On November 10, 1983, Microsoft announced Windows, a graphical user interface (GUI) for MS-DOS and a competitor to the Macintosh operating system. The product line eventually changed from a mere GUI for DOS into a fully complete, modern operating system over two lines of development, each with their own separate codebase.
The first versions of Windows (1.0 through to 3.11) were actually just programs run from MS-DOS which then took over the screen and launched an application called Program Manager; later on, Windows 95, though still being based on MS-DOS, was its own operating system, using a 16-bit DOS-based kernel and a 32-bit user space. Windows 95 introduced many staple features that remain in current versions of Windows today, including the Start menu, the taskbar, and Windows Explorer (renamed File Explorer in Windows 8). In 1997, Microsoft released Internet Explorer 4which included the (at the time) controversial Windows Desktop Update, which aimed to integrate Internet Explorer and the web into the user interface and also brought many new features into Windows, such as the ability to display JPEG images as the desktop wallpaper and single window navigation in Windows Explorer, all of which still exist in Windows today. In 1998, Microsoft released Windows 98, which also included the Windows Desktop Update and Internet Explorer 4 by default. The inclusion of Internet Explorer 4 and the Desktop Update led to an infamous anti-trust case. Windows 98 also included plug and play, which allowed devices to simply work when plugged in instead of requiring a system reboot, and USB support out of the box, which was previously only available in specially updated versions of Windows 95 which were only shipped to OEMs and not available to the general public. Windows ME, the last DOS-based version of Windows, was aimed at consumers and released in 2000. It introduced the Help and Support Center, System Restore, and updated user-friendly versions of the Disk Defragmenter and other system tools.
In 1993, Microsoft released Windows NT 3.1, the first version of the newly developed Windows NT operating system. It was not based on DOS and, as a result, was a fully 32-bit operating system, unlike the hybrid 16-bit kernel, 32-bit applications model used in Windows 95, 98 and Me. At the same time, it introduced NTFS, a file system designed to replace the inferior File Allocation Table(FAT) which was used by DOS and the DOS-based Windows operating systems. In 1996, Windows NT 4.0 was released, which included a fully 32-bit version of Windows Explorer written specifically for it, making the operating system work just like Windows 95. Windows NT was originally designed to be used on high-end systems and servers, however with the release of Windows 2000 (codenamed NT 5.0), many consumer-oriented features from Windows 95 and Windows 98 were included, such as the Windows Desktop Update, Internet Explorer 5, USB support and Windows Media Player. These consumer-oriented features were continued and further extended in Windows XP, which introduced a new theme called Luna, a more user-friendly interface, updated versions of Windows Media Player and Internet Explorer, and extended features from Windows Me, such as the Help and Support Center and System Restore, all while retaining the robustness and stability of Windows 2000's kernel. Windows Vista focused on securing the Windows operating system against computer viruses and other malicious software by introducing features such as User Account Control, while also including many consumer features such as Windows Aero, updated versions of the standard games (Solitaire, etc.) to show off the 3D capabilities of Vista, Windows Movie Maker, and Windows Mail to replace Outlook Express. Despite this, Windows Vista was critically panned for its poor performance on older hardware and its at-the-time high system requirements. Windows 7, as such, was focused on simplifying Windows Vista. Despite technically having higher system requirements, reviewers noted that it ran better than Windows Vista did. Windows 7 also removed many extra features, such as Windows Movie Maker, Windows Photo Gallery and Windows Mail, instead requiring users download a separate Windows Live Essentials to gain those features and other online services. Windows 8 and Windows 8.1, a free upgrade for Windows 8, introduced many controversial features, such as the removal of the Start menu and the introduction of the Start Screen, the removal of the Aero glass interface in favor of a flat, colored interface as well as the introduction of "Metro" apps (later renamed Universal Windows Platform apps) and the Charms Bar user interface element, all of which were criticized.
The current version of Windows, Windows 10, reintroduced the Start menu, while retaining the Universal Platform apps, but instead allowing them to run in a window instead of always in full screen. Windows 10 was very well received, with many reviewers stating that Windows 10 is what Windows 8 should have been. Windows 10 also marks the last version of Windows to be traditionally released. For the future, Microsoft will no longer release new versions of Windows and instead introduce major updates to the operating system that add new features, so far 3 of which have been released (see Windows 10 section below).
