Have you ever wondered how the operating system installed on your computer got the name it eventually got? If you feel a clear lack of interesting reference material, then we suggest that you familiarize yourself with a short set of facts about how each of the most popular systems of its time got its name.
Lacking a graphical user interface, the Micro Soft Disk Operating System (MS-DOS - disk operating system from Microsoft) is the successor to the Quick and Dirty Operating System (Q-DOS, then renamed 86-DOS), developed by Seattle Computer Products ... In this case, the MS prefix is only an indicator that this version of the operating system was developed by Microsoft. For example, the operating system Apple DOS was named according to the same principle.
Windows 1.0-NT 4.0
It turns out that Windows 1.0 got the name "Windows" because one of its main features was the ability to switch between multiple windows of the graphical user interface. Following the announcement of this operating system, Microsoft decided to digitally label each version from 1.0 through 3.1 until the new Windows NT operating system was introduced, where NT stands for New Technology.
Windows 95-ME
The kernel of the Windows 3.1 operating system was subsequently used with the new graphical interface of the operating systems Windows 95, 98, as well as the Millennium Edition, which was released in 2000 and named after the new third millennium. ME is the latest version of the Windows 9x family of operating systems. After that, the company decided to change course and chose the further development of the Windows NT family, the first new representative of which was the Windows NT 5.0 operating system (which was renamed Windows 2000).
Windows XP, Vista and Windows 7
You may not know, but the name XP comes from the English word "eXPerience" (experience). Windows XP began its experience back in 2001, eventually becoming the most popular operating system of all time. It was succeeded in 2007 by the Vista operating system, which nee Longhorn. As for the question of why Microsoft chose the name Vista, the world heard the answer to it right during the presentation of this operating system. The fact is that the word "vista" can be translated as "new opportunities" or "new views for the future." In other words, it was these values that were embedded in the name of the OS, since they symbolized and personified the benefits that the OS was supposed to give its users. The result is known to all of you - Vista has become one of the most unsuccessful operating systems from Microsoft in history, as even its former CEO admitted. After Vista, Microsoft decided to revert to a digital naming scheme for operating systems and released Windows 7 and then Windows 8.
System 1-7.5
It was Apple's first Macintosh operating system, which it introduced in 1984. After that, the company decided to use numerical numbering in each of the subsequent versions. After the first seven versions of the System operating system, Apple decided to rename the operating system and called it Mac OS.
Mac OS 8-10
According to the original idea, version 8 of Mas OS was supposed to be called Mac OS 7.7, however, due to some legal circumstances, Apple decided to do otherwise. Later developed, Mac OS 9 was the last classic Mac operating system created by Apple based on its own program code. Mac OS X, based on BSD (Berkeley Software Distribution), was a giant leap forward for the company. It was decided to name each new version of Mac OS X after one of the representatives of the wild feline family.
Linux
This operating system owes its name to some extent to Ari Lemke, the owner of the FTP server on which the future OS was hosted at the request of Linus Torvalds. Linus later admitted that the kernel was inspired by the MINIX operating system, which did not suit him with its limited license. Torvalds originally wanted to name the new core "Freax". But instead, Lemke created a directory on the FTP server called "Linux" - derived from "Linus Minix".
In Zulu and Khosa (two African languages), the word Ubuntu translates as "humanity." Each new Ubuntu release has its own codename and build number. The build number can usually represent the year and month the new version was released, while the version codename contains the names of various animals.
Over the past years, Microsoft has constantly tried to please its users with new versions of the most popular operating system. Users really liked the 7th version of Windows, but very soon the 8th version appeared, then 8.1, and just recently Windows 10 was released.
According to the developers, this will be the latest version of the known operating system, after which there will only be updates to some programs. But perhaps you shouldn't rush to make such statements, because nothing is perfect, and this version may also need subsequent updates. In this now we will try to figure it out.
Pros of Windows 10
The developers have tried to work on this operating system, so you need to start with its merits.
So, what will make Windows 10 happy?
- Free and discreet update. After Microsoft realized that it was useless to fight piracy, they decided to make their latest product completely free, if, of course, earlier versions are already available.
- A significant increase in performance. Many users note the fact that after switching to Windows 10 from such controversial versions as 8 and 8.1, their software began to work significantly faster. This is especially noticeable in modern games that consume a lot of resources.
- Enhanced protection. Almost all Windows operating systems have problems with viruses, but in the latest version, security has been significantly improved. Moreover, the system receives information about new malicious agents through the cloud and thus constantly updates the level of its protection.
- Saving parameters across devices. Since I remembered the cloud that is gaining popularity, then with its help the new version is able to remember user settings on one device, and then resume them on another. Therefore, when switching from an office computer to a home PC, any work can be comfortably continued.
Controlled by the system
Despite the fact that there are many advantages, there are always some flaws that will prevent you from using the system calmly.
Windows 10 collects almost all information about the user and sends it to its database. Thus, the following become famous:
In fact, one system accumulates in itself almost all the information that can be collected about a person. The legislation of many countries provides, if necessary, the ability to use this information, and the user becomes very vulnerable.
There is also a possibility that attackers can break the Microsoft account password and gain access to everything at the same time.
If you want to know more facts about Windows 10, we suggest you watch the following video:
There are many more interesting details that the next update of the eminent operating system will not be able to ignore. Something you may like, but something, on the contrary, upset:
- return of the good old Start button;
- DirectX 12, which can use all the cores in the processor at the same time, as well as the video card from the motherboard together with the main one, but does not always work with all games;
- instead of the old Internet Explorer, the new Edge browser;
- some programs from the Windows 10 package have become paid, the trend may not be to everyone's liking;
- removing ads is no longer so easy.
Therefore, whether it is worth making an update to this version, each user still needs to think carefully. If you do not foresee any problems with the use of personal data, then update without hesitation.
Even people far from IT technologies have heard of Microsoft Windows. As of July 2017, 35.7% of all computers in the world have Windows installed. The corporation itself ranks first in the world in terms of software distribution rates and coverage of the Internet technologies market segment itself. The company did not come to such indicators right away and, of course, its path was not the beaten track, since Microsoft Windows is a kind of pioneer among the OS and it was this company that had to "fill" more than a dozen big shots before universal recognition.
A brief excursion into history
Microsoft itself has been officially operating on the market since 1975. At the moment, it is one of the largest in the world and is engaged in the implementation of software not only for PCs, but also for other computing equipment, including set-top boxes, PDAs, and its own line of smartphones.
Windows is the main brainchild of the corporation, an operating system with a priority of the graphic component in the management process, which is also not without curiosities in its history of formation. The first release took place on November 20, 1985.
Microsoft's monopoly scandals
There are many scandals in the history of Microsoft, Windows, Office, the essence of which lies in the claims of the corporation for monopoly within the segment. No need to look too far, the latest "showdown" between Mozilla Firefox and Microsoft over the position of browsers in Windows 10 is a clear confirmation that the company does not lose its ambition to conquer the entire market as a whole.
In addition, on November 10, 2016, the FAS Russia registered a claim from Kaspersky Lab on the monopoly behavior of Microsoft in the context of services provided in the field of anti-virus software. In early versions of Microsoft Windows 10, it is quite difficult to disable the built-in antivirus. He even considers some programs from other developers to be spyware and removes it.
Operating system MS-DOS
Despite the fact that the "first try of the pen" of Microsoft Windows, namely the MS-DOS disk operating system, was not perceived very successfully on the market, the project was generally recognized as a success. This version of the software was released in the period in the 80s and early 90s, was modeled on the x86 system and was distinguished by a significant number of "holes" in the code. Also, few people know, but really the first OS from Microsoft is XENIX, it was developed for UNIX, but the project was closed for some reason. MS-DOS is considered a "dirty" version of the original for UNIX and, according to unconfirmed rumors, was released in an incredible rush.
Windows 95-98
The first version of the OS, controlled by a graphical manipulator rather than a text string, was introduced in 1995. Excluding the NT version, this software is considered the first major commercial success of the corporation in the field of Internet technology. The OS was targeted primarily at the retail, home segment of customers, not the business sector. In addition, this particular version of Microsoft Windows has become a landmark for the company as a whole. Replacing Windows 3.0, the OS came out under its own brand with the famous "windows".
Windows 95 is the last version of the original OS that can be installed using floppy disks. More precisely, we are talking about 13 floppy disks and the minimum version of the software. The famous singer and showman Bob Rivers dedicated a whole musical composition to this version of the OS, in which he tried to describe how much he was tired of constant departures. Despite some skepticism, Windows 95 turned out to be competitive, and the 98th version of the OS only strengthened the position of software.
Windows 2000
If the previous OS was a hybrid for 16- and 32-bit systems, then Win2k was a real breakthrough on the already beaten track. This project was supposed to be the "swan song" of the NT project inside Microsoft Windows, but came out under its own trademark. There is now support for installing software and drivers via a USB port, as well as wireless technologies.
In general, according to reviews, Windows 2000 is one of the most successful ideas of the corporation and is characterized by extremely stable operation. Few people know, but it was this version that became the first with the introduction of File Protection from Digging.
Windows XP
Minus the not-so-new Millenium Edition, which was introduced in 2000, Windows XP has become Microsoft's main trump card, giving it a loyal user base. An interesting fact, the development of the OS was carried out for 600 days, the project employed 5734 people, and this is a record number for the corporation at that time. Several innovations appeared in the OS, for example, "Start" was divided into two columns, and the integrated software acquired new "skins" and innovations.
On the eve of the first teasers of the OS in front of the public, the marketing department of the corporation came up with a slogan that was supposed to personify the speed of Windows XP. It sounded like Prepare to Fly (translation - "Prepare to fly"), but it was replaced due to the hard-hitting analogy to the events of September 11, 2001. Later, the familiar Yes You Can (translation - "Yes, you can") appeared.
Windows Vista
In terms of users' position, this is the first failure of the corporation. Replacing the classic interface with a new one, which is also quite inconvenient, has become one of the key disadvantages of this version of the OS, which was released on January 30, 2007. The OS turned out to be extremely "heavy", almost 1.4 times the size of the XP version. In addition, the sold-out circulation barely covered the costs of the corporation. The bet on the home segment and exclusive for PC did not play, leaving the company behind its competitors.
This is the first version of the OS from the company to feature an integrated side bar to complement the control panel. There is also an opportunity to add a transparency effect to the Windows Aero design. Some proponents of the original OS have stated that Windows has created a graphically improved but technically degraded Windows XP.
Windows 7
In 2009, Windows 7 was released, which became the second major success of the corporation in the global market. The graphical component of the system has become better, themes, which in Windows Vista looked like crude development, have become one of the most popular tools and a reason for art among users. Integrated Windows Search has been improved, made more complete, expanded functionality. Technically, Windows 7 has gotten better. The corporation did not provide groundbreaking innovations, but the OS has become much more stable in operation. It is no longer supported by the company, but is still popular.
Microsoft Office for Windows 7 is considered one of the most user-friendly in the entire line of text editors. The program has acquired many useful functions and is also in demand. Microsoft visual Windows 7 has also been improved to provide a more user-friendly interface.
Windows 8
The G8 appeared in the public domain in 2012. "Tiles" were not appreciated by everyone, but the innovation did not end there. There was a task manager, synchronization of parameters, as well as the first commercial attempts of the corporation within its own software. By the way, there is an interesting incident associated with the popularization of the Windows Store. Valve criticized Windows 8 on the eve of the presentation of the latter due to the fact that it feared for the position of Steam against the backdrop of the internal Microsoft store. This was one of the first accusations of the company monopolizing the software segment.
Windows 10
The current version of Windows was introduced in 2015 and remains the most controversial. Microsoft was accused of forcibly distributing the OS among licensed users, infringing on the rights of other software developers, creating a distortion in the market, promoting its own projects within an already promoted brand and commercializing the process as a whole. Suffice it to mention that the OS updated itself, completely ignoring the user's attempts to cancel the process. Microsoft Office for Windows 10 was not available at all in the company's business package for a short period.
Other software
Incidents happened with other software from Microsoft. Microsoft Office Window 7 remains one of the company's most successful third-party projects, but Office, released in 2010, has gained a following of its own. For example, this particular version has acquired a convenient interface for integrating visual content within a document. Also, Microsoft Windows 2010, namely the Office package, received a more convenient toolkit for document management, taking screenshots and sending papers by mail. And, for example, Excel was created as software for Macintosh.
As you can see, the history of the formation of Microsoft is rich in all sorts of incidents and "interesting". It is impossible to cover all of them, since the corporation has been moving towards its positions for more than three decades. However, taking into account the current trend, commercial motives within the company can cross out a hard-earned audience and simply throw the company back.
Every computer user remembers everyone's favorite Windows XP, which was the perfect example of what a real operating system should be. Convenient, intuitive, fast, not overloaded with unnecessary and absolutely unnecessary functions. Unfortunately, to date, Microsoft has stopped supporting this version of the OS, since three more versions have already been released after it, but XP still has an impressive army of fans - this is an indisputable fact. As well as the fact that this operating system will go down in history as one of the best.
Using XP
You may be surprised, but today there are 500 million copies of this OS in active use - and these are only official licensed copies. There are probably even more pirated versions.
Just like XP
Those users who had to upgrade the system to the eighth version, or who have already bought a device with a pre-installed OS, are now actively looking for ways to make this OS look as similar as possible to XP. For this, you can even download a special program from the Internet.
IRS
Many government agencies, such as the IRS, still use Windows XP - in most cases this is due to the incompatibility of the software in use with other versions, but it is also a mark of the reliability of this OS.
Photo
Everyone knows the original Windows XP screensaver, which depicts the hills. This photograph has been sold for over a million dollars and is considered the second most expensive photograph in history.
ATM machines
PC users may well have changed their operating system, but most ATMs still use Windows XP.
Age
Windows XP is an incredibly old operating system. Believe it or not, it was released back in 2001.
Protection errors
Despite the fact that Windows XP is one of the most beloved operating systems, it has some very serious security holes. If you use this OS, then the likelihood of being hacked is about six times higher compared to modern systems.
IE versions
The popular Internet Explorer browser of more modern versions simply will not run on XP - this operating system only supports IE 8 and below.
Piracy
To date, support and sale of Windows XP has been discontinued, but people continue to actively download and install pirated versions of this operating system.
CON folder or file
Oddly enough, in Windows XP you cannot create a folder or file called CON - such a file already exists on the system, it is extremely important and cannot be accessed.
Upgrade speed
Many companies that still use Windows XP report that they do not upgrade to a new version, not because of the cost, but because of the time it will take to migrate all of the software to the new operating system.
XP is experience
Windows XP is one of the more recent systems to use letters rather than a sequential number to represent the version. And behind the letters XP stands the English word eXPerience, which translates as "experience."
End of support
As mentioned earlier, support and sale of this OS ended, and this was reported in 2014, that is, quite recently - Windows XP lived for 13 long years.
Decorations
If you want, you can decorate the folders and replace the icons with other pictures - this is a useless but extremely pleasant feature.
TweakUI
Use TweakUI - this tool was specially designed to personalize your version of the operating system.
Two versions
If you have two hard drives, then you can install two versions of the operating system at the same time - there are detailed step-by-step instructions on the Internet on how to do this.
Limited shopping cart
In this operating system, the "Recycle Bin" is limited in size - it can accommodate only 10% of the volume of the hard disk on which the system is installed.
Beta version
The beta version of the operating system that was to replace Windows 98 was called Windows Whistler, after the ski resort in British Columbia where many of Microsoft's top employees went on vacation.
Falling sales
Support for XP ended in 2014, but sales of the OS dropped significantly and didn't pick up any more back in 2008.
Number of security holes
The number of problems with protecting the privacy of this operating system was calculated exactly - the total number exceeded seventy.
In 1975, Gates and Allen form a company with the name Microsoft... Like most start-up businesses, Microsoft begins its history small, but has a global purpose - a computer for every desktop and every home. Over the next years, Microsoft begins to change the way it works in society.
In June 1980, Gates and Allen hire Steve Ballmer ( Steve ballmer), with whom Gates attended Harvard University, to help run the company. IBM is reaching out to Microsoft next month for a project codenamed Chess... As a result, Microsoft is focusing its efforts on a new operating system - software that controls the operation of computer hardware and acts as a link between hardware and programs, such as a word processor. It is a platform on which programs can run. The company named its new operating system MS ‑ DOS.
When the MS-DOS personal computer IBM PC was released in 1981, a completely new language was presented to the public. Typing various intricate commands after the "C:" combination is gradually becoming a part of daily work. Users discover the backslash key (\).
Operating system MS ‑ DOS proved to be effective, but difficult for many people to understand. Therefore, a better way of creating an operating system is required.
Windows was probably the first operating system that no one ordered Gates, and he took it on his own to develop it. What's so special about her? First, the graphical interface. At that time, only the notorious MacOS... Secondly, multitasking. Of course, some operating systems allowed an additional task to be launched in the background, but it was too painful for them to work hemorrhoids. In general, in November 1985 came out Windows 1.0.
The windows in it did not overlap; on 8086 processors, the kernel was terribly buggy due to the obvious lack of optimization for this pebble. The main platform was used for 286 vehicles. Exactly two years later, in November 87th came out Windows 2.0, after a year and a half came 2.10. There was nothing special about them, except that the windows had learned to overlap.
May 1990, a time of great accomplishments and overthrows. In short, came out Windows 3.0... There was just so much: both DOS applications were executed in a separate window on a full screen, and Copy-Paste worked to exchange data with DOS applications, and Windows themselves worked in several memory modes: in real ( basic 640 KB), in protected ( version 80286) and extended ( 80386 ). At the same time, it was possible to run applications that were larger than the size of physical memory. There was also a dynamic data exchange ( DDE A couple of years later, Windows 3.1 was released, in which hemorrhoids with base memory were no longer available ( if someone ran old toys, he remembers how they demanded either 560 kb or some more, although RAM could have been 16 Mb). A new-fangled gadget that supports True Type fonts has also been introduced. Normal operation in the local network is ensured. Drag & Drop appeared ( drag and drop files and directories). OLE appeared ( Object Linking & Embedding). In Windows 3.11, networking has been improved and a few more minor tweaks have been introduced. Windows came out in parallel NT 3.5, which at that time was a collection of basic network gadgets taken from OS / 2.
In June 1995, the entire computer community was agitated by Microsoft's announcement of the release in August of a new operating system, significantly different from Windows 3.11, but at the same time following the canons of MS - windows and windows again. August 24 - the date of the official release Windows-95 (other names: Windows 4.0, Windows Chicago). Now it was not just an operating environment - it was a full-fledged operating system that did not require a disk operating system to boot. The 32-bit kernel allowed for better access to files and network chips. 32-bit applications were better protected from each other's errors, there was also support for multi-user mode on one computer with one system. Many differences in the interface, a bunch of settings and improvements "for the user" - just one Start button, which came as a byword, which was worth ...
There was also an update specifically for Windows 3.1x - OSR1, which was not installed from under DOS, but simply upgraded the "three-eleven" ones. By the way, the delivery included the so-called DOS 7.0, which, unfortunately, had strong differences from DOS 6.22 and, alas, not for the better.
In 1996 came out Windows-95 OSR2 ( if I'm not mistaken, this stands for Open Service Release). The distribution kit included Internet Explorer 3.0 and some ancient version of Outlook'a ( then simply called Exchange). The main features are FAT32 support, an improved hardware and driver initializer. Some settings (including video) can be changed without rebooting. There was also built-in DOS 7.10 with FAT32 support
Blackcomb.
Codename Blackcomb belonged to Windows NT 6.0, the operating system planned to be next after Windows XP... Blackcomb was supposed to be the successor to this OS for both desktop and server workstations. In late 2001, Blackcomb was slated to be released in 2005, and in August 2002, it was announced that an interim release would be Windows Longhorn, which would be an update to the Windows NT 5.x kernel.
During development Windows Longhorn some Blackcomb features were added to it and assigned the number 6.0. Blackcomb was surrounded by confusion surrounding some reports that the marketing plans were heavily overhauled and that it should be Windows 6.x server OS but with improvements.
In January 2006, Microsoft announced that the new client OS would be Vienna, which was slated for release in 2010.
In March 2006, it became known that the heir to Windows Vista will be Fiji, which was scheduled for release in 2008.
In 2008, Fiji became aware of new information about Fiji as a result of complaints from Fijians that the new OS would be named after their country. According to Fijians, Ben Green said Fiji will add new TV formats, support for interactive services, and UI enhancements for Windows Media Center. It is likely that the Windows Media Center program included with Windows 7 has already added changes that should have been in Fiji.
Windows 7
Windows 7 is an operating system of the Windows NT family, following Windows Vista. In the Windows NT line, the system is version 6.1 (Windows 2000 - 5.0, Windows XP - 5.1, Windows Server 2003 - 5.2, Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 - 6.0). Server version is Windows Server 2008 R2, version for integrated systems is Windows Embedded Standard 2011 (Quebec), mobile version is Windows Embedded Compact 2011 (Chelan, Windows CE 7.0)
The operating system went on sale on October 22, 2009, less than three years after the release of the previous operating system, Windows Vista. Volume Licensing partners and customers were granted access to RTM on July 24, 2009. The final (copy from the discs, which later went on sale), the pirated version was available to everyone from the first days of August 2009.
Windows 7 included some of the developments excluded from Windows Vista and innovations in the interface and built-in programs. Inkball, Ultimate Extras were excluded from Windows 7; applications that have analogues in Windows Live ( Windows Mail, Windows Calendar, etc..), Microsoft Agent technology, Windows Meeting Space; the ability to return to the classic menu and automatic docking of the browser and e-mail client disappeared from the Start menu.
Microsoft Corporation officially changed its code name on July 24, 2007 Vienna on the Windows 7. Windows 7 number in the NT line, in which it will be located - 6.1 ( at one time the systems of this family received numbers: Windows 2000 - 5.0, Windows XP - 5.1, Windows Server 2003 - 5.2, Windows Vista - 6.0, Windows Server 2008 - 6.0).
On October 13, 2008, Microsoft Vice President Mike Nash announced that the codename Windows 7 will become the official name of the new version. Windows 7 Starter) will be distributed exclusively with new computers, it will not include the functional part for playing H.264, AAC, MPEG-2.