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History of Windows. A Brief History of Windows

Hello dear readers, Denis Trishkin is with you.
I try to share with you interesting information that is related to the tools of the Windows operating system. Today I wanted to tell you directly about the shell itself. From the article you can find out how the story began creating Windows, as well as its rapid evolution. I think it will be interesting for everyone.

Windows is an operating system from Microsoft Corporation, which has undoubtedly become one of the key factors in the development of not only computer technology, but of all mankind. It is due to it that millions of people around the world use laptops and desktop machines.

"Windows (windows)" is installed on almost 90% of all computers in the world, when the closest rival - Mac OS - boasts only 9%.

Windows 1.0

So how did it all start? In short, the first version of Windows was a graphical add-on for MS-DOS. It was developed to simplify the work of the command line. And many users at first could not understand such changes.

It is generally accepted that the history of Windows began in November 1985. It was then that the world saw the first version with an index of 1.0. She had a small set various programs, which helped expand the available capabilities in DOS. In addition, as conceived by the creators, it was supposed to simplify the work of users.

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The next stages of development( )

Windows 2.0

After some time, an updated version appeared - 2.0.

But it was not accepted by customers at all, and completely passed by the computer world.

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Windows 3.0

Already five years after the release - in 1990, modification 3.0 was released, which was positively received by many users, and therefore was installed on a large number of machines. Its popularity was due to several key factors at once:

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The interface made it possible for people to work with information not with the help of special commands that had to be entered in a line, but using intuitive actions on familiar objects expressed graphically.

So, for example, to delete a folder, you just had to drag it to the trash.

Ability to work with multiple applications at the same time.

The simplicity and convenience of writing programs for this OS led to their mass appearance.

Better organized work with various peripheral equipment.

The revised version (3.1) has improved security and included support for multimedia devices. And in 3.11 there was already support for computer networks.

Windows NT

Along with the first developments, Microsoft began to create a version of Windows NT. Its main tasks were to provide effective work with network and high security. At the same time, the interface did not differ at all from the 3.0 model. And by 1992, NT 3.1 came out into the world, and a little later - 3.5.

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First global success( )

Windows 95

A real breakthrough in computer industry you can safely call Windows 95. It appeared just in 1995. The operating system marked a new stage in the history of the company and all computers in the world as a whole. Compared to its predecessor, the interface has changed markedly.

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Most of the programs worked faster. It provided for automatic installation new devices - this helped to eliminate possible conflicts between them. Well, and most importantly, the developers began to take the first steps to support the work on the Internet, which was just appearing. The interface of this version has become the main one for all future modifications.

The very next year, the company pleased with the updated NT 4.0 server system, which received the same interface as Win 95. In addition, security tools were noticeably improved and interaction between users was improved.

Operating systems of the 00s( )

Windows 98

Microsoft Corporation decided not to stop there and continued to work. The result was Windows 98, released the same year. Compared to its predecessor, the novelty has received a significantly redesigned structure.

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In addition to all the advantages of the previous OS, it was decided to introduce full-fledged tools for working with the Internet, as well as support for modern protocols for the operation of the network. In addition, it became possible to display information on several monitors at once.

Windows Millennium and 2000

The next significant event was the release of "axes" with indices 2000 and Me (Millenium). They were presented almost simultaneously. The first was developed on the basis of NT. This gave her high reliability and data security. Two versions appeared: Server - for servers, and Professional - for user computers.

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The OS called Windows Me actually became an extension of 98. At the same time, it received improved support for working with multimedia information. It is believed that the product turned out to be the most underdeveloped in the history of the corporation and even a failure. It was characterized by constant "freezes", unstable operation and frequent crashes.

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Breakthrough( )

Windows XP

After many improvements, a year later, Windows XP saw the light. The NT kernel was taken as the basis of the operating system. That is why it clearly stood out among its predecessors with its efficiency and high stability. There was support for many programs, added additional functions. But the most important achievement can be safely called a redesigned attractive interface. It has become softer and more rounded.

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It is believed that this product has been successful in the history of the corporation. Even at the end of 2008, it was used on almost 70% of all computers in the world. Even despite the fact that by this time there were already new operating systems.

After that, three major updates were introduced to the add-on, the last of which was released just in the spring of 2008. Each of them was aimed at expanding capabilities, eliminating errors. They also helped to "close" inaccuracies in the protection system. XP can rightfully be called the longest-lived in the history of Microsoft.

Windows Server 2003

In 2003, the corporation presented an OS with Server index 2003, which replaced 2000. After that, the R2 update was released. It is believed that this system "set a new bar" in terms of performance and reliability. It has long been considered one of the most popular and successful server products from the company from Redmond.

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New Approach( )

Windows Vista

Even before the release of XP, the company was actively working on another project. Its codename was Windows Longhorn. Before the release, it was decided to change it to Vista.

The OS came out in 2007. The productive and reliable core of Server 2003 was taken as a basis. The developers added new features, and most importantly, they changed the interface, which many did not like.

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But despite all this, the product received a lot of negative reviews due to the lack of support for most third-party programs and poor performance in general. It was even called "failure".

Just imagine, many users were happy with XP's excellent work (compared to previous versions), and suddenly a system appears that requires much more resources. The old machines simply couldn't handle the new software. In addition, the company simply could not implement normal compatibility with many device drivers.

With the release of updates, her business began to go better, but the reputation of the "axis" was already ruined forever.

Complete product update( )

Windows 7

Many believe that in 2009, Microsoft was able not only to repeat the success of the popularity of XP, but also to surpass it. It was then that Windows 7 appeared. It was completely different from its predecessors - it turned out to be fast, productive and reliable.

Alexey Komolov (St. Petersburg)

Many computer users are sitting in Windows, but not everyone knows its history - for many it is something new, from our time. Therefore, below I will describe a brief history of Windows OS.

1982 Then the unknown Bill Gates set about creating the first Windows versions.

1885 The world saw the first Microsoft Windows 1.0. The release of Windows has become a real revolution in the world of computers: the long-awaited multitasking has appeared (the ability to simultaneously work with several programs at once).

By today's standards, the graphical design of Windows was, to put it mildly, miserable. But it was the middle of the 80s in the yard, the computers themselves were large and inefficient - therefore GUI by the standards of the time it was chic.

1987 Release of Microsoft Windows 2.0. Now you can use hot keys to switch between application windows and to perform some simple tasks.

Later, this version was divided into 2 lines: for x286 processors and for more powerful x386 ones (this version could use a larger resource of new processors of that time).

1990 Microsoft Windows 3.0 is out. This version of Windows was a great success thanks to VGA support, plus the interface was improved.

1992-1993 years. Microsoft Windows 3.1 and 3.11 are coming out. These versions of Windows were, in fact, an updated version of Windows 3.0: then support for multimedia data appeared, CD-ROM appeared and sound card, the first normally readable vector fonts appeared.

1993 Microsoft Windows NT 3.1 is released It was the first 32-bit system to have built-in support for local network. Accordingly, the requirements for the hardware by that time also increased.

1995 Microsoft Windows 95 (Chicago) is out. It was a complete operating system, unlike previous versions, which were essentially “shells” for MS-DOS. Windows 95 first introduced the taskbar and the Start button menu.

1998 Microsoft Windows 98 comes out. This OS has received many significant updates, mostly aimed at improving the work and access to the Internet, the drivers were finalized, a full-fledged browser was built into the system distribution kit, there was support for USB ports.

year 2000. Microsoft Windows 2000 is released, which was an attempt to combine home Windows 95 with Professional Windows NT. This version finally fixed most of the driver issues and also introduced Active Directory, a very important networking technology.

The same year 2000. Microsoft Windows ME was released in parallel. This OS was supposed to replace Windows 98 on weaker computers that did not pull the more resource-hungry Windows 2000. It was the last in the line that started with the 95th version and was not very successful due to its instability and buggy.

year 2001. Microsoft Windows XP comes out (in my opinion - the most successful solution in the Windows family line today).

Until now, it is used on many millions of users' computers around the world - due to its stability, greater ease of use, less buggy and rather wide possibilities in the settings of the OS itself.

2003 Microsoft Windows Server-2003 is released - the successor to Windows 2000.

A little later, Microsoft Windows Vista (Longhorn) came out, which became the successor to Windows ME - just as failed and buggy, although it brought several useful updates: an improved security system, an improved search system, hibernation mode, an updated interface and other little things.

Microsoft Windows 7 was received by most users with a bang after the disastrous Vista.

Here we were able to fix the problem with “high” system requirements, speed up its loading, enable multi-touch support, improve application compatibility, redesign the taskbar, and add many small utilities.

True, there were a lot of glitches left, which is why many did not want to switch to Windows 7: some controls were removed, a lot was renamed (what's the point?), Something was swapped. Some settings items from one window have been transferred to several different windows, which makes the work less convenient. Some settings have been disabled, and some changes in the system are spontaneously reset to “default” after a while. There is no way to place files in folders in random order, which is inconvenient.

year 2012. Microsoft Windows 8 is coming out. The release of this version of Windows created a lot of hype - this version visually sought to adapt to all devices (computers, laptops, tablets, etc.). It is still too early to judge its popularity, but we can say for sure: this is one of the riskiest versions of Windows. Here, the interface was completely redesigned and the beloved by everyone and very convenient Start button was removed.

True, the execution of large shortcuts is convenient when working on tablets, but extremely inconvenient on other computers.

By the way, pay attention to two screenshots. This is what AOL looks like, released in 1996:

And this is how Windows 8, released in 2012, looks like:

Many users have the impression that with the departure of Gates from the presidency, Microsoft began to “evolve” into reverse side(Vista. 7 and 8 were no longer produced under his direction).

Near future. The first rumors about the release of Windows 9 (Blue) have already begun to appear. By mid-2013, the situation should clear up.

Welcome to the Windows universe! Microsoft's Windows operating system, no doubt, has become a milestone in the development of not only the information industry, but of all mankind. Largely thanks to Windows, personal computers and laptops are installed on the tables of hundreds of millions of people around the world. Thanks to windows work with a computer has become available to absolutely everyone, from preschool children to respectable pensioners. The hardest computer systems Once used only by engineers and scientists, today they are used for a wide variety of tasks, work and play, study and knowledge of the world.

Windows has been the world's largest market share for many years. operating systems. For February, 2009 the share of Windows made more than 88.41%. Its closest competitor, the Mac OS operating system installed on Apple computers, got 9.61%, and the operating system Linux system- a pathetic 0.88%. In other words, when we say “home” or “work” computer, we clearly mean a computer on which one or another version of Windows is installed.

But Windows is not only an environment for playing solitaire or working with Word. In parallel with the operating system for home computers, Microsoft was developing a server version of Windows designed for companies and corporations. This version was called Windows NT and later Windows Server. This family operating systems gained significant popularity and seriously supplanted the former king of servers - the UNIX operating system.

History of Windows reminiscent of the victorious procession that began back in 1985, when the first Windows 1.01 came out. However, the history of Microsoft begins even earlier, as far back as 1975, when a young student Bill Gates created a version of the software BASIC language for one of the first personal computers, the Altair 8800 model.

In general, the story of one of the richest people on the planet (and for many years he headed this pedestal) is undoubtedly of great interest and is described in many books. Several films have been made, tens of thousands of articles have been written, and all this is an attempt to explain the phenomenon of Microsoft in general and Windows in particular.

Let's not delve into the affairs of distant days. If you're wondering how Bill Gates went from a shy "nerd" student to what he is now, all you have to do is fire up your computer, go online and find all the information you need. It is significant that to perform this action you will most likely use Personal Computer with one of the versions of Windows.

And the Internet itself has become so popular, not least because personal computers have become as much a part of our lives as kettles, cars and sneakers. The merit of Windows is undeniable in this.

The history of Windows versions is no doubt an interesting topic that deserves a separate book. Therefore, we will not carefully turn over the dusty tomes of history and only briefly get acquainted with the key events in the life of Microsoft Windows.

Contrary to popular belief, the first version of Windows was not a standalone operating system at all. In fact, Windows was a graphical “add-on” to the DOS operating system and was designed to make it easier to work with a dark and gloomy command line. Many DOS users did not understand this innovation.

Until now, the famous excerpt from the book of Soviet engineers, published in 1989, “walks” on the Internet. The book is called "Personal Computers in Engineering Practice," and the harsh engineers commented on the Microsoft product in the following way.

« One example of a cumbersome and, according to the authors, useless add-on is the integrated WINDOWS system from Microsoft. This system occupies almost 1 MB of disk memory and is designed primarily for use in conjunction with a mouse device ... Thus, the reader has already understood that among DOS add-ons there are rather useless systems that only look beautiful, but actually take the user's time , disk memory and computer RAM. The deceptive beauty of such systems, however, has a strong effect on inexperienced users who have not had experience with the machine. The inertia of thinking is so strong that the authors had to observe how people who started working with such a setting, subsequently hardly force themselves to study DOS commands. I would like to warn the reader against this mistake. ».

A Brief History of Windows

The history of Windows begins in November 1985, when the first version of the system appeared Windows 1.0. It was a set of programs that extended the capabilities of existing operating systems for greater ease of use. A few years later, the second version came out ( Windows 2.0), but did not gain much popularity.

Time passed, and in 1990 another version came out - Windows 3.0, which has become used on many personal computers.

The popularity of the new version of Windows was due to several reasons. The graphical interface made it possible to work with data not using commands entered in command line, and with the help of visual and understandable actions on graphic objects representing this data. Also, the ability to work with several programs at the same time has significantly increased the convenience and efficiency of work.

Moreover, the convenience and ease of writing programs for Windows has led to the emergence of an increasing variety of programs that work under Windows. Windows control. Work with a variety of computer equipment was better organized, which, in the end, also determined the popularity of the system.

Subsequent versions of Windows have provided improved reliability as well as multimedia support (in Windows 3.1) and work in computer networks(version ).

In parallel with the development of Windows, Microsoft in 1988 began work on a new operating system called Windows NT. The main task was to create a system that provides a high level of reliability and efficient support for network operation. At the same time, the Windows NT interface did not differ from Windows interface 3.0. In 1992, Windows NT 3.1 was released, and in 1994, Windows NT 3.5.

In 1995, the famous appeared, which became a new stage in the history of Windows and personal computers in general. Compared to Windows 3.1, the interface has changed significantly, and the speed of programs has increased. The new operating system made it possible to automatically configure additional computer devices to eliminate conflicts when interacting between them. In addition, Windows 95 took the first steps to implement support for the then nascent Internet.

The interface of Windows 95 became the main one for the entire Windows family, and in 1996 a revised version of the server operating system appeared. Windows NT 4.0, which has the same interface as Windows 95.

In 1998 appeared Windows 98 with a significantly redesigned structure compared to Windows 95. In the new version, a lot of attention was paid to working with the Internet, as well as support for modern network protocols. There is also support for working with multiple monitors.

The next step in the development of Windows was the emergence and Windows me(Millennium Edition). Windows 2000 was designed with Windows based NT and inherited from it the high reliability and security of information from outside interference. Two versions were released: Windows 2000 Server for Servers and Windows 2000 Professional for Workstations, which many have installed on home computers.

The Windows Me operating system has become, in fact, an enhanced version of Windows 98 with improved multimedia support. It is believed that Windows Me has become one of the most unsuccessful versions of Windows, it was characterized by unstable operation, often “hangs” and crashes.

As a result, just a year after its release, a new operating system appeared Windows XP. It happened in 2001.

The Windows XP operating system was based on the Windows NT kernel, and as such was highly stable and efficient compared to previous versions of Windows. It also has been seriously redesigned graphical interface, introduced support for new functions and programs.

Surprisingly, Windows XP has been so successful that even at the end of 2008 it held almost 70% of the operating system market. Three service packs (Service Pack) have been released for Windows XP, the last of which was released in April 2008. Each of the packages expanded the capabilities of the operating system, eliminated errors, made the system more reliable and secure. This system was and remains popular and rightfully became the most successful and long-lived operating system from Microsoft.

Released in 2003 a new version Windows Server 2003, which replaced Windows 2000. After some time, an update was released, called Windows Server 2003 R2. Windows Server 2003 operating system installed new standard in terms of reliability and performance, becoming one of the most successful server systems Microsoft.

Even before the release of Windows XP, Microsoft was actively developing a new version of the operating system, codenamed Windows Longhorn. Then the name was changed to Windows Vista.

New operating system Windows Vista appeared in 2007. Traditionally, the operating system for home users was based on the powerful and reliable Windows Server 2003 SP1 kernel (just as Windows XP was based on the Windows NT kernel).

In Windows Vista, the user interface has been radically changed, the security system has been seriously improved, and a host of new features and functions have appeared. However, despite its excellent inclinations, the system was greeted coolly, and some dubbed Windows Vista a "failure" altogether.

The reasons for such a warm welcome are described in. Note that despite the excellent kernel, Windows Vista was too slow and demanding to system resources. After the Windows XP system, the requirements of Vista shocked many, and older computers were simply unable to provide a smooth operation of this system. Added trouble and extremely poor compatibility with device drivers. Gradually the situation improved and Windows Vista became usable - but its reputation was forever ruined.

In 2009, another version was released - a remarkable Windows 7. What made her stand out? Let's start with the fact that in this operating system key errors of Windows Vista were fixed. As a result, the “seven” turned out to be very fast, reliable and productive. In fact, she became what was expected from Vista from the very beginning.

With the release of Service Pack 1, its position has only intensified. By 2012, Windows 7 had become the most popular operating system in the world, finally overtaking the old Windows XP. In fact, the "seven" became what XP was for many years - the main operating system that coped with all the tasks. She did not "slow down", she had almost no problems with the drivers. I installed this system from the category - and it works, without reinstallation, as much as you need. This is a true successor to Windows XP.

But, Microsoft was not enough. Losing the race in the tablet and smartphone markets, the company desperately needed New Product, which would unite all devices at once within a single Metro interface - smartphones, laptops, desktop computers and tablets.

And the result is an operating system Windows 8 which came out in October 2012. For the first time, Microsoft decided on a radical interface change that was far more shocking than the changes in Vista. Instead of the usual desktop, the user was greeted with strange tiles, and the “Start” button was completely absent. The interface of some intrigued, others scared away.

Technical Windows features 8 is an optimized version of Windows 7. The new system is much faster to boot, however, again there are some problems with drivers and running games - but this is clearly a temporary situation.

In 2013, the process of market acceptance of the new system is in full swing. It is still too early to say how successful it has become - time will tell. We can only say unequivocally that the fate of Windows 8 will not be easy. Some experts predict the fate of Windows Vista for it - a system that never recovered from its negative image.

Meanwhile, in 2014, the release is expected Windows 9. But that's not all - plans have been announced to release new versions of the OS every ... year! Why, why, does this mean abandoning the Service Pack - we will find out all this very soon.

In early 1985, Microsoft Corporation, already well behind its many competitors in the development of operating systems with a windowed graphical interface, announced the release of a new user environment for the IBM PC platform, based on the previously released and already widely used by that time another operating system of this company - MS-DOS. The new system was now known to every user of personal computers as Microsoft Windows.

For the first time, the concept of a graphical windowing environment for the MS-DOS operating system was demonstrated by Microsoft on November 10, 1983 at the international computer exhibition COMDEX, but the official release of this system took place much later. It received widespread use only after 1984, when IBM began mass production of personal computers of the IBM PC AT 286 class, equipped with a fairly large 40 MB hard disk for those times, a CGA color graphic monitor and RAM at 640 KB. Windows occupied a little more than two megabytes of disk space, supported CGA- and EGA-compatible graphics adapters, as well as video cards of the Hercules Graphic Card standard, allowed to control the windowing environment with the mouse and supported a rather limited number of dot matrix printers.

When Microsoft called a press conference at Comdex in November 1985 in Las Vegas, many considered the event a last chance, especially after the Windows environment was not released as promised in June of that year. The press conference smoothly turned into a presentation of a new product - Microsoft Windows 1.0.

At the beginning of work on Windows, only an XT-class computer with an 8088 processor and a maximum amount of memory of 640 KB was available to programmers from Microsoft. The real volume was 256 KV, 2 drives for 360 KV ( HDD was too expensive a luxury in those days) and a CGA video adapter.

Released to the market in 1987, Windows 2.0/286. The OS carried on board for the most part all the same applications as Windows 1.0, but its controls were significantly improved. Microsoft took advantage of improved speed performance Intel processor 286, the possibilities of additional memory (expanded memory) and the possibilities of application interaction (inter-application communication), using DDE (Dynamic Data Exchange - a technology for exchanging data between applications in the environment of Windows and OS / 2 through a special buffer - a memory area to which it has access each app)

MS Windows - Microsoft system Windows 2.03 was a further development of Windows 1.01. It should be noted that the structure and architecture of the window environment itself has not undergone major changes.

Windows 2.0 is a graphical shell.

Another operating system manufactured by Microsoft, which is practically unknown to the Russian consumer, is Microsoft Windows 3.0. This platform, already natively optimized for the IBM PC 386 and designed for operation on computers that support VGA video mode, was the first full-featured sixteen-bit operating system from Microsoft.

The Microsoft Windows 3.1 operating system, which appeared on the market in 1992, was the first platform of the Windows family that had a Russian localized version and was widely used in our country. By and large, Windows 3.1 was just an improved modification of Windows 3.0, it had more advanced workspace settings and an improved graphical interface.

In 1993, Microsoft announced the release of a new version of this operating system, called Microsoft Windows 3.11 for Workgroups. This was a platform with a corporate focus - it supported the organization of a local network using the TCP / IP, IPX / SPX and NetBEUI protocols, included utilities for organizing Internet connections and programs remote administration computer, allows you to use network printers and drives, a program for receiving and sending faxes and tools for sharing text messages over the local network.

The expansion of the Microsoft Windows 3.1 and Windows 3.11 operating systems into the international software market, which ended in a complete and unconditional victory, was only constrained by the fact that these platforms, which fully met the needs of owners of home and desktop personal computers, did not quite meet the requirements of corporate users. The rapid development and ubiquity of local networks and the Internet, which in the early nineties covered almost all large enterprises in industrialized countries, determined new priorities and set fundamentally new tasks for system software developers. First of all, the new operating system presented by Microsoft Corporation at the International Computer Exhibition in Atlanta on May 26, 1993 was designed for the corporate consumer. It was she who became the ancestor of the next generation of operating systems, known to us under the brand name Windows NT.

In the fall of 1993, Windows NT 3.1 for personal computer (workstation) users and Windows NT Advanced Server 3.1 for local network administrators were released. In 1994, improved versions of Windows NT appeared - Windows NT Workstation 3.5 and Windows NT Server 3.5; and in 1995 - Windows NT Workstation 3.51 and Windows NT Server 3.51, more productive and less demanding on hardware resources. Actually, these two versions of Windows were the same operating system, the only differences were that Windows NT Server included a set of special software in the delivery package, which made it possible to use a computer running on this platform both as a local network server and and http-server of the Internet, while in Windows NT Workstation the priority was user application programs, the number of simultaneous network connections to such a computer was limited to ten remote network nodes.

On August 24, 1995, Microsoft introduced users to a fundamentally new 32-bit operating system for desktop PCs - Windows 95. Initially, Windows 95 was installed on top of Windows 3.X as a kind of "update" and used a number of libraries included with Windows 3.X, only a little later, a "standalone" implementation of Windows 95 was born.

The next implementation of Windows NT, also released in two versions: Windows NT 4 Server and Windows NT 4 Workstation, included almost all the functionality of the previous version of Windows NT, implemented using an interface that differed from the design Windows design 95 only in detail.

Changes made in Windows 98 in relation to Windows 95 are minor and mainly concern the user interface. Now work with files and on the Internet is implemented using Internet Explorer"a. Small changes were made during the installation process. Now it is completely automatic and takes about 35 minutes on an IP-200MHz computer.

Due to the fact that the developers have fixed a lot of bugs, therefore Windows 98 is a very "obedient" and correct operating system that in good hands lives a very long time and works quickly.

For several years of its existence, a lot of additions, fixes, updates and other "patches" were released to Windows 95. Almost all of this was implemented and integrated into Windows 98.

Windows Millennium Edition (Windows ME; also abbreviated Windows Me) is a mixed 16/32-bit operating system released by Microsoft Corporation on September 14, 2000. It was named so in honor of the new III millennium (Latin millennium - millennium).

It differs from its predecessors - Windows 95 and Windows 98 - with relatively small updates, such as new internet Explorer 5.5 and Windows Media Player 7. Windows Movie Maker also appeared with basic functions digital video editing. The system interface has changed - features that first appeared in Windows 2000 were added to it.

The Microsoft Windows 2000 operating system, which appeared on the market in early 2000, is an operating system of the Microsoft Windows NT family designed to run on computers with 32-bit processors (with an architecture compatible with Intel IA-32). It was produced in three versions: Windows 2000 Professional for laptop computers, desktops and workstations, Windows 2000 Server for server computers and Windows 2000 Datacenter Server for large server systems, large workstations corporate networks and specialized banking and file servers.

Using advanced NT technology, combined with the natural simplicity of the Windows 9.X interface, Windows 2000 was highly reliable and stable, and much easier to set up and configure than Windows 2000. previous versions Windows. Differentiation of access to the system is still implemented on high level, which made it possible to ensure the security of storing data on disks if more than one user works at the computer. However, Windows 2000 is not without objective shortcomings. These include relatively high system requirements, as well as a large amount of disk space occupied by the system.

The Microsoft Windows XP operating system (from the English eXPerience - experience), also known as Microsoft Codename Whistler, is a new operating system of the Windows family based on NT technology. Initially, Microsoft's plans included the development of two independent next-generation operating systems. The first project received the working title Neptune, this OS was supposed to be the next Windows update Millennium Edition, new system Windows 9X line. The second project, called Odyssey, involved the creation of an OS on Windows platform NT, which was supposed to replace Windows 2000. However, Microsoft guide considered it inappropriate to disperse resources to promote two different operating systems, as a result of which both areas of development were merged into the Microsoft Whistler project. Perhaps it is because of this Windows solution XP brings together the advantages of previous generations of operating systems already familiar to users: the convenience, ease of installation and operation of the Windows 98 and Windows ME family of operating systems, as well as the reliability and versatility of Windows 2000. Windows time XP for desktops and workstations is available in three versions: Home Edition for home personal computers, Professional Edition - for office PCs. Microsoft Windows XP 64bit Edition is a version of Windows XP Professional for personal computers built on a 64-bit Intel Itanium processor with clock frequency over 1 GHz.

On April 24, 2003, Microsoft introduced a new operating system for Windows servers Server 2003 and application development environment visual studio.NET 2003 and 64-bit DBMS SQL Server 2000 Enterprise Edition.

Windows Server 2003 Standard Edition includes the XP interface theme - Luna, and performance on home single-processor systems is 10-20 percent higher than XP! In combination with the fresh Office 2003, it's just lovely: it does not eat the RAM, the drivers are suitable for both XP and 2k, the software is almost not capricious.

On November 30, 2006, Microsoft officially released Windows Vista and Office 2007 for corporate clients. On January 30, 2007, sales of the system for ordinary users began.

Early in its development, the system was known by the code name Longhorn, after the Longhorn Saloon near the Whistler ski resort in British Columbia. The name "Vista" was announced on July 22, 2005. A few months later, Microsoft also renamed Windows Longhorn Server to Windows Server 2008. As of November 8, 2006, a full version of Windows Vista is available to OEMs. The public release for end users took place on January 30, 2007.

It's worth noting that many of the features planned for Windows Vista were dropped by Microsoft due to public outcry. For example, OpenGL was supposed to be implemented as an add-on to Direct3D. This would lead to a serious drop in OpenGL performance compared to Direct3D and fix the OpenGL version. Fears were not justified, support for OpenGL in Windows Vista remained. Not included in Windows Vista and file system WinFS -- this time due to performance issues.

Windows Home Server is Microsoft's server operating system, which is based on Windows Server 2003 SP2 and is aimed at home users (as the name suggests - home - home) for use in home networks.

Microsoft Windows Server 2008 (codename "Longhorn Server") is a new version of the server operating system from Microsoft. This version is intended to replace Windows Server 2003 as a representative of the Vista generation of operating systems. Windows Server "Longhorn Server" supports both 64-bit x86-64 and 32-bit x86 platforms. IA-64 is only supported in the High Load Optimized Datacenter Edition.

Windows 7 (formerly codenamed Blackcomb and Vienna) is a version of the Windows family of computer operating systems that follows Windows Vista and is currently in development.

Created by Microsoft, expected to be released in mid-2009 (together with Office 14).

On April 1, 2009, the localization of Windows 7 into Russian began, the first stage of localization will end two months later.

In 1975, Gates and Allen form a company called Microsoft. Like most start-up businesses, Microsoft starts small but has a big goal of putting a PC in every desktop and every home. Over the next years, Microsoft begins to change the way society works.

In June 1980, Gates and Allen hire Steve Ballmer ( Steve Ballmer), with whom Gates studied at Harvard University, to help run the company. V next month IBM company approaches Microsoft about a project codenamed Chess. As a result, Microsoft is concentrating its efforts on a new operating system - software, which controls the operation of computer hardware and acts as a link between hardware and programs, for example word processor. It is a platform on which programs can run. The company named its new operating system MS‑DOS.

When the IBM PC, running MS-DOS, was released in 1981, an entirely new language was introduced to the public. Entering various intricate commands after the “C:” combination is gradually becoming part of everyday work. Users discover the backslash (\) key.

Operating system MS‑DOS proved to be effective, but difficult to understand for many people. Therefore, a better way to create an operating system is required.

Windows was probably the first operating system that no one ordered Gates, and he undertook to develop it at his own peril and risk. What is so special about her? First, the graphical interface. At that time, only the notorious macOS. Second, multitasking. Of course, some operating systems allowed running an additional task in the background, but they worked painfully. In general, in November 1985 came out Windows 1.0.

The windows in it did not overlap, on 8086 processors the kernel was terribly buggy due to the obvious lack of optimization for this pebble. The main platform was the 286th machine. Exactly two years later, in November 1987, Windows 2.0, a year and a half later came out 2.10. There was nothing special about them, except that the windows had learned to overlap.

May 1990, the time of great achievements and overthrows. In short, out Windows 3.0. What was not there: DOS applications ran in a separate window on full screen, and Copy-Paste worked to exchange data with DOS applications, and Windows themselves worked in several memory modes: in real ( basic 640 Kb), in protected ( version 80286) and extended ( 80386 ). At the same time, it was possible to run applications that were larger than the size of physical memory. There was also a dynamic data exchange ( DDE). A couple of years later, Windows 3.1 also came out, in which there were no hemorrhoids with base memory ( if someone ran old toys, he remembers how they demanded 560 kb, then some more, although RAM could have been 16 MB). A newfangled lotion was also introduced that supports True Type fonts. Ensured normal operation in the local network. Drag&Drop appeared ( drag and drop files and directories). OLE appeared ( Object Linking & Embedding). In Windows 3.11, network support has been improved and a few more minor tweaks have been introduced. Windows came out at the same time NT 3.5, which was at that time a collection of basic network gadgets taken from OS / 2.

In June 1995, the entire computer community was excited by the announcement of Microsoft about the release in August of a new operating system, significantly different from Windows 3.11, but at the same time following the canons of MS - windows and windows again. August 24 - official release date Windows 95 (other names: Windows 4.0, Windows Chicago). Now it wasn't just operating environment- it was a full-fledged operating system that did not require a disk operating system to boot. The 32-bit kernel made it possible to improve access to files and network chips. 32-bit applications were better protected from each other's errors, and there was support for multi-user mode on one computer with one system. A lot of differences in the interface, a bunch of settings and improvements "for the user" - just one Start button, which has become a byword, which was worth it ...

There was also an update specifically for Windows 3.1x - OSR1, which was not installed from under DOS, but simply upgraded "three-elevenths". By the way, the delivery included the so-called DOS 7.0, which, unfortunately, had strong differences from DOS 6.22 and, alas, not for the better.

Came out in 1996 Windows 95 OSR2 ( if I'm not mistaken, this stands for Open Service Release). The distribution included Internet Explorer 3.0 and some ancient version of Outlook ( then called simply Exchange). Of the main chips - support for FAT32, improved hardware and driver initializer. Some settings (including video) can be changed without rebooting. There was also a built-in DOS 7.10 with support for FAT32

blackcomb.

code name blackcomb belonged to Windows NT 6.0, the operating system that was planned to be the next after Windows XP. Blackcomb was to be the successor to this OS for both desktop and server workstations. In late 2001, Blackcomb was scheduled for release in 2005, and in August 2002 it was announced that the interim version would be Windows Longhorn, which would be an update to the Windows NT 5.x kernel.

During development Windows Longhorn some Blackcomb features were added to it and given the number 6.0. Blackcomb has been surrounded by confusion with some reports that marketing plans have been heavily revised and that it should be a Windows 6.x server OS with improvements.

In January 2006, Microsoft announced that the new client OS would be Vienna, scheduled for release in 2010.

In March 2006, it became known that Fiji, which was scheduled for release in 2008, would be the successor to Windows Vista.

In 2008, as a result of complaints from Fijians that the new operating system would be named after their country, new information about Fiji became known. According to the Fijians, Ben Green said that new TV formats will be added to Fiji, support interactive services and improvements user interface for Windows Media Center. It is likely to be included in Windows 7 Windows program Media Center has already added changes that should have been in Fiji.

Windows 7

Windows 7- operating system of the Windows NT family, following Windows Vista. In the Windows NT line, the system is version number 6.1 (Windows 2000 - 5.0, Windows XP - 5.1, Windows Server 2003 - 5.2, Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 - 6.0). The server version is Windows Server 2008 R2, the version for integrated systems is Windows Embedded Standard 2011 (Quebec), the mobile version is Windows Embedded Compact 2011 (Chelan, Windows CE 7.0)

The operating system went on sale on October 22, 2009, less than three years after the release of the previous operating system, Windows Vista. Volume Licensing partners and customers were granted access to RTM on July 24, 2009. Final (copy from the discs, which then went on sale) pirated version has been available to everyone since the first days of August 2009.

Windows 7 included as some developments excluded from Windows Vista, as well as innovations in the interface and built-in programs. Inkball, Ultimate Extras were excluded from Windows 7; applications that have analogues in Windows Live ( Windows Mail, Windows Calendar, etc..), Microsoft Agent technology, Windows Meeting Space; the ability to return to the classic menu and the automatic docking of the browser and email client have disappeared from the Start menu.

On July 24, 2007, Microsoft officially changed its code name to Vienna on the Windows 7. The number of Windows 7 in the NT line in which it will be located is 6.1 ( at one time, systems of this family received numbers: Windows 2000 - 5.0, Windows XP - 5.1, Windows Server 2003 - 5.2, Windows Vista - 6.0, Windows Server 2008 - 6.0).

On October 13, 2008, Microsoft Vice President Mike Nash announced that the code name for Windows 7 would be the official name of the new version. Initial Edition ( Windows 7 Starter) will be distributed exclusively with new computers, it will not include functional parts for playing H.264, AAC, MPEG-2.