Mobile

Os windows and everything about it. What is Windows and what are the operating systems? How to determine your operating system

Annotation: 16-bit Windows. Windows 9x. Windows NT. Windows CE. Windows Mobile and Windows phone.

16 bit Windows

The first Windows was Windows 1.0, released in November 1985. It was not a full-fledged operating system, but an add-on to the MS-DOS operating system. Windows 1.0 provided the user with a graphical windowed interface and the ability to run multiple applications at the same time (both were missing in MS DOS). At first they wanted to call this program Interface Manager, but then they leaned towards the name Windows ("windows"), as more accurately reflecting the essence of working with new program. Minimum system requirements memory was limited to 256 KB.

Windows 2.0 (December 1987) introduced some improvements GUI(in particular, support for overlapping windows) and memory handling. Also, for greater convenience, keyboard shortcuts began to be used. In May 1988 and March 1989, Windows 2.10 and Windows 2.11 appear, respectively, supporting the new at that time Intel processors 80286 and Intel 80386.

In May 1990, Windows 3.0 was released with improved graphics and support for virtual memory. In 1992 1993 versions of Windows for Workgroups 3.1 and 3.11 appear, which have support for peer-to-peer and server-managed networks. These were the latest versions of 16-bit Windows.

Windows 9x

In August 1995, Windows 95 was released - a 32-bit client operating system that had built-in support for working with the Internet ( Internet browser Explorer) and modem networks, as well as Plug-and-Play technology ("plug and play"), which allows you to quickly connect various devices to your computer. For the first time there was a Start button (Start) and the Taskbar (Taskbar). Windows 95 required a minimum of 4 MB of RAM.

Windows 95 was replaced in June 1998 by Windows 98 with many programs for working with the Internet ( Internet Explorer 4, Outlook Express, etc.), DVD and USB support, the first appearance of the Panel quick start programs (Quick Launch bar). Windows 98 was the last operating system based on MS DOS.

latest version in the 9x family became Windows Me (Millennium Edition, September 2000). This system was aimed at home users, and therefore had wide support for multimedia ( Windows Media Player 7, Windows Movie Maker), Internet and home networks.

Another direction in the development of Windows operating systems in the 90s was the NT family.

Windows NT

In July 1993, the first operating system of the NT family, Windows NT 3.1, was released. There are various explanations for the name NT, the most common being an acronym for New Technology.

Development of a system based on a new kernel (not MS DOS) began in 1989. The following basic requirements were imposed on the new operating system:

32 bit;
support for multiprocessor systems;
support for preemptive multitasking and virtual memory;
high performance;
the ability to work as a server and client;
portability;
compatibility with other versions of Windows and MS DOS, as well as partial compatibility with UNIX;
safety;
reliability;
Unicode support.

Windows NT 3.1 met all these requirements, and all modern versions of Windows, including Windows 8, are based on the kernel of this system (with changes, of course).

Windows NT 3.1 supported the Intel 80386, Intel 80486, MIPS R4000, and DEC Alpha processors. There were client and server versions of the system - Windows NT and Windows NT Advanced Server. Windows NT, in addition to other file systems, supported a specially developed Microsoft file system NTFS (New Technology File System).

In 1994 1996, the operating systems Windows NT 3.5, Windows NT 3.51 and Windows NT 4.0 were sequentially released. The design goals for Windows NT 3.5 were to improve performance and reliability, and to reduce the size of the system. Windows NT 3.51 included support for the IBM PowerPC processor. Windows NT 4.0 had the same graphical interface as Windows system 95 .

Windows 2000, released in December 1999, was developed as a system for professional users, combining two areas - Windows 9x and Windows NT. Windows 2000 included Active Directory (a service and resource database for managing large networks) and support for a significant number of Plug-and-Play devices, including wireless networks, USB, IEEE 1394, etc. There were 4 versions of Windows 2000 - one client (Professional) and three server (Server, Advanced Server and Datacenter Server). Windows 2000 was latest system, for which client and server versions were released simultaneously.

The next step was to merge both directions of client systems: systems for professional users (Windows 2000 Professional) and systems for home users (Windows Me). The result of this merger was the operating system Windows XP (August 2001). Due to its stability, speed and user-friendly interface Windows XP has become (and still is) one of the most widely used operating systems in the world. An important step was the emergence of 64-bit versions of Windows XP (Windows XP 64-bit Edition). The number of lines of code in Windows XP is 45 million.

In March 2003, the Windows Server 2003 server operating system is released, which has greater performance and supports more powerful hardware than Windows 2000. The system has 4 main versions: Web, Standard, Enterprise and Datacenter. For example, the Datacenter edition supports 64 processors and up to 64 GB of RAM (up to 512 GB on 64-bit platforms).

Client operating system Windows Vista released in November 2006. The emphasis in the development of this system was placed on security - User Account Control (User Account Control), disk encryption (BitLocker Drive Encryption), anti-spyware software(Windows Defender), etc. In Windows Vista, the user interface was also changed, in particular, the Start button changed its appearance.

In February 2008, the Windows Server 2008 operating system appeared, based on Windows code Vista - so most of the innovations of Windows Vista have been carried over to Windows Server 2008.

In July 2009, Windows 7 is released, featuring extended support for laptops and tablets. Main Windows features 7 - new ways to work with windows, instant search for information on a computer, support touch screens(Windows Touch), great opportunities for customizing the design of the working environment.

In 2012, Microsoft releases the latest versions of operating systems - client Windows 8 (October 2012) and server Windows Server 2012 (September 2012). Windows 8 is an operating system that is equally designed for both ordinary desktop computers and laptops, and tablet computers, which have recently won a significant share of the entire personal computer market (see lecture 3 "Windows 8").

Windows CE

Windows CE is a real-time operating system for embedded systems. The "CE" symbols, according to Microsoft, stand for "Compact, Connectable, Compatible, Companion, Efficient" 1 http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;Q166915. This system is now officially known as Windows Embedded Compact (http://www.microsoft.com/windowsembedded).

Windows CE is delivered to device developers as a set of components that can be used to create an operating system for specific device. For example, Windows Mobile operating systems are built on top of Windows CE.

The first version of Windows CE 1.0 appeared in 1996 and was developed as a stripped-down version of Windows 95. Later, the Windows CE development team collaborated with Windows team 2000, then Windows CE developed as an independent system.

As of September 2012, the latest version is Windows CE 7.0.

Windows Mobile and Windows Phone

Windows Mobile is an operating system for smartphones and personal digital assistants (PDAs, Personal Digital Assistant - PDA) based on Windows CE.

The first versions of operating systems of this family were called Pocket PC (2000). Since 2003, the name Windows Mobile has been established - the operating systems Windows Mobile 2003, Windows Mobile 5, Windows Mobile 6 were released. The latest version with this name was Windows Mobile 6.5 (2009).

Since October 2010, Microsoft has released a new operating system for mobile devices– Windows Phone 7, which is not compatible with Windows Mobile, although it is also based on Windows CE. Windows Phone 7 introduced a new user interface, currently called Modern UI.

In October 2012, Windows Phone 8 is expected to be released, based on Windows kernel NT.

Summary

The lecture provides an overview of Windows operating systems from 1985 to 2012. The main families and their key representatives are considered - 16-bit Windows, Windows 9x, Windows NT, Windows NT Server, Windows Mobile/Windows Phone and Windows CE.

The following lecture provides an overview of the latest operating system from Microsoft, Windows 8.

Control questions

List the main families of Windows operating systems and give a brief description of them.
Name the main representatives of 16-bit Windows.
List the major differences between Windows NT and Windows 9x operating systems.
What is the difference between client and server versions of Windows NT?
Describe the operating systems of the Windows CE family.
Describe the operating systems of the Windows Mobile/Windows Phone family.

Hello friends! In today's article, I decided to write for you my little history of the Windows operating system. I decided on this after one small event.

Recently, a good friend of mine, a computer science teacher at school, asked me to help set up local network in his computer class. I didn’t have much to do that day and I came to school earlier than planned, but as it turned out, the second shift was still having its last lesson. My friend reassured me and seated me at the last desk, promising to let the children go home early. In short, I did not have time to come to my senses, as I ended up in a real lesson. I must say, I was a little out of my element, because there were students in the class and they all periodically turned around and looked at me, but pretty quickly everyone got used to me and stopped paying attention to someone else's uncle. After a few minutes, I also got used to it and was surprised to realize that the tenth grader at the blackboard was telling the story of the Windows operating system, but he told it in such a spirit that you could just fall asleep! The young man was very confused in the details and it was noticeable that he was clearly not interested in this topic.

– But this is 20 years of my life! – I thought. And an interesting life! I just couldn't take it anymore and raised my hand. My friend looked at me in surprise and nodded mechanically. I stood up and said out loud:

- My friends! If someone tells me now what Bill Gates originally wanted to call the Windows operating system, I will set it up for free for a year personal computer, laptop, Macbook and even a tablet, and it does not matter which operating system will be installed on the listed devices!

And imagine, the whole class perked up and got involved in the discussion, but unfortunately no one could answer my question , and even my friend could not, what to say about the students! In the process of communicating with the almost grown-up generation, I was surprised to note that our children are perfectly able to use computer devices with any operating system, but they do not know the year of birth. No, they still know who Bill Gates and Steve Jobs are, but do not misrepresent the names of the founders of the search engine Google systems Only one out of thirty did. Founders search engine Nobody could name "Yandex" at all. As a result, I made a remark to tenth graders that all computers in the class with installed Windows 10 and it is unlikely that the situation will change in the near future, so you need to know at least a little about the history of Windows!

Then the bell rang, the lesson ended, the class was empty in an instant. A friend thanked me for the broken lesson and we slowly started setting up the locale. In the process of work, I noted with interest for myself that my friend himself is a specific "Apple", since his laptop is on Mac OS, and his phone is on iOS.

In the evening I returned home, deciding to do a little research and find out which operating systems the user audience prefers in our time. I also wrote my history of the Windows operating system for you and I hope there are no errors.

History of the Windows operating system

The concept of "personal computer", instead of its interpretation in its true meaning as technical device, with which only one person can work during one session, has long been used as a term for a Windows-based computer. Whereas computer devices based on other operating systems have names associated with their software component - mac, macbook, chromebook. The association with the general concept is the result of the popularity of Windows, however, it has been developed before, in the face of little competition. For a long time, Windows held the lead in the desktop and laptop market: through 2011, the share of this OS exceeded 80%. Windows 7 and 10 still dominate the desktop niche with 40% and 27% respectively at the end of 2016. But in general among various devices users (desktops, laptops, mobile gadgets), the share of Windows in 2016 did not exceed 40%. The user audience now prefers (more precisely, not so much prefers as the very rhythm of life determines) to work with mobile technology. And, accordingly, with their software Android platforms and iOS.

Nevertheless... Windows is a whole era of development computer technology. Whether Windows in the form of a desktop, mobile OS or holographic reality environment will be able to win the audience's sympathy in the future, only time will tell. In the same article, we will go into the past of Windows and remember its past - what was its path from version to version. The history of Windows should not be confused with the history of its creator, Microsoft. The company was founded in 1975 and for 10 years before the release of Windows created primitive software (primitive from the heights of our days). In particular, it released the well-known MS-DOS, which became the basis for the first versions of Windows.

Windows 1.0

The debut version of Windows 1.0 was released in 1985. It, in fact, was an add-on with a graphical interface to MS-DOS. Windows 1.0 was launched from under MS-DOS and expanded the capabilities of the latter. This, in particular, concerned the multitasking of the OS. The history of the name of the OS is inextricably linked with the very first version of Windows. The final decision to name the product "Windows" was preceded by Bill Gates' idea to name the system "Interface Manager". The idea with the name "Windows" was the head of Microsoft's marketing department. Based on the principles of marketing, he advised Gates to use a simple, uncomplicated, understandable name for the masses. The name "Windows" (translated as "Windows") was exactly that, plus, it reflects the principle of the OS's windowed mode.

Windows 2.0

In 1987, Windows 2.0 was released. It was an OS that was not much different from the debut version, but with some improvements. In the second version of Windows, in particular, support for processors has been improved, the speed of work has been slightly increased, and the ability to overlap windows has been added.

Windows 3.0

Neither Windows 1.0 nor 2.0 made a splash in the then IT market. Only Windows 3.0, released in 1990, managed to win success with the user audience. The upgrade touched primarily on the functionality of the OS. In its graphical interface, it was possible to run text editors written under MS-DOS. New system settings, the possibility of changing color scheme interface, functions for tracking the activity of programs and operating files. The third version of Windows is the ancestor of the well-known and now regular applications "Notepad", "Calculator", card games, in particular, beloved by many office workers "Kerchief".

Windows 3.1

An upgrade version of Windows 3.1 was released in 1992. Being a 16-bit OS, it supported 32-bit hard disk access. Among other features of the version - support for networks, computer mouse, Drag & Drop (pick and drop), TrueType fonts. The system included its own antivirus.

Windows 95

A new milestone in the evolution of this OS was Windows 95, released, as we see in the title, in 1995. Its interface has been seriously redesigned, performance and functionality have increased. It was Windows 95 that introduced the world to the features that make up the backbone of modern versions of this OS - a desktop with shortcuts, the Start menu, and the taskbar. A little later, as part of Windows 95, Internet Explorer began to be supplied.

Windows 98

Windows 98, released in 1998, was a successor to Windows 95, but more stable and improved. The OS began to support the AGP graphics port, TV tuners, WebTV. Main Feature this version was the delivery of updates from Microsoft servers. It was in this version that for the first time it was possible to work with two or more monitors connected to the system unit. Windows 98 also debuted Windows Media Player and hibernation. This is the first operating system I started working with.

Windows 2000

The next stage in the evolution of the OS is Windows 2000, introduced in February 2000, respectively. Its base was Windows NT, a branch of Windows for servers. Her key features became reliability, security, support for 64-bit processors (though only in a separate edition of the OS). This version of the OS has become a symbiosis that incorporates the best that was in the systems of the Windows NT branch and the predecessor version of Windows 98. However, this version of the OS did not win success with the layman. And it was mainly used on computers of employees of various companies.

Windows me

Windows Me (its full name is Windows Millennium Edition) was officially introduced in the same 2000, but at the end of the year - in September. This version of the OS is a "pure" successor to Windows 98. Windows Me has increased the capabilities of its predecessor in terms of working with multimedia content and the Internet. In her staff, in particular, an improved Windows Media Player, a simple Windows Movie Maker video editor, an updated Internet Explorer, and an IM client MSN Messenger have appeared. The regular conductor has improved, support for external devices connected to the computer has expanded. The weak point of Windows Me was frequent freezes and crashes. Despite the loud name dedicated to the transition to the new millennium, this version failed to leave a bright mark in the history of Windows itself.

Windows XP

A bright mark in the history of Windows was left by the version of XP. And so bright that its light still can not fade away. Windows XP, released in 2001 on the basis of the Windows NT branch, in fact, has become a new format for this OS. It was stable, an order of magnitude more productive than its predecessors, with a spectacular and customizable interface, with new standard functionality, including multi-user mode, a remote assistant function, standard CD burning, standard archivers for ZIP and CAB formats, etc. On the Windows base XP, despite the fact that its developer support was discontinued back in 2014, about 9% of computers around the world still work, and this, for a moment, is more than the share of Linux systems with their 2.17%. Windows XP turned out to be such a successful project that all its improvements were made into service packs. Only 5 years later, Microsoft introduced the successor to XP to the world.

Windows Vista

Officially presented in 2007, Windows Vista was destined to become a failed project of Microsoft. Vista introduces a new translucent interface style Windows Aero. This version was the ancestor of many improvements in functionality, which migrated to the successor versions of the system. These are, in particular, personalization settings, improved file search, multimedia software DVD Maker and Windows Media Center. The weaknesses of Windows Vista were the incompatibility of drivers and individual third party programs, designed for XP, increased demands on the hardware capabilities of computers, the use of more space on the hard disk by the system. Weaknesses could not outweigh the innovations of Vista, the public appreciated its developments later and already in the next version of the OS.

Windows 7

Released in 2009, Windows 7 was essentially a redesign of Vista—faster, more stable, compatible with XP software, with an improved interface, touchscreen support, and other technologies that eliminated the need for third-party software. Windows 7 managed not only to repeat the success of XP, but even to bypass it in popularity. Version 7 is still popular and in demand OS. The secret of its success lies in the fact that it appeared on the market in right time and under the right circumstances. Windows XP became morally obsolete, computer upgrades became more affordable (both financially and in terms of the availability of offers on the market, including the secondary market). And Microsoft put more effort than usual into version 7 for fear of repeating Vista's history. However, the history of Vista was destined to repeat itself.

Windows 8

The tradition of failed projects in 2012 was continued by Windows 8, an OS created in the race for the tablet niche with an add-on in the form of the Metro (Modern) interface and the abolished Start menu. These innovations have been severely criticized. And this despite the fact that the desktop environment of Windows 8 was a familiar version of 7, in which it was possible to organize the classic Start menu using third-party software. In the avalanche of negativity, many worthy improvements went unnoticed, in particular, a better recovery environment, expanded driver support, a regular ISO reader, the Hyper-V hypervisor that migrated from server editions, etc. Even its significantly improved version did not save the reputation of Windows 8 - update 8.1, which improved the Metro interface. Despite the fact that Windows 8.1 is currently the most stable system of all Windows, at the end of 2016, the share of Win 8.1 in the desktop OS market did not even exceed the share of Linux.

Windows 10

Windows 10 was the result of a careful analysis of the mistakes made by Microsoft before. It returned and improved the Start menu, and the Metro interface was transformed into a separate from the classic full-time functionality in the format of universal applications. Among the significant innovations in Windows 10: browser Microsoft Edge, a new format of regular settings, virtual desktops. Version 10 differs from its predecessors not only in functional and design innovations, it is open to user feedback and constantly updated system. Functional updates are “run in” on test builds of the system as part of the Windows Insider project, and then a major update (like patches) is introduced into the OS.

At the end of the article I will express the opinion of the administration of the site http: // site about the best on this moment operating system. In our opinion, this is Windows 8.1. This OS is absolutely brought to mind and is compatible with both the old and the new computer hardware. The same cannot be said about Windows 10 yet. For many users, the 1607 version, which works quite well, after updating to 1703, began to work unstable. But I'm sure it will be fixed in the future. Also sure that windows history will not end with the number 10!

Articles on this subject.

Written examination paper

Windows operating systems

1. Introduction……………………………………………………………………3

2. History of creation…………………………………………………………4

2. Windows 9 x / NT ………………………………………………………….5

3. Operating system Microsoft Windows………………………....5

4.Advantages and disadvantages Windows ……………………………....7

5. Some keyboard shortcuts Windows 9 x and NT …10

6. Conclusion……………………………………………………………..14

7. List of references……………………………………………………….15

Introduction.

Microsoft's Windows operating system, in all its forms, is by far the most widely used PC operating system today, with over 150 million IBMPC-compatible computers in the world, and 100 million of them have Windows installed. It is obvious that familiarization with a PC must begin with an acquaintance with Windows, because without it, working on a PC is unthinkable for most users. Knowledge of the Windows system is a necessary brick in the wall of PC knowledge.

Initially, Windows was not developed as an operating system, as we are used to seeing modern versions of it, but as a graphical shell for MS-DOS. It should be noted that the concept of a graphical interface was not developed by Microsoft. Already a few years before the introduction of Windows, there were Apple Macintosh computers, with a graphical operating system (MacOS), whose interface was more friendly and understandable to the average user, in contrast to the MS-DOS command line. Strictly speaking, Windows is not the only attempt to rid the user of the command line on IBM-compatible computers. Very famous, at one time was a pseudo-graphical (actually working in text mode), the NortonCommander shell of Symantec Corporation. It accelerated several times the process of navigating through disk space, moreover, it more naturally represented the directory hierarchy in the form of a tree. However, Windows came before Norton, although Norton was more popular, in part because of the low system requirements.

History of creation

Start

back when work on Windows was just beginning, it was believed that the future belonged to the integrated environment. VisiCorp is the creator of the first spreadsheet VisiCalc, was engaged in the creation of the Vision package, which worked in text mode with the ability to control the "mouse" manipulator. The package was intended to combine several applications with one multi-window shell. Quarterdesk was developing the DESQ package at the time, which later became the basis for its DESQView multitasking environment.

Microsoft's position was different. After visiting the Xerox PARC research center, company president Bill Gates decided to create a graphical environment that would serve as a standard platform for application developers. Steve Jobb, the creator of the Macintosh and, later, NeXT, also visited the center at the same time. The impression that what they saw had on both young people is well known. So, Microsoft set itself the task of creating a platform for developers. It was supposed to provide developers with built-in functions for implementing the user interface and its components - windows, menus, dialog panels, which could be controlled using the keyboard or mouse.

When work on Windows environment was just beginning, Microsoft had a computer with an 8088 processor and a maximum memory capacity of 640 KB. It was assumed that users of this environment have about 256 KB of memory, and HDD they are not available due to the high price. The best graphics adapter in those days was CGA with a resolution of 320 by 200 when working with four colors. The Hercules adapter, which provided a resolution of 720 by 348 in monochrome, was then a novelty. The work of the graphical environment in such conditions was insanely slow. In 1983, the first information about the development of Windows began to leak.

And finally Windows 1.0

indows (“windows”) is a ubiquitous, essentially standard multitasking operating system for modern IBM-compatible computers. There are two main families of it: relatively speaking, for home use (Windows versions 3.1, 3.11, 95, 98 and MillenniumEdition) and for professional applications (Windows NT versions 3.5, 4.0, 2000 and XP). Systems of the first type are installed, of course, not only on home computers, but also in most institutions, firms, and institutions. NT is used when they want to create a local or global network enterprise or educational institution (however, here WindowsNT has serious competitors) or when it is necessary to provide increased system stability, which, generally speaking, is desirable for everyone, but for professionals it is simply vital.

From the point of view of working methods, the appearance of the screen and windows, buttons and menus, the systems of both families are very similar. So if you know how to work in Windows 95, then in NT 4.0 you will not have any special problems. And if you have mastered Windows 98 and Me, then in Win 2000 you may not notice any difference at all.

No, you will notice something: the 98th and Me often freeze, give obscure crashes, after which you have to reboot, and 2k and XP. they don't do anything.

Microsoft is going to gradually transfer all home users to new technology(NT in translation - NewTechnology), for which, Windows 2000 systems were created, and then XP. Development " old technology” has been discontinued - there will be nothing for the Millennium mind.

The first generation systems (Windows 3.1 and 3.11, as well as NT 3.5), which were very popular in the mid-90s, have practically died out.

operating room Microsoft system Windows for beginners and beyond

What is meant by operating system?

In general, an operating system is understood as a set of programs that allow you to manage resources ( RAM, hard drive, processor, peripherals) of a computer. Without an operating system, it is impossible to run any application program, For example, text editor. Therefore, the operating system is the base under which various applications are developed.

After John Sosha invented Norton Commander command line began to annoy millions of PC users who do not know the standard commands and parameters of the disk operating system. Soon in the fourth version of MS-DOS appeared something similar to an object-oriented shell - DOS Shell. But this program somehow did not take root. It can be said that Windows is more than just an operating system, because you can work in it without typing mind-blowing keyboard commands at an annoying prompt like C:\. In Windows, all information is presented in an intuitive graphical environment in such a way that the user personal computer can work effectively, easily, without memorizing obnoxious directives and commands. All you have to do is find desired application or document and click on the appropriate shortcut with the mouse button. To make it easier to find documents and Windows applications offers the user the so-called desktop concept. Windows desktop has a surface model regular table with documents and folders.

Advantages and disadvantages Windows .

Advantages.

usability and device support . The main difference between programs for DOS and for Windows is that a DOS program can work with computer hardware (monitor, keyboard, printer, etc.) directly bypassing DOS (and, as a rule, does just that), in while a Windows program must access external devices only through Windows. Therefore, after installing Windows drivers providing support this device(that is, adjusting Windows to the features of this device) all Windows programs can work with this device. This eliminates the very painful problem for DOS of ensuring the compatibility of programs with specific devices.

Programs (drivers) to support the most common devices are included in Windows, and for other devices are supplied with these devices or controllers.

Support for scalable fonts. Applications such as document editing, publishing and advertising, creating spreadsheets or presentations, etc. require the use of a large number fonts - text, heading, decorative, pictographic and others, and the characters of these fonts may be required in a variety of sizes. Therefore, support for TrueType scalable fonts was built into Windows 3.1. Scalable fonts (in contrast to bitmap fonts) do not contain bitmap (dotted) images of symbols of some fixed size, but a description of the outlines of the symbols, allowing you to build symbols of any desired size. Since the images of characters on the screen and on print are formed from the same outlines contained in the font file, they, of course, fully correspond to each other, which ensures the implementation of the WYSIWYG principle - what is on the screen is what is printed.

Hello dear site readers. Very often you have to hear the phrase "operating system", but unfortunately not everyone understands what it essentially means. In today's article, I propose to analyze the question in more detail, what is Windows and what operating systems are.

Operating system starts automatically almost immediately after turning on the computer. When you turn on the computer (press the "Power" button, which is located on system block), then it performs a self-test, namely, it checks whether all of its required hardware components are in place and whether they respond to requests. Upon successful completion of this test, the computer starts loading the operating system (OS) or allows the user to make a choice of OS if there are several installed on the computer.

Windows operating system

Roughly speaking, the operating system is the most important program in a computer, or more precisely, a whole complex of programs. The operating system is needed in the computer in the first place in order to organize access regular programs(Internet browser, music player, etc.) to computer resources. For example, when several programs are running at the same time and another part is running in background(programs running in the background are not visible, but they work in the system), who should perform the function of "regulator"? who organizes when the processor will allocate resources for one program, and the hard drive will write / read information for another? It is the operating system that does this.

In addition, the OS creates an interface through which a person can conveniently work with programs. That is, it is the operating system that organizes the creation of the picture that we see on the screen, processes mouse movements and clicks, keystrokes on the keyboard, plays sound in speakers, etc. It is important to understand that the operating system itself does not allow you to perform the usual actions (browse web pages, work with text documents), for this you need additional programs, these programs are called applied.

Immediately after installing the operating system, you can find applications in the Start menu that allow you to perform most typical actions (for example, MS Internet Explorer for the Internet or WorPad for working with text). In addition, the usual functionality of the programs offered with the operating system is not enough. In a fresh system, usually installed additional applications(eg, Mozilla Firefox for the Internet, MS Office package for working with text, etc.).

The most common operating systems today are products of the Windows family from Microsoft. The share of this company is about 90% of the desktop computer market. The remaining 10% fall on operating systems of the Linux and MacOS families.

From the above, you understand what Windows is. But now the question is brewing, what are the operating systems? In order to understand which operating system is installed on your computer, it is usually enough not to lose sight of the monitor screen when the system boots. Usually at this point you can see the logo on the screen.

Below are pictures with different versions Windows.

If Windows XP is installed on the computer, then you will see the following message:

Windows Vista looks like this:

One of the latest versions of Windows 7 inscription looks like this:

And here is the Windows 8 logo:

If there is no logo when loading, then this information can be viewed in a running system.

On systems of the Windows family, to see the properties of the operating system, you need to click right click mouse on the icon of my computer (on the "Desktop" or in the "Start" menu) and select "Properties" in the menu that appears. The same window can be called up if you select "Control Panel" from the "Start" menu, and in the window that appears, double-click on the "System" icon. Or you can use the Win+Pause/Break keyboard shortcut (win is the button with the Windows logo). You can read about hot keys. In the properties window that appears, in the "System" section, general information about the OS will be indicated, including its name and version.
The Windows operating system has come a long way from the Dos graphical shell (since 1985) to a modern, comfortable, reliable and available Windows XP and Windows 7 (you can read more about the history of Windows in one of my articles "").

Helpful information . The latest version is Windows 8. But the most optimal operating systems that have been tested by users are Windows 7, Windows XP, today many users use them. These operating systems work stably, all the programs that used to have problems in Windows 7 with compatibility with other programs have now adjusted their software products software developers by releasing new versions in which this shortcoming is corrected. Compared to Windows XP, it has a number of advantages, in particular, it has a more reliable security system, a pleasant appearance, ergonomic design.

Many users are in no hurry to change the familiar and convenient Windows XP system to a new development from the same manufacturer. By and large, there is no urgent need for this. Windows XP is still supported by Microsoft, which means that it is quite safe and convenient to have this operating system on your computer, provided that the latest service pack is installed (it is called Service Pack 3 or simply SP3) and a working antivirus is quite safe and convenient.

MacOS is an operating system from Apple and can be found on computers from this manufacturer. It began its distribution with the advent of the first products from Apple and developed in parallel with Windows. But you need to know that this system can also be installed on a number of other computers not from these manufacturers.

Linux is considered the most "exotic" option for the desktop today. This operating system is distributed free of charge (for many, this is considered its main advantage over competitors). It has several modifications (they are usually called distributions), each of which is distributed and supported by different companies.

As a regular "home" version, the most common distribution is called Ubuntu. Recently, Ubuntu has taken a big step forward in bringing Linux closer to the average user, for example, a distribution like Linux XP is this confirmation, but it is distributed as paid product. However, only some enthusiasts and people who work closely with computers (for example, programmers and system administrators) still decide to switch to it, or at least try it.

When we turn on the computer, we see a picture and all sorts of icons, buttons, windows, and so on. All this beauty that you see and use is possible only thanks to the operating system. With the help of it, we control the computer, that is, we do everything that we do for it - we work, relax, use the Internet.

Operating system is the most important program. Without it, we would not even be able to turn on the computer. That is, if it were not there, then when you turn on the computer there would be only a black screen with various incomprehensible letters and numbers.

Windows (Windows) is the name of the operating system. So to speak, her brand. As, for example, car brands - Audi, Volkswagen, BMW and others. Here Windows is one of the "brands" of computer operating systems.

In fact, there are plenty of such "brands". But Windows is the most popular. And it is installed on almost all computers.

All this because it is very convenient and the most simple. That is, thanks to it, you can manage your computer as easily as possible. A schoolboy, a pensioner, a teacher, and a cleaner - in general, any person, regardless of age, education and social status, can cope with this task.

There are quite a few versions of this system:

Legacy versions - 95, 98, 2000, Me;
Less common - NT, Vista;
Popular - XP, 7, 8, 10.

Between themselves, they differ in the release date. How older version operating system, the more flaws it has.

Now most new version is Windows 10. But most people use other versions - Windows XP and Windows 7.

In fact, it is not so important what version of the system is on your computer or laptop (netbook). All of them are very similar to each other - the principle of operation is the same. But the most stable system at the moment is Windows 7.