones, since they are not commercialized and they have different names. For example, the version that was used to create Windows 95, was named "Chicago". These names are also often called "Codenames". In some test versions (such as Windows 8 BETA), they do not carry a respective codename, and for this reason they carry the name of the next version of Windows of the respective test version, together with its "Beta".

• Chicago (Windows 95)

• Memphis (Windows 98)

• Neptune / Whistler (Windows XP)

• Longhorn (Windows Vista)

• Blackcomb / Vienna (Windows 7)

• Blue (Windows 8.1)

• Threshold (Windows 10)

• Redstone (Windows 10 Anniversary Update until October 2018 Update)

• Vanadium (Windows 10 November 2019 Update)

• Vibranium (Windows 10 2004, 20H2 and 21H1)

• Sun Valley (Windows 11 and Windows 10 21H2)

Release history

Date of publication	Name	Support	Support status	Duration
20 November 1985	Windows 1.0	No.	Support completed on 31 December 2001 (21 years and 28 days)	16 years and 1 month
9 December 1987	Windows 2.0	No.	Support completed on 31 December 2001 (21 years and 28 days)	14 years and 1 month
22 May 1990	Windows 3.0	No.	Support completed on 31 December 2001 (21 years and 28 days)	11 years and 7 months
27 July 1993	Windows NT	No.	Support completed on 31 December 2001 (21 years and 28 days)	9 years and 8 months
24 August 1995	Windows 95	No.	The standard support ended on 31 December 2000 (22 years and 28 days). The extended support ended on 31 December 2001 (21 years and 28 days).	5 years and 4 months 6 years and 4 months
25 June 1998	Windows 98	No.	The standard support ended on 30 June 2002 (20 years, 6 months and 28 days). The extended support ended on 11 July 2006 (16 years, 6 months and 17 days).	4 years 8 years and 1 month
17 February 2000	Windows 2000	No.	The standard support ended on 30 June 2005 (17 years, 6 months and 28 days). The extended support ended on 13 July 2010 (12 years, 6 months and 15 days).	5 years and 4 months 10 years and 5 months
14 September 2000	Windows Me	No.	The standard support ended on 31 December 2003 (19 years and 28 days). The Extended Support ended on July 11, 2006 (16 years, 6 months and 17 days)	3 years and 3 months 5 years and 10 months
25 October 2001	Windows XP	No.	The standard support ended on April 14, 2009 (13 years, 9 months and 14 days). Extended support ended on April 8, 2014 (8 years, 9 months and 20 days)	7 years and 6 months 12 years and 6 months
30 January 2007	Windows Vista	No.	The standard support ended on April 10, 2012 (10 years, 9 months and 18 days). Extended support ended on April 11, 2017 (5 years, 9 months and 17 days)	5 years and 3 months 10 years and 3 months
22 October 2009	Windows 7	No.	The standard support ended on January 13, 2015 (8 years and 15 days). Extended support ended on January 14, 2020 (3 years and 14 days).	5 years and 3 months 10 years and 3 months
26 October 2012	Windows 8	No.	The support ended on January 12, 2016 (7 years and 16 days).	3 years and 3 months
17 October 2013	Windows 8.1	No.	The support ended on January 10, 2023 (18 days).	4 years and 3 months 9 years and 3 months
29 July 2015	Windows 10	Yes.	Standard support varies according to Windows 10 versions Extended support will end on 14 October 2025 (-3 years, 3 months and 14 days)	2015 LTSB: 7 2016 LTSB: 9 2019 LTSC: 10
5 October 2021	Windows 11	Yes.	The support started since October 2021.

Security

One of the main criticisms of Windows operating systems is the weakness of the system in terms of security and the high rate of critical vulnerabilities. Bill Gates himself, founder of Microsoft, has repeatedly assured that security is the primary objective for his company.

Based on the fact that there is no such thing as a completely error-free system, criticism focuses on the slowness with which the company reacts to a security problem that can take months or even years difference from the time the vulnerability is reported to the time a patch is released.

In some cases the lack of response from Microsoft has led to the development of patches that fix security problems made by third parties.

One of the pillars on which the security of Windows products is based is security by concealment, in general, a characteristic aspect of proprietary software that nevertheless seems to be one of those responsible for the weakness of this operating system since, the security by stealth itself, constitutes a violation of Kerckhoff's principle, which states that the security of a system lies in its design and not in an alleged ignorance of the design on the part of the attacker.

Windows Defender

On January 6, 2005, Microsoft released a Beta version of Microsoft AntiSpyware, based on the previously released Giant AntiSpyware. On February 14, 2006, Microsoft AntiSpyware became Windows Defender with the release of Beta 2. Windows Defender was a program designed to protect against spyware and other unwanted software. Windows XP and Windows Server 2003 users who have genuine copies of Microsoft Windows can freely download the program from the Microsoft website, and Windows Defender is provided as part of Windows Vista and Windows 7. Windows Defender and Microsoft Security Essentials have been combined in a single program, called Windows Defender. Its features and user interface are based on Microsoft Security Essentials. Likewise, Windows Defender became an antivirus and Spyware program. Although it is enabled by default, it can be disabled to use another antivirus solution.

File permissions

In all versions of Windows NT 3 have relied on a file system permissions system called AGLP (Accounts, Global, Local, Permissions) AGLP which in essence where file permissions are applied to the folder on form of a local group which then has other 'global groups' as members. These global groups hold other groups or users depending on the different versions of Windows you use. This system varies from other vendor products such as Linux and NetWare due to 'static' Directory permission assignment applies to the file or folder. However with this process AGLP/AGDLP/AGUDLP allows a small number of static permissions to be applied and allows easy changes to account groups without reapplying the file permissions of the files and folders.

Applications

These are applications that come pre-installed with the Windows 10 operating system.

Windows 10

• Notepad is a simple text editor included in Microsoft's operating systems since 1985. Its functionality is very simple.

The European Commission, which has imposed several fines on Microsoft

• Internet Explorer is a web browser produced by Microsoft for your Windows platform. It was created in 1995 after Microsoft's acquisition of the Mosaic source code, a browser developed by Spyglass, being then renamed Internet Explorer. The first versions, based on Mosaic, did not pose any threat to the then dominant Netscape Navigator, as they were quite simple and were not compatible with some of the most popular extensions of Netscape that dominated the website of the time (such as frames or JavaScript). It was the Internet browser with the highest market share, as it is included by default with Windows, which has cost Microsoft lawsuits by monopoly in Europe, currently its use is very low.
• Microsoft Edge is a web browser developed by Microsoft for the Windows platform. It is developed based on the Chromium project developed by Google as Open Source, due to the failure of the former Microsoft Edge, the company decides to develop the browser from scratch, taking into account safety and performance. As stated on Microsoft's official website: "Rebuilt from scratch to offer you first class compatibility and performance, the security and privacy you deserve, and new features designed to offer you the best of the Web."
• Character map is a utility included with Microsoft Windows operating systems and is used to display all the fonts installed on the system, to check the keyboard input (Alt + code).
• Paint is a simple graphic drawing program developed by Microsoft. Its predecessor was PaintBrush, included from Windows 1.0 to Windows 3.11. Since then, Paint has accompanied the Microsoft Windows operating system since Windows 95. It has a new version, Paint 3D, incorporated from the Windows 10 Creator Update update.
• Windows Media Player is a multimedia player that allows to play music and video of compatible formats (.mp3,.mp4,.waw,.wmv, etc.). The latest version of this player has been version 12. Windows Media Player is included in all versions of Windows, including the latest versions such as Windows 8.1 or Windows 10. It is currently in disuse.
• Windows Journal is an application created by Microsoft and included from Windows XP to Windows 8.1. It is designed to be used with touch screens and capture drawings directly in this way, you can also insert images and text; generated documents have jnt extension.
• WordPad is a basic text processor that is included in almost all versions of Microsoft Windows from Windows 95 onwards. It is more advanced than the Notepad but easier than the Microsoft Works and Microsoft Word text processor.

Criticism and controversies

Microsoft was sued by the United States government in 1998 for unfair competition, and especially for the inclusion of the Internet Explorer browser in its Windows 95 version. After this complaint, the penalty led Microsoft to launch a version of Windows 95 without your Internet browser.

In 2000 Windows ME became a target of criticism due to its constant system crashes, which ended with a blue screen in most cases, in addition to consuming more resources than it was said. PC World even ranked Windows ME the fourth "worst technology product" of history in the article «Top 25 of the worst technological products».

In 2004 Microsoft launched a campaign, called "Let's Get to the Facts", featuring hundreds of well-known companies that migrated from GNU/Linux to Windows Server and increased their productivity and other types of comparisons, although it was closed shortly later, in 2007. GNU/Linux advocates developed their own study arguing that, contrary to one of Microsoft's claims, GNU/Linux has lower administrative costs than Windows-based servers. Another study by the Yankee Group claims that upgrading from one version of Windows Server to another platform costs less than switching from GNU/Linux to Windows Server.