Microsoft Windows

Microsoft Windows is the most dominant group of operating systems available for personal computers. Operating systems are software programs that support and manage the basic functioning of the computer. Operating systems provide a graphical interface through which users can easily execute tasks by clicking on icons or typing into a command prompt.

Windows is designed to streamline and simplify the computing experience and endlessly expand the breadth of what computers can do. Since its initial release in 1985, Windows has evolved with consistently improved functionality that has kept the brand at the forefront of the market for decades. Despite occasionally being the target of vocal criticism, Windows continues to be the most popular operating system for personal computers and is installed on hundreds of millions of machines around the world.

Birth of Windows

Prior to the mid-1980s, most early computers ran on simplistic operating systems that required users to input complex text-based commands into command prompts. Starting in 1981, the most common of these rudimentary operating systems was the Microsoft Disk Operating System (MS-DOS). Although MS-DOS was reasonably functional and reliable for its time, it was quickly overshadowed when Apple Computer's Macintosh debuted in 1984. Rather than using a text-based operating system like MS-DOS, the Macintosh featured one the earliest examples of a graphical interface-based operating system that allowed users to interact with the machine by clicking on icons. The arrival of the graphical interface represented a major step forward in personal computing and presented a significant challenge for Microsoft. Undaunted, the company responded by developing its own graphical interface-based operating system. Referred to internally as Interface Manager, the new operating system featured a sort of virtual desktop on which programs ran in boxes called "windows." These "windows" eventually became the inspiration for the operating system's official name when it was released in 1985. Even though the early Windows system offered mouse support; included features like drop-down menus and scroll bars; and came loaded with a range of basic programs such as Paint, Notepad, and Calculator, Windows 1.0 was generally considered inferior to the Macintosh operating system and was a commercial failure.

Evolution of Windows

Undeterred by the initial negative response to Windows 1.0, Microsoft worked to create a better product. In an effort to emulate its competitor's success, Microsoft entered a licensing agreement that allowed it to incorporate some of Apple's graphical interface features in Windows 2.0. With these added features, improved graphics, and the inclusion of additional software, Windows 2.0 clearly improved upon its predecessor and enjoyed a more positive reception upon its release in 1987.

While Windows 2.0 proved to be a step in the right direction, Microsoft's first real operating system breakthrough came with the 1990 debut of Windows 3.0 and the enhanced Windows 3.1 two years later. Touting an entirely new file management system, visual customization, alternative operating modes, and more bundled software, the new Windows was an immediate hit, selling ten million copies in just two years. Crucially, Microsoft also released a software development kit with Windows 3.0 that made it easier for third-party software developers to write programs to run on the operating system. This effort helped to solidify the place of Windows in the personal computing market.

With the Internet emerging as the driving force in the computer industry, Microsoft unveiled Windows 95 in 1995. This product featured a totally redesigned operating system with a unique look and feel. Unlike earlier releases that ran on top of MS-DOS and required a manual launch from the user, Windows 95 loaded automatically when the computer was started. Most notably, Windows 95 included the first taskbar and Start menus, which offered users easy access to programs, documents, and settings. Windows 95 also provided a gateway to the Internet through the inclusion of the Internet browser, Internet Explorer. With these new features, Windows 95 was a success, selling seven million copies in only five weeks. Three years later, Microsoft returned with Windows 98, a release that was essentially an improved version of Windows 95.

Through the early 2000s, Microsoft released several new versions of Windows, including Windows 2000, which was an updated iteration of the professional Windows NT line, and Windows Millennium Edition. The latter was notoriously unstable, largely because it was rushed to the marketplace in anticipation of the debut of Windows XP in 2001. Windows XP was designed to address many of the issues that plagued Microsoft's previous releases and, as a result, offered significantly improved speed, stability, and file management. Thanks to these key tweaks, Windows XP became one of Microsoft's most widely used products.

Windows Vista (2007) was the next version of the product. Though this product boasted the strongest security system and most impressive graphics that had yet been seen in a Windows operating system, it was critically panned. Much of the criticism was focused on Vista's extensive compatibility issues, which convinced many XP users to delay upgrading. Microsoft released Windows 7 in 2009. With better compatibility and even more new features, Windows 7 resolved the Vista issues and satisfied critics and customers alike.

Move Toward Touchscreens

Acknowledging the growing consumer interest in tablets and smartphones, Microsoft radically changed its approach when it released Windows 8 in 2012. Specifically tailored for compatibility with touchscreen devices, Windows 8 rejected the traditional Start menu in favor of a tile-based layout. While tablet and smartphone users welcomed this design, traditional desktop and laptop users did not. Hoping to reconcile its new aesthetic design with the user desire for traditional functionality, Microsoft introduced Windows 10 in 2015. This package included options for both the Start menu and the new tile scheme. Windows 10 also featured the debut of Cortana, Microsoft's first digital personal assistant.

Bibliography

"A History of Microsoft Windows." Microsoft. October 2015. Web. 8 Jan. 2016. http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows/history#T1=era0

Brown, Michael. "Microsoft Windows Is 30: A Short History of One of the Most Iconic Tech Products Ever." International Business Times. 20 November 2015. Web. 13 Jan. 2016. http://www.ibtimes.com/microsoft-windows-30-short-history-one-most-iconic-tech-products-ever-2194091

Calore, Michael. "A History of Microsoft Windows." Wired. 10 December 2008. Web. 8 Jan. 2016. http://www.wired.com/2008/12/wiredphotos31/

Gibbs, Samuel. "From Windows 1 to Windows 10: 29 Years of Windows Evolution." Guardian. 2 October 2014. Web. 13 Jan. 2016. http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2014/oct/02/from-windows-1-to-windows-10-29-years-of-windows-evolution