In a personal computer or PC, one of the most important things is the most important thing. The operating system is the soul of the computer, today a 19-year-old wins play PUBG, Call of Duty, Assassins Creed, Counter-Strike and whatnot. For them, this is the new normal but they do not know what has gone beyond it. Just bringing the graphical icons to the screen took years of hard work and dedication. The interface which they are using has taken innumerable man-hours to come into use for the masses. In an era of the non-graphical user interface, people used DOS (Disk Operating System) where everything happened with commands that would be entered through a keyboard in the command prompt or CMD in short.
Today CMD is only used when something grave disaster like malware crash or searching for a specific file using a check disk needs to be done. But at that time that was the only thing, you needed to enter a certain systematic code to search for a file, view an image, even for listening to a song and calculating numbers etc. So, you could say it was not much user-friendly as it is today that anyone with basic knowledge of English can smoothly run a computer. But today most computers and their related systems use Windows as their operating system. Though Apple’s Macintosh is also popular it has a selective audience that could afford such a product.
Here, we shall discuss the two mainstream operating systems Windows and Linux and the latest tech news. Linux is basically an open-source operating system whereas Windows is commercial. This means that developers use their skills in programming to adjust as per their needs. Whereas after installing Windows you cannot access the source code, hence, the features are only what you see on the screen. You need to wait for the updates. Linux also started as a non-graphical coding operating system but today it is also a graphical user interface with icons along with Windows. In this article, we shall discuss how things operating systems went under strict transformation and evolution of both Linux and Windows till Windows 11, the latest one.
History
It is a misconception as people mostly quote falsely that Linux came earlier than Windows. This is mostly to the less popularity of Linux that people think it must have been the older one. But the fact is that Windows was first launched in 1985 whereas Linux arrived in 1991. Windows was the baby of Bill Gates and Paul Allen that launched Windows 1, trying to bring a graphical user interface which would make it easier for common people to use a computer. It was based on MS-DOS i.e., command prompt.
Linux was developed by a student of Finnish nationality, Linus Torvalds. Till Windows had already come into the market. But there was one thing windows was not open source, hence, there was no scope for adjustments. Hence, the idea was to make an operating system that could be changed by anyone as per their need. Windows from its very first version have a graphical interface whereas the first version of Linux launched in 1991 was non-graphical.
Windows 2
Windows 2 came with a bang two years after the release of Windows 1 in 1987. It included important features like minimizing and maximizing the tabs, earlier you could either zoom in or zoom out. It brought a control panel where all major functions could be controlled from a single place. And utilities like Microsoft Word and Microsoft Excel made their introduction in this version as per the latest tech news at Viralblogy.
Windows 3
In 1990 launched the third version of Windows was. All the earlier versions of Windows were pre-installed on the computer without any need for a hard disk. But Windows 3 required a different hard disk drive and that made Windows first time a tough competitor for Macintosh. The first pre-installed game Solitaire was also introduced in this version. You would now use MS-DOS along with windows just like it is today.
Windows 3.1
Windows 3.1 came in 1992 but it is special because of the TrueType Fonts. Another pre-installed game, Minesweeper was introduced to kill more time. 1 MB of Random Access Memory or Ram was needed. For the first time, MS-DOS and its programmes could be managed with the mouse. You could also carry an OS on a CD-ROM.
Windows 95
The year 1995 saw the release of Windows 95 which brought the historically significant Start Button, Start Menu, and Internet Explorer. This version of Windows contained a “plug and play” concept where you could connect peripheral devices and the OS finds appropriate drivers for it. Taskbar, a 32-bit system and more focus on multitasking were key features of this version.
Windows 98
Three years after Windows 95 came Windows 98 which included Outlook Express, IE 4, and Microsoft Chat. Address Book and NetShow Player which eventually became Windows Media Player were the key features of this version. Windows Driver Model was launched that came with a single driver for the upcoming version of Windows.
Windows ME
Windows ME or Windows Millennium Edition was not well received due to too many bugs and problems in installation. In fact, this was the last window to have an MS-DOS core. It was released in 2000 aiming at the business market. Windows Movie Maker, IE 5.5 and Windows Media Player were the exclusives.
Windows 2000
Windows ME and Windows 2000 were twins that were aimed to bring both home users and commercial users. Windows 2000 however became the bedrock for the next versions. It was the first window to support hibernation mode, more at Viralblogy.
Windows XP
2001 saw the most popular version of Windows come into play, Windows XP. The idea of bringing home users and business users became successful with Windows XP. The in-built software to burn CDs feature to autoplay or open files after inserting CD was new. It was officially available till 2014 after which Microsoft terminated its use.
Windows Vista
Windows Vista came in 2007, six years after Windows XP. Windows Media Player 11, Microsoft’s inbuilt Antivirus, and Windows Defender were introduced. Windows DVD Maker and Gallery for viewing photos were launched. It was actually the first Windows OS to be available on DVD.
Windows 7
Windows 7 was the first Windows that users of Windows XP thought that they could upgrade to. No one really remembers Windows Vista; it is all which occurred perfectly that didn’t go well with Windows Vista. It was launched in 2009 with an additional dose of user-friendliness and cool backgrounds.
Windows 8
Windows 8 was a modern OS with went beyond the Start Button and Start Menu. Instead, it contained a floating kind of menu with all the same icons and applications. But there was / still a desktop just like in Windows 7. It became compatible with USB 3.0 devices leading to extensive use of USBs.
Windows 8.1
There were no major differences all you could get was the re-introduction of the Start Button and Start Menu which was the main criticism of Windows 8. For more info go to Viralblogy.
Windows 10
Windows 10 is currently what is used on most devices across computers or laptops. It was again a step further to bring the start button along with the modern look of icons though not making it completely floating. The newest features included were the ability to switch between keyboard, mouse and tablet mode.
Windows 11
Windows 11 is the newest child in the Windows Operating System in the latest tech news. Though many people have still not installed it. It has faster widgets with a focus on AI to streamline the user experience. Security, smoothness and a transparent transition between multiple devices are major areas of concern in Windows 11.