Windows Basics

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An overview of different versions of windows

Microsoft Corporation, USA had released the MS-DOS operating system. Further, they came out with Windows 3.1, whose later releases were till Windows 3.11. Windows 3.X worked in MS-DOS and gave a Graphical Interface to interact with the computer. Thus, new users can now easily operate and use the computer. With success of Windows 3.11, Microsoft came out with a full-fledged graphical interface operating system i.e. Windows 95. Windows 95 made working with the computer easier. Later, various bugs were found in Windows’95, which were removed in later versions and new features were also added in– Windows’97 and finally Windows XP. New version of Windows was released Windows XP (eXPerience), Vista, Windows 7 and server software was also released as Windows NT 4, Server 2000, 2003 and 2008.

User interaction with the computer is for issuing instructions to the computer and can be in two forms

CUI (Character User Interface)

In this interface the commands given are in the form of characters examples of CUI operating system is MS-DOS, Earlier versions of UNIX and LINUX.

GUI (Graphical User Interface)

In this interface the commands are in the form of graphics which are called icons. Example of the GUI operating system is MS Windows 9x onwards. MS Windows XP is a GUI operating system i.e. to perform tasks in Windows XP we do not have to type the command like in MS-DOS. After the computer is booted in Windows XP operating system first screen that appears is called Desktop. The tasks performed here are all represented in the form of the small pictures called ICONS.

Windows XP Professional

Microsoft Windows XP was introduced in 2001 and is the most significant upgrade to the Windows operating system since Windows 95. The previous version of Windows, called Windows Me (or Millennium Edition) still had the look and feel of Windows 95 and was known to have stability issues and incompatibilities with certain hardware.

Windows XP addressed many issues of its predecessor and added a number of other improvements as well. It is a stable operating system since it is built on the Windows 2000 kernel, which is known for its reliability. XP also has a new, more modern look, and an interface that is easier to navigate than previous versions of Windows. While not written from the ground up, like Mac OS X, Windows XP is a substantial system update. The letters “XP” stand for “eXPerience,” meaning the operating system is meant to be a new type of user experience.

An overview of different versions of windows
Microsoft Corporation, USA had released the MS-DOS operating system which was CUI (Character User Interface) which took input from keyboard only and then various versions were released which were GUI (Graphical User Interface) which can take input from mouse and used graphics for interfacing as Windows 3.11, Windows 95, Windows’98 and finally Windows XP. New version of Windows was released Windows XP (eXPerience), Vista, Windows 7 and server software was also released as Windows NT 4, Server 2000, 2003 and 2008.

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