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What is Windows?
Windows is a collection of programs known as an operating system
(OS) that controls a PC (personal computer). First produced by
Microsoft in November 1985, it has been frequently updated since, as
computer memory has got bigger, as processing chips have got faster and,
of course, when the internet was invented. Prior to Windows, PCs were
operated by a series of text commands.
Windows is Microsoft’s flagship operating system, the de facto standard for home and business computers. Introduced in 1985, the GUI-based OS has been released in many versions since then. The user-friendly Windows 95 was largely responsible for the rapid development of personal computing.
Microsoft Windows is a group of several graphical operating system families, all of which are developed, marketed, and sold by Microsoft. Each family caters to a certain sector of the computing industry. Active Windows families include Windows NT and Windows Embedded; these may encompass subfamilies, e.g. Windows Embedded Compact (Windows CE) or Windows Server. Defunct Windows families include Windows 9x, Windows Mobile and Windows Phone.
List of Windows Client OS with their Version Numbers
Windows' key benefits and features
Windows is Microsoft’s flagship operating system, the de facto standard for home and business computers. Introduced in 1985, the GUI-based OS has been released in many versions since then. The user-friendly Windows 95 was largely responsible for the rapid development of personal computing.
Microsoft Windows is a group of several graphical operating system families, all of which are developed, marketed, and sold by Microsoft. Each family caters to a certain sector of the computing industry. Active Windows families include Windows NT and Windows Embedded; these may encompass subfamilies, e.g. Windows Embedded Compact (Windows CE) or Windows Server. Defunct Windows families include Windows 9x, Windows Mobile and Windows Phone.
List of Windows Client OS with their Version Numbers
| Operating System | Version Number |
| Windows 1.0 | 1.04 |
| Windows 2.0 | 2.11 |
| Windows 3.0 | 3 |
| Windows NT 3.1 | 3.10.528 |
| Windows for Workgroups 3.11 | 3.11 |
| Windows NT Workstation 3.5 | 3.5.807 |
| Windows NT Workstation 3.51 | 3.51.1057 |
| Windows 95 | 4.0.950 |
| Windows NT Workstation 4.0 | 4.0.1381 |
| Windows 98 | 4.1.1998 |
| Windows 98 Second Edition | 4.1.2222 |
| Windows Me | 4.90.3000 |
| Windows 2000 Professional | 5.0.2195 |
| Windows XP | 5.1.2600 |
| Windows Vista | 6.0.6000 |
| Windows 7 | 6.1.7600 |
| Windows 8.1 | 6.3.9600 |
| Windows 10 | 10.0.10240 |
Windows' key benefits and features
- Allows the user to interact with the computer (through the keyboard, mouse, microphone, etc.).
- Controls the storage of data (images, files, music).
- Controls hardware attached to the computer such as webcams, scanners and printers.
- Helps to open and close programs (word processors, games, photo editors, etc.), and gives them part of the computer’s memory to allow them to work.
- Controls what access to a computer different users have and the computer's security.
- Deals with errors and user instructions, and issues simple error messages.
- Promotes multitasking by allowing the user to do several things on the computer at once – for example, watch a video while writing a letter.
