Windows history: how it all began. Windows operating system Windows operating systems

Big hello, today we will burn about Windows, have you ever wondered what this animal is? Let's get back to basics and take a closer look.

To put it right Windows - this, if translated from English, windows. But since this article is not about windows and doors, we can conclude that Windows is operating system, which is used on most computers these days. Of course, this is not the only operating system of our time, there are many others, for example: Linux, Mac, Unix.

In addition, in order to manage all the components of the computer, the operating system must also take care of the convenience of such control. All Windows operating systems differ in the date of their creation and the number of functions. Nowadays, about ten different windows operating systems can be distinguished. Their difference is the variety of interfaces and their simplicity.

For example, in order to ask the computer certain programs, now it is not necessary to enter combinations, unlike the first operating systems, on the keyboard, but it is worth it, just make a couple of mouse clicks. Yes, the convenience of Windows is impressive, because a huge number of people do not know how to work on a computer and the simplicity of the system is more important to them than its performance. If you have a computer recently and you are a beginner, then the best system for you, of course, is Windows. This operating system is very easy to use and maintain.

In the Windows operating system, when it boots, you can observe desktop(we talked about what it is), which contains the shortcuts of certain applications. To launch any application, you just need to click on it with the mouse. It couldn't be easier.

Many people say that windows are worse because a sea of \u200b\u200bviruses and other heresies are written on it, but it's true. But all other systems have a very complex interface for novice users, and it is not so easy to maintain them, it is for this reason that windows are used more often than other systems.

Why was the system called windows? Because all applications open on the screen in such squares like windows, to put it simply. You can open a large number of windows at a time to run multiple applications at the same time.

In short, the two most popular Windows operating systems were and are:

Now let's remember when the first Windows OS came out (you can find all the articles about the problems associated with Windows). In 1985, Windows 1.0 was released on Intel 8086 processors, version 2.0 was released two years later, and in 1990 the third version.

Then there were Windows 95, 98, Me, the NT family: 2000, XP, Vista and many others.

"" Was released in 2009, was already in 2012, and appeared in 2015.

Quick Launch Bar. Remarkably, this was the last MS-DOS-based system.

Windows NT family

Windows Embedded family

The popularity of Windows

Windows Security

History

2020

End of support and release of updates for Microsoft Windows 7 and Microsoft Windows Server 2008 R2

As of January 20, 2020, according to the FSTEC of the Russian Federation, the following versions of Microsoft Windows 7 and Microsoft Windows Server 2008 R2 operating systems, certified for information security requirements, continue to be used in information systems of federal and regional state authorities, local governments, and organizations :

• Microsoft Windows 7 (SP1) in the Professional, Enterprise and Ultimate editions;

• Microsoft Windows Server 2008 R2 (SP1) in Standard, Enterprise and Datacenter editions;

• Microsoft Windows Server 2008 Standard Edition Service Pack 2 ";

• Microsoft Windows Server 2008 "Standard Edition 32-bit / 64-bit;

• Microsoft Windows Server 2008 Enterprise Edition Service Pack 2 ";

• Microsoft Windows Server 2008 "Enterprise Edition 32-bit / 64-bit;

• Microsoft Windows Server 2008 "32-bit / 64-bit version of Datacenter.

The use of such a wide range of versions of Microsoft Windows 7 and Microsoft Windows Server 2008 R2 FSTEC RF, in particular, connects with the presence of a large number of specific application software developed for these operating systems, which is used in Russia by state authorities and organizations.

A prerequisite for the use of certified versions of Microsoft Windows 7 and Microsoft Windows Server 2008 R2 in information systems used in Russia, according to the FSTEC RF, in accordance with the operational documentation, is the installation of certified updates of these systems. Updates are released by Microsoft Windows 7 and Microsoft Windows Server 2008 R2, Microsoft Corporation, and are provided by Russian operating system manufacturers.

In connection with the termination of support and release of updates for Microsoft Windows 7 and Microsoft Windows Server 2008, FSTEC RF took a number of measures. Namely:

• suspended the validity of certificates of conformity for Microsoft Windows 7 (SP1) in the editions "Professional", "Enterprise" and "Maximum";

• terminated the certificates of conformity for Microsoft Windows Server 2008 R2 (SP1) in Standard, Enterprise and Datacenter editions;

• made a decision to exclude information about certificates NN 2180/1, 2181/1, 1928/1, 1928, 1929/1, 1929, 1930 from the state register of certified information security tools on June 1, 2020.

FSTEC of Russia recommends that government authorities and organizations that use certified versions of Microsoft Windows 7 and Microsoft Windows Server 2008 R2 operating systems to protect information plan measures to transfer information systems to information security-certified operating systems supported by their manufacturers by June 1, 2020 ... Prior to this transition, taking into account the models of information security threats, FSTEC advises to take the following additional protection measures:

• install all current mandatory certified updates of certified versions of Microsoft Windows 7 and Microsoft Windows Server 2008 R2 operating systems released by Russian manufacturers;

• set a ban on automatic updates of certified versions of Microsoft Windows 7 and Microsoft Windows Server 2008 R2;

• configure and provide periodic monitoring of the protection mechanisms of certified versions of Microsoft Windows 7 and Microsoft Windows Server 2008 R2 operating systems based on the relevant guidelines;

• if possible, exclude the connection to the Internet and to departmental / corporate local area networks of computer equipment or segments of information systems running under Microsoft Windows 7 and Microsoft Windows Server 2008 R2;

• if such a shutdown is impossible, take mandatory measures to segment information systems and protect their perimeter and allocated segments;

• to ensure regular backup of information, software and information protection means contained on computer equipment or in segments of information systems running under Microsoft Windows 7 and Microsoft Windows Server 2008 R2 to external storage media;

• regulate and ensure control over the use of removable computer storage media, excluding from them those unregistered in the information system and not verified by anti-virus protection;

• to conduct periodic analysis of vulnerabilities of information systems segments running Microsoft Windows 7 and Microsoft Windows Server 2008 R2 using certified information security controls, as well as periodic monitoring of the integrity of installed operating systems;

• apply additional certified means of protecting information of operating systems;

• monitor publicly available sources that publish information about vulnerabilities for information about vulnerabilities in Microsoft Windows 7 and Microsoft Windows Server 2008 R2 and take appropriate action;

• develop and implement rules and procedures for officials to act in the event of vulnerabilities in Microsoft Windows 7 and Microsoft Windows Server 2008 R2 or information security incidents related to their use.

2018

Availability of commercial OpenJDK support on the Microsoft Windows platform

Windows is no longer Microsoft's main business

In April 2018, Bloomberg released an article titled "Microsoft is officially no longer a Windows company." The journalists noticed that operating systems bring far from the greatest income to the American company in comparison with other products, and the software giant itself is increasingly focusing on cloud technologies.

In 2012, then-Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer stated that "nothing is more important to the company than Windows." During one of the conferences, he emotionally chanted: “Windows! Windows! Windows! ".

Microsoft has become less likely to release regular updates and has also made them part of the cost of buying a new computer or contract to ship a batch of PCs for companies, instead of customers paying for new hardware or updating the operating system when the next version is released.

Every year, no more than 15% of sales of smartphones, tablets and computers combined come from Windows devices, and the OS is not penetrating new areas like self-driving cars or smart home systems.

2014

Windows XP leads in number of installations in enterprises

Windows 10 release

Windows 10 will support various types of devices:

• desktop PCs,
• laptops,
• tablets,
• tVs.

Windows 3.0 had a nice graphical user interface (compared to what has appeared for the IBM PC until now), provided a significant range of services, operated with all the memory addressable by the 80286, 80386 and higher microprocessors. With 32-bit microprocessors (80386 and higher) and with at least 2 MB of memory, Windows 3.0 could use virtual memory, this mode of operation was called extended (386 Enhanced Mode).

1988-1993: Apple trial over visual interface

On March 17, 1988, Apple sued Microsoft in connection with Windows and Hewlett-Packard in connection with New Wave, the company's new Windows-based product. Apple's lawsuit alleged that the company spent millions of dollars and several years developing the visual interface that has become the hallmark of the Macintosh. Apple accused Microsoft of violating its 1985 license agreement by claiming that Windows 2.03, released in late 1987, was an illegal use of the "look and feel" of the Macintosh interface. In the lawsuit, Apple insisted on stopping the sale and distribution of Windows, awarding it all the profits from the sale of Windows 2.03.

Microsoft filed an objection claiming that the company was in good faith in compliance with the 1985 agreement.Portions of that agreement were made public, indicating that Apple had licensed Microsoft to use the visuals already included in six Microsoft programs (Windows 1.0, Multiplan, Chart, File, Excel and Word for Macintosh) into all existing or future software applications. Additionally, Apple has granted Microsoft the right to sublicense these items. Microsoft has argued that the 1985 agreement covers Windows 2.03 by default, and therefore will not modify Windows or the applications written for it and will continue to manufacture and market those products.

In early 1990, the case was assigned to Judge Walker of the San Francisco District Court. Judge Walker also considered Xerox's lawsuit against Apple, in which Xerox accused Apple of infringing the same copyright. This claim was dismissed in early May 1990.

The stakes on both sides in this process were high. If Apple won, Microsoft could be forced to withdraw Windows 3.0 from the market or pay Apple for each copy sold. If the case was decided in favor of Microsoft and Hewlett-Packard, Apple could lose the market advantage of originality, because then it opened the way for all firms to copy the interface features that make up the uniqueness of the Macintosh.

In 1993, Judge Walker ruled in favor of Microsoft in Apple v. Microsoft and Hewlett-Packard and dismissed Apple's claims that it had copyright on certain interface elements.

1987: Exit of Windows 2.0

Since 1987, the situation began to change dramatically. In November of this year, a new version was released - Windows 2.0, powerful and well-known applications written to work under Windows began to appear.

1985: Boxes with the first Windows appeared in stores

Microsoft Windows 1.0. had many flaws and bugs, was considered a bad copy of Apple's operating system.

On November 10, 1983, Microsoft announced the development of a graphical Windows operating system, although as early as late 1982, Microsoft programmers began to create a universal set of graphics routines called the Computer Graphic Interface (CGI).

By the November 1983 COMDEX show, the first Windows prototype was ready. At the presentation of the first Windows variant, it was promised that commercial sales would begin in May 1984. In the spring of 1984, the sales start date was pushed back to November. In November 1984, this date was pushed back to June 1985.

Windows and piracy

In 2007, Microsoft published some interesting statistics. According to the data obtained from the results of the Windows Genuine Advantage program, one in five (22%) Windows worldwide is unlicensed. At the same time, according to the analytical company Business Software Alliance, the percentage of pirated copies of the OS is much higher, and amounts to about 35%.

Microsoft is actively fighting illegal use of its operating system. So, in 2007, Microsoft provided corporate users with the opportunity to switch from pirated Windows to licensed, while paying only for the "license". By participating in this action, organizations were exempted from penalties for using pirated Windows.

In December 2008, Microsoft filed 63 lawsuits against counterfeit software vendors in 12 countries. They were accused of selling pirated copies of the Windows XP operating system. According to Microsoft, sellers offered the Windows XP Blue Edition operating system at online auctions. Buyers have been told that the Blue Edition is a special licensed version of Windows XP with a low price tag.

Around the same time, the Frunzenskiy District Court of Vladivostok sentenced a local resident to one year suspended imprisonment and a fine of 117 thousand rubles for the illegal installation of the Windows XP operating system and a suite of Microsoft office applications. Then, the investigation established that the defendant installed counterfeit Microsoft Windows XP Professional and Microsoft Office programs on four computers for 2 thousand rubles.

At the beginning of the year Microsoft introduced the new Windows 10 operating system. We propose to step into the past and remember how the most popular Windows operating system in the world looked and changed before. Many users no longer remember how Windows looked in the last century, and a new generation of users did not have time to catch the first versions of the system. Life-Pics.ru offers: remember everything!

Microsoft - On November 20, 1985 officially released Windows 1.0 (a software shell for MS-DOS). System requirements: hard disk or two floppy disks, 256 KB of RAM, graphics adapter, MS-DOS 2.0. The Windows 1.0 operating system did not gain the same popularity as Apple's Macintosh. As a result, Microsoft supported Windows 1.0 for 16 years, until December 31, 2001.

The second version of Windows comes with improved graphics. The new intel 286 and intel 386 processors extend the capabilities of Windows 2.0. Icons appeared on the desktop, the ability to launch several windows that can be superimposed on each other, now the user can interact with the system using hot key combinations. Windows 2.0 made Microsoft the world's largest software company.

With Windows 3.0, the success of the system begins. New user interface (16 colors). Under Windows 3.0 comes a suite of office applications Microsoft Office, which included Word, Excel and Powerpoint. 10 million licenses were sold in 2 years. Minesweeper has played a big role in the success of Windows 3.0, and the game still helps office managers while away the time at work.

The next 32-bit Windows NT 3.1 system was aimed at corporate customers, included integrated networking, Windows multitasking scheduler, server domain (secure), support for multiple processor architectures. Then the NTFS file system first appeared. Among power users, Windows NT 3.1 was called the most stable operating system. NT was developed separately from other Windows systems. It all started when Microsoft and IBM began joint development of OS / 2, but something went wrong and the companies dispersed, then OS / 2 had to be remade into Windows NT, which after a few years will save the name of the operating system.

Windows 95 is a fairly popular operating system, 7 million licenses were sold, but users treated the new version of Windows with aggression and mistrust. All previous versions were installed on top of the tried and tested MS-DOS, but Windows 95 was a full-fledged operating system and required a complete departure from the command line. The system was not quite stable, and the environment is completely new. Windows 95 was the most advertised system, and this did not stop users from giving it a new name "Mazdai" (from the English "must die" - must die) and WinDoze (Sleepy Windows). Ordinary users had to get used to the peculiarities of Windows 95, periodically reinstall it to get the former stability of the system, there was nowhere else to go, only to WinNT and Linux systems popular among programmers, OS / 2 in which an ordinary user could not understand.

With Windows 95, a familiar graphical interface was formed with the "Start" button, icons on the desktop and the taskbar. Windows 95 introduced the whole world to BSOD - "Blue Screen of Death", which haunts us to this day.

The Windows 98 operating system is designed specifically for users, includes support for USB devices and DVDs, and a Windows Update utility that automatically installs Windows updates. Users were in no hurry to switch to the new operating system, many considered it to be a transition between Windows 95 and the upcoming Windows Millenium, which was supposed to save users from all the suffering.

The home operating system failed. Windows 2000 Professional was released for the business market (enterprise system), which implemented easy hardware installation, wireless devices, support for USB devices, infrared devices and IEEE 1394, as well as a host of vulnerabilities that were treated with many updates over the next 10 years. Users believed Microsoft's advertisements that Windows 2000 was the most secure operating system because it belonged to the Windows NT family. Users were eager to install Windows 2000 on their home computers.

Microsoft released a new system that turned out to be a cruel joke on a user who was expecting better. Windows ME was written based on the Windows 95 code, users didn't like it and they didn't switch to it. The operating system received a useful "System Restore" utility, which in case of a serious error allowed to roll back the system to an earlier date to the created restore point, this made it possible not to reinstall the system and all installed programs. Windows ME included the video editing and viewing programs Windows Movie Maker and Windows Media Player, since the system was intended for the end user. This is the last Windows based on Win 95.

What all Windows users have been waiting for has happened. A beautiful, understandable, stable, fast Windows XP was released, which conquered all users and made everyone forget everything from Win 95 to Win Me - like a bad dream. The new operating system was named Windows NT 5.1 for the year, giving power users even more confidence. Now, all the advantages of the NT family are available to home users at their best.
Windows XP remained the most popular operating system until 2012.

This is Microsoft's biggest setback in years, Windows Vista is coming out, which was slow, glitched, unstable, but with a nice interface. Power users have been porting Vista to the stable and fast Win XP. Microsoft sold 100 million Windows Vista licenses in its first year of sales.

New operating system Win 7 - fast, stable, beautiful, with Aero interface. Windows 7 quickly gained popularity among home users and the business segment. Then the "Seven" began to compete with the time-tested Windows XP.

Windows 7 has become smarter and more independent, the system detects connected devices and installs drivers, works correctly with any networks, a new security system that can do without installing third-party antiviruses. Windows 7 learned to support touch screens, but it was brought to mind only in the next version.

The Windows 8 operating system has received a completely new tiled Metro interface. The system was sharpened for a touch screen, but a classic desktop was implemented for ordinary monitors (without a sensor). The usual "Start" button was removed altogether, and the "Active button" was made, which, when pressed, opens a menu with tiles. Tiles can be enlarged and reduced, dragged and sorted in any order, groups can be created and given names.

Windows 8 is a stable, beautiful, fast system. Has its own application store, one Microsoft account for synchronizing all devices with each other, integrated cloud storage OneDrive. On the right, a pop-up working panel appeared, quite convenient and functional, smart search that searches all hard drives, removable media, network storages and the Internet.

Most computers run Windows 7 and Windows XP operating systems, users did not want to try the "tiled" interface or simply did not have time to upgrade to Windows 8, Windows 10 is coming soon.

Microsoft fully acknowledged that the imposed "tiled" interface did not suit the user's taste, users did not like the absence of the "Start" button, which Microsoft would return to the new Windows 10 operating system. The system received a new "Action Center" panel, several active desktops, notification center, personal assistant Cortana. The transition to the new Windows 10 system will be free (for a year)

Over the 30-year history of the OS, nine major versions of the system have been released: from Windows 1.0 developed by Bill Gates to the latest release under the leadership of the new CEO Satya Nadella. Windows is the most widely used operating system and it is installed on more than 88% of personal computers in the world.

The very first Windows 1.0 came out in November 1985. In truth, the first version released was Window 1.01, as 1.0 had a major bug. This was Microsoft's first real attempt at creating a graphical user interface in a 16-bit architecture.

However, Windows 1.0, unlike Mac OS, was not an independent operating system and was only a graphical superstructure over DOS. Because of this, many users by inertia continued to use the "Command Line" to manage the system, although there was mouse support in the system.

To get users accustomed to the new input system, Microsoft came up with the game Reversi, which had to be played with a mouse. In this way, users learned to move the mouse by clicking with it on various objects on the screen. The Minesweeper pursued the same goal.

The second and third versions of Windows were also a "shell" for MS-DOS, but had a number of innovations. In 2.0, released on December 9, 1987, it became possible to arrange windows one above the other in an arbitrary order, for the first time appeared the "Control Panel" (which is used to this day), as well as program description files (PIF files). It also became the first Windows platform to include Microsoft Word and Excel.

The third version, which appeared on May 22, 1990, received the Program Manager and File Manager, as well as an updated version of the Control Panel and Solitaire, which is still an integral part of Windows. In addition, the new operating system looks much better thanks to support for 256 colors in the VGA video adapter and changes to the graphical interface.

However, the company is no stranger to experimentation. So, at the CES in 1995, a software product for Windows 3.0 Microsoft Bob was presented, which was developed without the participation of Bill Gates. The idea was to create a "social interface" by replacing the "Program Manager" with a cartoon house, where the corresponding applications were stored in the "rooms" and the dog named Rover was the default guide around the house.

Then it was updated, in Microsoft Office there was such a character as Paperclip. We can say that Bob anticipated the emergence of modern virtual personal assistants like Cortana and Siri. In July 2013, Bob commented on the legacy of Windows: "We were just ahead of our time, as is the case with most of our mistakes."

A full-fledged Microsoft operating system appeared only in August 1995. Windows 95 was a significant milestone in the evolution of Windows. Compared to 3.0, it has a huge number of innovations.

The "Start" menu, already familiar to all users, and icons for quick access to files and applications on the desktop have appeared. Windows 95 pioneered a 32-bit environment, the Taskbar, and was focused on multitasking. MS-DOS still played an important role in Windows 95 and was required to run a number of programs and items. Interaction with files and folders was done through icons.

Also in Windows 95, the Internet Explorer browser appeared, but it was not installed by default - it required the Windows 95 Plus package. In later versions, Internet Explorer was originally installed because the Netscape Navigator and NCSA Mosaic browsers were popular at the time.

Windows 98, which was released on June 25, 1998, was even more consumer-oriented than its predecessor Windows 95. It introduced a number of user interface enhancements through Windows Desktop Update in Internet Explorer 4, including the Quick Launch Bar. , active desktop, the ability to minimize the window by clicking on the title of the window, as well as the "Back" and "Forward" buttons and the address bar in Windows Explorer.

In 2000, the company introduced two completely different operating systems at once - Windows 2000 and Windows ME. The first belonged to the NT family of operating systems (new technologies), while the second was built on the Windows 9x platform. Windows Millennium can be called the next step in the evolution of Windows 98, adding some elements of the Windows 2000 interface and making it as simple as possible for modern home use.

Windows ME has been heavily criticized by users because of its instability and unreliability, frequent freezes and crashes. Some users decoded ME as Mistake Edition (erroneous edition). This version is still considered one of the worst products from Microsoft.

Windows 2000 was targeted at business customers and later became the basis for Windows XP.

In Windows 2000, automatic updates played an important role. It also introduces hibernation for the first time. Windows 2000 Professional introduced numerous enhancements, such as the "plug and play" concept: when a new peripheral was plugged in, the operating system found the right drivers for it and it started working.

The triumphant Windows XP was released in October 2001. The new system was a kind of symbiosis of Windows 2000 and Windows ME. Like Windows 2000, it was based on Windows NT, but added client-side elements from Windows ME.

In the new OS, a new design of the graphical interface, anti-aliasing of text on LCD monitors, the ability to quickly switch between users, and many other pleasant features were implemented. Windows XP is a long-lived operating system: three major updates were released for it, and support for the OS ended only in 2014, that is, 13 years after release - this support period is the longest among all Windows operating systems.

Windows XP was a combination of 2000 and ME

The system also had drawbacks. For example, when installing the OS, the user is prompted to create an account with administrator rights, which leads to a potential vulnerability of the system to viruses. Also, the disadvantages include quite high system requirements at that time: a processor of at least 500 MHz and more than 128 MB of RAM.

Following the huge success of Windows XP, Microsoft released Windows Vista. The system was released in 2007. The new OS was a kind of attempt to revolutionize the design of the graphical interface. Microsoft also tried to fix the security flaws that plagued XP users.

However, the new system came out extremely mediocre. This is evidenced at least by the fact that OS won first place in the 2007 Failure of the Year competition.

Users were also disappointed with Microsoft's new product. They especially highlight problems with performance, incompatibility with many old programs, as well as overestimated system requirements that exceed the stated ones. The new Aero interface also didn't appeal to users. After the release of Windows 7 in 2009, Vista, and so not popular, almost completely "died out". For 2015, the Windows Vista market share is less than 2%.

Windows Vista's new Aero interface doesn't appeal to users

The next operating system of Microsoft - Windows 7 - was presented on October 22, 2009. It had to fix all of Vista's bugs. The design of Aero has been greatly improved, support for old programs that are not available for running on Windows Vista has been implemented. Also in Windows 7, Windows XP mode appeared, which allows you to run old applications in a Windows XP virtual machine, which provides almost complete support for old applications.

An important feature of the new system is closer integration with driver manufacturers: most are detected automatically. As a result, Microsoft produced an operating system that appealed to a large number of users: in the first eight hours, the number of pre-orders exceeded the demand that Windows Vista had in the first 17 weeks.

But even here it was not without a fly in the ointment. The main disadvantage of the system is, again, high system requirements, due to which the autonomy of laptops in some cases was reduced to 30%. Despite this, the system remains popular to this day: as of September 2015, Windows 7 occupies more than 55% of the market.

In October 2012, Microsoft presents another product - Windows 8. The new system has received a radically new interface, more "sharpened" for use on tablets. For example, in Windows 8, the Start button disappeared, replacing it with access to the Metro interface.

The interface was a tiled area. Also, the new system has a Windows Store app store, similar to the Play Store and App Store. The main innovations in Windows 8, in addition to the new interface, are native USB 3.0 support, improved search and a new task manager.

In Windows 8, the company has once again changed the system interface

However, most of the users did not appreciate the system: Microsoft made too much bias towards touch control. This affected the convenience of managing the system on desktops.

The new version of Windows 8.1 was an attempt to fix bugs. The "Start" button returned to its rightful place and it became possible to set the launch of the standard desktop by default. Despite trying to fix bugs made in Windows 8, the update was also received with little enthusiasm.

Microsoft's latest operating system is Windows 10, introduced in July 2015. Windows 10 should bring all devices together, including embedded systems, smartphones, tablets, laptops, PCs, and game consoles. The Windows 10 upgrade is available for Windows 7, 8.1 and Windows Phone 8.1 device users for free for a year.

The main innovations of the system are the revised Start menu, the Cortana voice assistant, as well as the ability to interact simultaneously with the touch interface and with the traditional interface on hybrid devices.

In Windows 10, Microsoft collects a lot of data about computer usage. Examples of such data are name, email address, and others. Because of this, a flurry of criticism fell on Microsoft. Some of the criticism is also related to the fact that Windows shares Wi-Fi passwords with other users. In any case, data collection can be disabled at any time, all instructions are searched on the Internet.

Windows can rightfully be called an integral part of a whole generation of PC users. Thanks to Microsoft's OS, millions of people have discovered information technology and access to the global network. And no matter how badly it is, it will in any case remain relevant for more than one year.

The Windows operating system has no less than thirty years of experience, during which it has gone through a difficult path of formation from the very first Windows 1.0, created by Bill Gates back in 1985, to the latest tenth version at the moment.

And even though the first version of Windows was not a stand-alone operating system, it opened the way for the future graphics systems of Microsoft.

Windows 95

1995 was marked by the release of a new multitasking graphics system Windows, which in November of the same year presented its Russian version.

This operating system had a huge set of innovations that made it the most recognizable among such a product.

Windows 95 acquired a full-fledged graphical interface and became a truly independent system.

She was able to surprise everyone with the menu that appeared « Start», system tray, as well as the basis of all the basics - the desktop.

An ordinary user was attracted to this operating system by the simplest and very convenient interface.

By pressing the button « Start» a small window opened with all the necessary tools, among which were « Search», « reference», « Execute», « Stop» and « Completion of work ».

In addition, the item appeared « Setting up», which allowed you to customize not only the control panel and taskbar, but also the printers installed by users.

Also, such an important item has been added to this window as « Programs». It displayed all the programs that participated in the startup, as well as the standard ones containing a decent set of necessary elements.

Some of them became a kind of visiting card of Microsoft corporation and were transferred with enviable stability to all subsequent Windows versions.

It is even impossible to imagine any version of this operating system without games. « Sapper», « Hearts», as well as solitaire « Klondike».

Nowadays, we are also sometimes not averse to relaxing after a hard day's work and spreading cards on our home computer.

Total Windows 2000 received 4 service packs and two collections of patches.

All of them were aimed not only at fixing flaws in the security of the operating system, but also at solving other serious problems.

Windows XP

The next stage in the development of operating systems of the network line was Windows XP, which in the course of development bore the internal name Whistler.

This Microsoft product was released in October 2001 and was strictly a client system.

Windows XP It was rightfully one of the best systems in the world, as it had not only a simple and most convenient interface, but also an improved color gamut.

Almost all visual elements of this operating system had a colorful and three-dimensional appearance, and low system requirements of any hardware, making it the most demanded and used operating system.

For all the time, a fairly large number of versions have been released Windows XP, however, two of them were available to the Russian-speaking user - Windows XP Professional Edition and Windows XP Home Edition.

The first was intended, to a greater extent, for enterprises and all kinds of entrepreneurs and had a rich set of functions in its arsenal.

Among them, it is worth noting the presence of remote desktop access, support for multiprocessor configurations, and the ability to encrypt files.

Home Edition was released on the same core as Professional Edition, however, was its stripped-down version.

As a consequence, this operating system was relatively inexpensive and used on home PCs.

Windows Vista

Another NT product was Windows Vista, which was launched in January 2007.

This system was aimed to a greater extent at work in personal home computers and workstations.

Compared to XP Vista has a new interface design and updated input and output controls.

In addition, Vista has introduced a new hibernation function based on "hibernation files".

This function made it possible to restore the work not only using the RAM data, but also their copy, which was saved on the computer's "hard drive".

A transparent sidebar was added to the operating system, which the user could fill with the gadgets they liked.

To avoid infecting the operating system with viruses from external media () in Windows Vista by default, the function of their autorun was disabled.

A rather interesting and useful option was the parental control function, with which it was possible to restrict children's access not only to some sites, but also to the use of some.

Windows 7

In 2009, another representative of the same NT line appeared on sale - Windows 7, which is still very popular all over the world.

The purpose of this system is unity for all existing devices - PCs, and for which a single application store was created.