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 Microsoft Windows is a range of commercial operating environments for personal computers. The range was first introduced by Microsoft in 1985 and eventually has come to dominate the world personal computer market. All recent versions of Windows are fully-fledged operating systems. Windows was developed for IBM PC compatible computers (these were based on Intel x86 architecture), and to this day, almost all versions of Windows are made for this hardware-platform (although some versions of Windows NT were made for other architectures ). The popularity of Windows made Intel CPUs more popular and vice versa. In fact, the term Wintel became used to describe PC compatible computers running a version of Windows.
VersionsThe term Windows is used as a collective term for several generations of products, which can be classified into the following categories:
InterfaceThe most obvious feature of the more recent Windows versions (since Windows 95 and NT 4.0) is the desktop, which is similar to the "Workplace Shell" introduced by IBM for OS/2 2.0 in 1992, an object-oriented GUI running on the OS/2 Presentation Manager. The Windows desktop has produced a significant change in the way people and computers interact; it is possible to perform many common tasks with very little computer knowledge, including some quite complex ones. Windows XP introduced a new visual style dubbed "Luna", which updated the classic Windows style (a plain grey box look) with a more graphical appearance. The new style features bold colors and a larger titlebar and start button, leading many to call it the "playskool" interface (after a popular brand of children's toys). [1] (http://www.winntmag.com/ActiveDirectory/Article/ArticleID/23597/ActiveDirectory_23597.html) [2] (http://www.kingcountyjournal.com/sited/story/html/71914) [3] (http://labmice.techtarget.com/FAQ/winxpfaq.htm) Users can still elect to use the old Windows 95/2000 visual style. There is a view that modern operating systems need to cater for the vastly increased user base with a lower average computer skill level and the increased power and complexity of modern computer systems. Therefore, some technically savvy users accuse the Windows interface of isolating the user from too much of the inner workings of the computer, making it more difficult to control and configure some system features, although many such features can be now controlled also from the command-line or by scripting. However, this has always been an issue to some extent with GUI operating systems, and, to a lesser extent, almost all operating systems, by definition. PopularityThought to be installed on over 90% of personal computers, Windows has achieved enormous market penetration due in large part to the domination of MS-DOS in the early days of PC compatible computers (IBM-PC clones), and also because it is the primary platform for Microsoft Office and its proprietary document formats used by most microcomputer users, as well as the fact that Microsoft is one of the few companies that licence their OS to hardware manufacturers (for example, Apple does not license Mac OS X to anyone, nor does Sun license Solaris to anyone). Due to its popularity, Windows comes pre-installed on most computers (as a bundled OEM version), making it the default choice for much of the market. Most consumers do not delete Windows and install another operating system. For some consumers, Windows is the only valid option as their computing environment is mandated by their workplace; for others, the wide variety of applications that is available for the platform limits their desire to switch to other operating systems. While many users have made an informed choice to run Windows, a large number are entirely unaware that there are other choices. SecuritySecurity has been a major issue with Windows family products for many years. Most modern operating systems were designed for security in a multi-user and/or networked environment and have a relatively small number of security issues. Windows was originally designed for ease-of-use on a single-user PC without a network connection, and did not have security features built in from the outset. Combined with occasionally flawed code (such as buffer overruns) Windows has been the successful target of worms and virus writers numerous times. The Blaster worm of August 2003 is a recent example. It is unclear whether the security problems with the Windows line are particularly systemic for Microsoft, or are so prevalent merely because Windows dominates the world's desktops, thus leading attackers to concentrate on Windows systems before any other type. Nevertheless, Microsoft publicly admitted their ongoing security problems shortly after the turn of the century and (according to their press statements) now regard security as the number one priority. Microsoft releases security patches through its Windows Update service approximately once a month, although critical updates are made available at shorter intervals. In Windows 2000 and Windows XP, updates can be automatically downloaded and installed if the user elects to do so. Many security experts are advising Windows users to take steps to increase the security of their systems. A study conducted by Kevin Mitnick and marketing communications firm, Avantgarde, found that an unpatched Windows XP system only lasted 4 minutes on the Internet before it was compromised. [4] (http://www.avantgarde.com/ttln113004.html) The AOL/National Cyber Security Alliance Online Safety Study of October 2004 determined that 80% of Windows users were infected by at least one spyware/adware product. [5] (http://www.staysafeonline.info/news/safety_study_v04.pdf) Much documentation is available describing how to increase the security of Microsoft Windows products. Typical suggestions include deploying Microsoft Windows behind a hardware firewall, running anti-virus and anti-spyware software, and installing patches as they become available through Windows Update. Some suggest replacing specific programs which are often targeted by crackers with alternatives, such as replacing the web browser Internet Explorer with Mozilla Firefox, and replacing the email client Microsoft Outlook with Mozilla Thunderbird. In 2001, Microsoft started talking about a new security initiative called Palladium. The system has since been renamed "Next Generation Secure Computing Base". Palladium is a system intended to allow a program to verify that it is unmodified, and is running on "trusted" hardware with "trusted" drivers and a "trusted" architecture. This, in theory, assures the software that it is running on unmodified software and hardware. Palladium has a particular use in DRM systems. A side effect will be to lock out "untrusted" operating systems at the hardware level: this is likely to impact Linux in particular, since there is no single canonical Linux which can be certified, and many users consider the ability to customise the system one of its main attractions. Some conspiracy theorists hold that this is the secret reason behind the system, although in practice it is unlikely that Microsoft will try to prevent Linux vendors such as Red Hat from having their products certified. As of 2004, Palladium has not resulted in any commercial products. InitiativesMicrosoft has a number of new initiatives planned or in progress: .NET, Next-Generation Secure Computing Base, and the "Longhorn" operating system, which is due in or around 2007 according to some Microsoft executives. Further down the road, there is the "Blackcomb" operating system, which is due some time around 2010, and will have both client and server versions. Current versions of Windows
Past versions of Windows
Future versions of Windows
Emulation and virtual machine softwareEmulation or the use of "virtual machines" allow the use of some Windows applications without using Microsoft Windows.
See also
External links
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