Introduction To Windows
Operating Systems
The most important piece of software on any computer is the
operating system. The operating system gives the framework
upon which all other services and applications run. The
majority of home users use a Windows based machine. Most
of today’s applications and games are designed to run solely
on Microsoft systems.
Microsoft Windows is extremely popular in schools and
colleges, many businesses also use Windows.


Introduction to Microsoft
Windows
The oldest of all Microsoft’s operating systems is MS-DOS
(Microsoft Disk Operating System). MS-DOS is a text-based
operating system. Users have to type commands rather than
use the more friendly graphical user interfaces (GUI’s)
available today. Despite its very basic appearance, MS-DOS is
a very powerful operating system. There are many advanced
applications and games available for MS-DOS. A version of
MS-DOS underpins Windows. Many advanced
administration tasks in Windows can only be performed using
MS-DOS.
The history of Microsoft Windows dates back to 1985, when
Microsoft released Microsoft Windows Version 1.01.
Microsoft’s aim was to provide a friendly user-interface
known as a GUI (graphical user interface) which allowed for
easier navigation of the system features. Windows 1.01 never
really caught on. (The amazing thing about Windows 1.01 is
that it fitted on a single floppy disk!). In 1987 Microsoft
revamped the operating system and released Windows 2.03.
The GUI was very slightly improved but still looked too
similar to Windows 1.01. The operating system again failed to
capture a wide audience.
Microsoft made an enormous impression with Windows 3.0
and 3.1. Graphics and functionality were drastically improved.
The Windows 3.x family provided multimedia capabilities as
well as vastly improved graphics and application support.
Building on the success of Windows 3.x, Microsoft released
Microsoft Windows For Workgroups 3.11. This gave
Windows the ability to function on a network. It is not
uncommon to find companies still using Windows 3.11.
In 1993 Microsoft divided the operating system into two
categories; Business and home user. Windows NT (New
Technology) was a lot more reliable than Windows 3.x.
Windows NT provided advanced network features. On the
business front, Windows NT continued to develop with the
release of version 3.51. Different versions were provided
which offered different functionality. Server provided the
higher network functions and Workstation was mainly for the
client machines.
In 1995 Windows went through a major revamp and
Microsoft Windows 95 was released. This provided greatly
improved multimedia and a much more polished user interface.
The now familiar desktop and Start Menu appeared. Internet
and networking support was built in Although Windows 95
was a home user operating system, it proved to be very
popular in schools and businesses.
After the success of Windows 95, Microsoft improved the
GUI interface of Windows NT and released Windows NT 4.0.
NT4 could be tailored to the size of the business, NT4 Server
for small to medium sized businesses and Enterprise Server
for larger networks. Microsoft continued to improve the
Windows format. Although Microsoft Windows 98 was very
similar to Windows 95, it offered a much tidier display and
enhanced multimedia support.
Breaking with its own naming conventions, Microsoft
released Windows 2000 (initially called NT 5.0) for the
business market. It appeared in 4 models: Professional -which
replaced Workstation, Server, Advanced Server and
Datacenter Server catered for differing business requirements.
Although Windows 2000 had a greatly improved user
interface, the best of the enhancements appeared on the server
side. Active Directory was introduced which allowed much
greater control of security and organisation. Improvements to
the overall operating system allowed for easier configuration
and installation.
One big advantage of Windows 2000 was that operating
system settings could be modified easily without the need to
restart the machine. Windows 2000 proved to be a very stable
operating system that offered enhanced security and ease of
administration.
The last incarnation of the Windows 9x family was Windows
Millennium Edition (ME). There were many different versions
of Windows floating around at this stage that Microsoft
decided the next release of Windows would consolidate both
the business and home versions. Although Windows ME was
visually similar to Windows 2000. Windows ME was based
on the Windows 9x line. Windows 9x/ME systems are not as
secure and stable as Windows NT and 2000 systems.
Because of the stability of Windows NT/2000, Microsoft
decided to end the development of the Windows 9x line, and
merge both the consumer and business products. Microsoft
Windows XP comes as the Home Edition and Professional,
each is based on Windows 2000. Windows 2000 Server has
been upgraded to Windows 2003. This appears in four
variants: Web Server, Standard Server, Enterprise Server and
Datacenter Server, each fulfilling a different business role.
Windows XP has a very polished look, but the overall
functionality is very similar to Windows 2000.

Microsoft's line of Windows operating systems is the most used in the world. The original Windows operating system dates back to 1981. Subsequent versions have included Windows 2.0, Windows 3.1, Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows NT, Windows 2000, Windows XP and Windows Vista. The most recent, most advanced, and most feature-rich version of the operating system is Windows 7.

Historical Features

MS-DOS was the earliest consumer operating system that gained Microsoft worldwide attention. In the beginning, Windows was regarded primarily as a graphical user interface (GUI) that did little more than provide an easier and more visually pleasing way to use MS-DOS.

Advancements

As Windows matured, Microsoft added advances to make the user experience more enjoyable and the development of software for the operating system easier. Software became "plug and play," which allowed users to insert diskettes (and eventually CD-ROM discs) into their computer and install software more easily, something that was still at the time difficult on other operating systems.

Surface Features

Windows 7, released in 2009, is Microsoft's most recent iteration of the Windows operating systems. On the surface, it features full 64-bit support, remote media streaming, and touchscreen functionality (when paired with a touchscreen monitor).

Advanced Features

Taking a cue from Apple's OS X operating system, Windows 7 features "Sleep" and "Resume" functionality.

Information by TBS Networks