History of Windows

The Windows operating system to Microsoft, no doubt, a milestone in the development of not only the information industry, but of all mankind. Largely thanks to Windows on the tables of hundreds of millions of people worldwide installed PCs and laptops. With Windows work with a computer was available for everybody, from preschoolers to seniors honored. Sophisticated computer systems, once used only by engineers and scientists in our time are used for a variety of tasks, work and play, learn and understand the world.

For many years, Windows is the world's overwhelming market share in operating systems. In February 2009 the share of Windows was more than 88.41%. Its nearest competitor, operating system, Mac OS, installed on the computers of Apple, got 9.61% and the operating system Linux - measly 0.88%. In other words, the words "home" or "working" computer, we obviously mean a computer that is running one or another version of Windows.

But Windows - is not only a medium for playing solitaire or working with Word. In parallel with the operating system for home computers in the Microsoft developed server version of Windows, designed for companies and corporations. This version is called Windows NT, and then the Windows Server. This family of operating systems has gained considerable popularity, and seriously pushed the former king's servers - operating system UNIX.

The history of Windows like the triumphant march, which began back in 1985, when the first Windows-numbered 1.01. However, the history of Microsoft begins even earlier, already in 1975, when a young student, Bill Gates created a version of the BASIC language for one of the first personal computer, the Altair 8800 models. In general, the story of one of the richest people in the world (and for many years, he headed to this pedestal) is certainly of great interest and is described in many books. Taken a few films, written thousands of article, and all attempts to explain the phenomenon in general and Microsoft Windows - in particular.

The history of versions of Windows - no doubt, an interesting topic that deserves its own book. Therefore, we only briefly take a look at key events in the life of Microsoft Windows.

Contrary to popular belief, the first version of Windows was not an independent operating system. In fact, Windows is a graphical "add" on the DOS operating system was designed to simplify the work with a dark and gloomy the command line. Many users of DOS does not understand this innovation. Until now, the Internet "walks" the famous passage from the book of Soviet engineers, released in 1989. The book is called "Personal computers in engineering practice," and follows strict engineers responded to the product Microsoft.

"One example of a cumbersome and, in our opinion, useless add-in is integrated WINDOWS company Microsoft. This system is almost 1 MB of disk space and is designed for primary use in conjunction with a device such as "mouse" ... Thus, the reader has already understood that among the suspensions of the DOS can be quite useless system that only looks nice, but actually takes time user , memory, disk and memory of computers. Deceptive beauty of these systems, however, strongly affects the inexperienced users who have not had the practice of the car. The inertia of thinking is so strong that the authors have observed that people who began working with such a setting, then make a hard team to study the DOS. I would like to caution the reader of this error. "

Nowadays, of course, impossible to read this passage without a smile. "Cumbersome and useless superstructure" was a real window into the world of information, but this was not right.