MS Windows

Microsoft Windows (known as Windows or MS Windows), is the name of a family of software distributions for PCs, servers, embedded systems and until not too long ago, smartphones, developed and sold by Microsoft and available for multiple architectures, such as x86, x86-64 (x64) and ARM

From a technical point of view, they are not operating systems, but contain one (traditionally MS-DOS or the more current one whose core is Windows NT) along with a wide variety of software; However, it is common (although not necessarily correct) to call the set an operating system instead of a distribution

Microsoft introduced an operating environment called Windows on November 20, 1985 as a complement to MS-DOS in response to growing interest in graphical user interfaces (GUI)

Microsoft Windows came to dominate the global personal computer market, with more than 70% of the market share, surpassing Mac OS, which had been introduced in 1984

The most recent version of Windows is Windows 11 for desktops, Windows Server 2022 for servers, and Windows 10 Mobile for mobile devices

The first version in was Windows 1.0

The first version was released in 1985 and became widely used thanks to its window-based Graphical User Interface (GUI)

Until that moment (and until much later as the heart of Windows), the most widespread operating system was MS-DOS (Microsoft Disk Operating System), which at that time had a command line-based interface, also adding the use of the mouse as a means of entry

On September 30, 2014, Microsoft introduced Windows 10, to be available from that day for the advanced users who signed up for the program Insider

This new version of the operating system arrived officially and free of charge to users with a genuine license from Windows 7, Windows 8 and Windows 8.1 as well as to Insiders on July 29, 2015

It was the first version that sought to unify devices (desktops, laptops, smartphones, tablets and game consoles) under a common experience

His successor, Windows 11, was officially released on October 5, 2021 as a free update via Windows Update from Windows 10, for those equipment that meets certain compatible technical specifications of the new system

Microsoft stated that Windows 11 would have improved performance and ease of use over Windows 10, featuring major changes to the Windows Shell influenced by the canceled Windows 10X, including a redesigned Start menu, as well as incompatibility with 32 bit x86 architecture or systems using firmware from BIOS