Intro to Computers: Windows

I’ve decided to take a break from my socio-political rants to talk about a lighter topic, computers. This will be a three part series talking about the top three Operating Systems: Windows, OSX, and Linux.

Cars have makes and models. The “make” is the manufacturer (like Ford or Honda) and the “model” is the version (like the F150 or the Civic). Successful models then have different generations (for instance the Civic that came out from 1992-1995 was it’s 5th Generation). Operating Systems (also called “OSes”) are similar. Microsoft makes Windows. Windows is broken down into different versions. XP, Vista and Windows 7 are each versions with 7 being the latest. Also like cars, each OS has its own benefits and faults. Windows is usually user friendly. It is also the most used OS in the world, with a market share of over 80%. It works on almost any hardware and is relatively affordable. The downsides are that it is more prone to attacks, viruses run rampant on Windows machines, and it doesn’t work particularly well with other OSes.

Windows came out in 1985. At the time, computing was done via command prompts. Windows used a Graphical User Interface (GUI) that made computing visually impressive and easy on the user. It also had the ability to multitask. Version 1 was a failure. Version 2 was a failure. Version 3 however, became very popular.

Windows 95 was another huge step forward. It added a lot more visual improvements and updated it’s style to set itself apart from other OSes. It allowed file names to be longer. Arguably one of the most important features was Plug and Play that allowed Windows to automatically detect new peripherals (printers, keyboard, etc) and install drivers for them. Windows 95 moved from 16 bit to 32 bit for a performance enhancement and included stability improvements. It was soon followed up with Windows 98.

Next came the NT. Windows replaced the FAT file system with NTFS. This added many improvements and is still used today. Windows Millennium Edition was a failure, but XP became a huge success. It offered graphical improvements and stability. Even 10 years after it came out, it is still the most used version of Windows. XP also branched out, offering different versions. Home Versions and Professional versions were sold for specific markets. This also meant that you could go from your work computer to your home computer and the User Interface (UI) was the same. It made life a lot easier. It did have it’s share of problems, though. With the growing computer market, and Windows leading the pack, hackers targeted Windows machines. Whether it was a virus or a privacy breach, Windows users were the prime focus of hackers.

Vista was the next to roll out. It’s focus was on eye candy. It added a lot of transparency and glossy icons. Screensavers were polished. It was the first version of Windows to support 64 bit processors. It also reorganized the Start Menu. Ironically while Vista removed the “Start” button, it retained the name “Start Menu”.  One of the primary goals of Vista was communication. It sought to make it easier to communicate with other computers, phones, mp3 players, etc. While it was a step forward, it was often criticized for it’s lack of hardware support. Users complained that certain peripherals wouldn’t work due to lack of driver support. Legacy devices were unable to upgrade.

Finally (so far) Windows 7 came to the stage. With minimal changes graphically, it did have quite a few stability improvements. What Windows started with Vista, it finished with Windows 7. Errors were far less often. More hardware was supported. Overall, users seemed quite pleased.

The main complaints people have had about Windows was its security vulnerabilities and its stability issues. Sadly, while Microsoft works to update their OS, hackers continue to update their techniques. Still, it is the most used OS and is the only real option for gamers. It also offers a fairly stable machine, provided you don’t fuck it up. The reality is that the main problem with computers is the user. I haven’t had a virus since XP because I know not to download stupid stuff.

Next up I will talk about Apple’s OSX and Linux.