List of Other OS

Arthur (operating system)


Arthur is an early graphical user interface (GUI) operating system (OS) that was used on Acorn ARM-cpu-based computers from about 1987 until the much-superior RISC OS 2 was completed and made available in April 1989. It was the operating system of the earliest Archimedes ARM machines.

The desktop is very primitive. It features a colour-scheme typically described as "technicolour". Its earlier revisions were very buggy, and was only really meant to be a placeholder until RISC OS 2 (a name chosen instead of Arthur 2) was completed.

The "Arthur" name was supposedly dropped from version 2 because of the release at the time of a movie called Arthur 2: On the Rocks. Arthur is said to stand for "A Risc-based operating system by THURsday". Supposedly Arthur was put together in break-neck speed because a revolutionary operating system which Acorn had under development (ARX) wasn't going to be ready in time.

Most software made for Arthur can be run under RISC OS. A few titles will not work, however.

A/UX

A/UX (from Apple Unix) was Apple Computer's implementation of the Unix operating system for some of their Macintosh computers. The later versions of A/UX ran on the Macintosh II, Quadra and Centris series of machines. A/UX was first released in 1988, with the final version (3.1.1) released in 1995. A/UX required a 68k-based Macintosh with an FPU and a paged memory management unit (PMMU).

The operating system was based on UNIX System V Release 2.2, with some additional features from System V Releases 3 and 4, and 4.2 and 4.3 BSD. It was POSIX and System V Interface Definition (SVID) compliant and included TCP/IP networking from version 2 onward. There were rumors of a later version using OSF/1 as its primary code base, but this system was never released to the public, if it even existed.

Mac OS X Server

Mac OS X Server is the server-oriented version of Apple's operating system, Mac OS X. Mac OS X, in both desktop and server versions, is a Unix operating system based on technology that Apple acquired from NeXT Computer.

The server version of Mac OS X includes applications that are intended to allow administrators to more easily manage features, such as internet-based services like email or site hosting, or manage networks of Macs and Windows PCs and provide services such as file and print sharing. Prior to Mac OS X, Apple's AppleShare software provided server applications such as file and printer sharing and user management.

Mac OS X Server leverages both open source technologies for provision of powerful standards-based services, and proprietary Apple applications for administration and for some additional services. Many services have aspects of both origins, such as Open Directory, which provides access to several open source (and external proprietary) technologies from one interface.

Lisa

The Lisa operating system featured cooperative (non-preemptive) multitasking[2] and virtual memory, then extremely advanced features for a personal computer. The use of virtual memory coupled with a fairly slow disk system made the system performance seem sluggish at times. Conceptually, the Lisa resembled the Xerox Star in the sense that it was envisioned as an office computing system; consequently, Lisa had two main user modes: the Lisa Office System and the Workshop. The Lisa Office System was the GUI environment for end users. The Workshop was a program development environment, and was almost entirely text-based, though it used a GUI text editor. The Lisa Office System was eventually renamed "7/7", in reference to the seven supplied application programs: LisaWrite, LisaCalc, LisaDraw, LisaGraph, LisaProject, LisaList, and LisaTerminal.

A significant impediment to third-party software on the Lisa was the fact that, when first launched, the Lisa could not be used to write programs for the Lisa: a separate development system was required, which was based on the same hardware but ran a version of the UNIX operating system. An engineer would run the two machines side by side, writing and compiling code on one machine and testing it on the other. Later, the same development system was used to develop software for the Macintosh. After a few years, Macintosh-native development system was developed. Judging from the "program development environment" reference in the previous paragraph, this deficiency was later remedied; but many software houses had by then already dismissed the Lisa as a target platform and did not reconsider it. For most of its lifetime, the Lisa never went beyond the original seven applications that Apple had deemed enough to do "everything."

RISC OS

RISC OS is a computer operating system originally created by British manufacturer Acorn Computers.

The operating system takes its name from the RISC architecture used on supported systems.

Linux

Linux (pronunciation: IPA: /ˈlɪnʊks/, lin-uks) is a Unix-like computer operating system. Linux is one of the most prominent examples of free software and open source development; its underlying source code can be freely modified, used, and redistributed by anyone.[1]

The Linux kernel was first released to the public on 17 September 1991, for the Intel x86 PC architecture. The kernel was augmented with system utilities and libraries from the GNU project to create a usable operating system, which later led to an alternate term, GNU/Linux.[2] Linux is now packaged for different uses in Linux distributions, which contain the sometimes modified kernel along with a variety of other software packages tailored to different requirements.

Predominantly known for its use in servers, Linux is supported by corporations such as Dell, Hewlett-Packard, IBM, Novell, Oracle Corporation, Red Hat, and Sun Microsystems. It is used as an operating system for a wide variety of computer hardware, including desktop computers, supercomputers,[3] video game systems such as PlayStation 2, 3, several arcade games and embedded devices such as mobile phones and routers.

In 1992, Linus Torvalds explained that he pronounces Linux as /ˈlɪnʊks/,[4] though other variations are common.

AmigaOS

AmigaOS is the default native operating system of the Amiga personal computer. It was developed first by Commodore International, and initially introduced in 1985 with the Amiga 1000. It ran on the Motorola 68k series of 32-bit microprocessors, except for AmigaOS 4 which runs on PowerPC microprocessors.

On top of a preemptive multitasking kernel called Exec, it includes an abstraction of the Amiga's unique hardware, a disk operating system called AmigaDOS, a windowing system API called Intuition and a graphical user interface called Workbench. A command line interface is also available.

Windows Preinstallation Environment (WinPE)


Windows PE beginning to boot under Microsoft Virtual PC. It uses the same, minimal version of NTLDR(SETUPLDR.BIN) as Windows NT/2000/XP Setup.

WinPE uses the same kernel as Windows XP, and it displays the same splash screen.

WinPE 2005, immediately after boot, running the Factory.exe application, which can be used to install drivers on the system.

WinPE 2.0 (Vista) running the shell (Command prompt) with several of the built in programs, Notepad, Registry Editor, and the Windows Task Manager.

Windows Preinstallation Environment (WinPE) is a lightweight version of Windows XP, Windows Server 2003 or Windows Vista that is used for the deployment of workstations and servers by large corporations. It is also used by OEMs to preinstall Windows client operating systems to PCs during manufacturing. It can also be used as an alternative to MS-DOS as an OS by booting from a CD or USB flash drive instead of booting from a floppy or hard disk.

Windows 7
(Part of the Microsoft Windows family)
Developer
Microsoft
Release information
Source model: Closed source
License: Microsoft EULA
Kernel type: Hybrid Kernel
Support status
Not released

Windows 7 (formerly codenamed Blackcomb, then Vienna) is a future version of Microsoft Windows. It is expected to be the successor to Windows Vista. Microsoft has confirmed that the planned development time frame is at least three years, putting the release date around 2010[1]. On July 20, 2007, Microsoft confirmed that Windows 7 is "the internal name for the next version of the Windows Client OS".[1]

Microsoft has refrained from discussing the details about Windows 7 publicly as they focus on the release and marketing of Windows Vista,[2] though some early details of various core operating system features have emerged at developer conferences such as Windows Hardware Engineering Conference in 2006[citation needed].

Windows Server 2008
(Part of the Microsoft Windows family)
Screenshot



Developer
Microsoft
Web site: www.microsoft.com/windowsserver2008/
Release information
Release date: February 27, 2008 info
Preview version: Release Candidate 0 (September 24, 2007) info
Source model: Proprietary software
License: Microsoft EULA
Kernel type: Hybrid kernel
Support status
Currently Under Development
Further reading
Features new to Windows Vista
Development of Windows Vista

Windows Server 2008 is the next server operating system from Microsoft. It is the successor to Windows Server 2003. Windows Server 2008 introduces most of the new features from Windows Vista to Windows Server. This is a similar relationship to that between Windows Server 2003 and Windows XP.

It was known as Windows Server Codename "Longhorn" until May 16, 2007, when Bill Gates announced its official title during his keynote address at WinHEC.[1]

Beta 1 was released on July 27, 2005. Beta 2 was announced and released on May 23, 2006 at WinHEC 2006, Beta 3 was released publicly on April 25, 2007[2] and Release Candidate 0 was released to the general public on September 24, 2007[3]. Windows Server 2008 will be released to manufacturing in the first quarter of 2008 with the official launch taking place on February 27, 2008.[4]

Windows Vista
(Part of the Microsoft Windows family)
Screenshot



Developer
Microsoft
Web site: Windows Vista: Homepage
Release information
Release date: November 8, 2006 info
Current version: 6.0 (Build 6000),
Retail: January 30, 2007,
RTM: November 8, 2006,
Vol. Lic.: November 30, 2006
info
Source model: Closed source / Shared source
License: MS-EULA
Kernel type: Hybrid kernel
Support status
Current
Further reading
Development of Windows Vista
Features new to Windows Vista
Management features new to Windows Vista
Security and safety features new to Windows Vista
Technical features new to Windows Vista
Windows Vista I/O technologies
Windows Vista networking technologies
Features removed from Windows Vista
Windows Vista editions and pricing
Criticism of Windows Vista

Windows Vista (IPA: /ˈvɪs.tə/) is a line of graphical operating systems used on personal computers, including home and business desktops, laptops, Tablet PCs, and media centers. Prior to its announcement on July 22, 2005, Windows Vista was known by its codename "Longhorn".[1] Development was completed on November 8, 2006; over the following three months it was released in stages to computer hardware and software manufacturers, business customers, and retail channels. On January 30, 2007, it was released worldwide to the general public,[2] and was made available for purchase and downloading from Microsoft's web site.[3] The release of Windows Vista comes more than five years after the introduction of its predecessor, Windows XP, making it the longest time span between two releases of Microsoft Windows.

Windows Vista contains hundreds of new and reworked features; some of the most significant include an updated graphical user interface and visual style dubbed Windows Aero, improved searching features, new multimedia creation tools such as Windows DVD Maker, and completely redesigned networking, audio, print, and display sub-systems. Vista also aims to increase the level of communication between machines on a home network using peer-to-peer technology, making it easier to share files and digital media between computers and devices. For developers, Vista includes version 3.0 of the .NET Framework, which aims to make it significantly easier for developers to write applications than with the traditional Windows API.

Microsoft's primary stated objective with Windows Vista, however, has been to improve the state of security in the Windows operating system.[4] One common criticism of Windows XP and its predecessors has been their commonly exploited security vulnerabilities and overall susceptibility to malware, viruses and buffer overflows. In light of this, Microsoft chairman Bill Gates announced in early 2002 a company-wide "Trustworthy Computing initiative" which aims to incorporate security work into every aspect of software development at the company. Microsoft stated that it prioritized improving the security of Windows XP and Windows Server 2003 above finishing Windows Vista, thus delaying its completion.[5]

Windows Vista is the target of a number of negative assessments by various groups. Criticisms of Windows Vista include protracted development time, more restrictive licensing terms, the inclusion of a number of new Digital Rights Management technologies aimed at restricting the copying of protected digital media, lack of device drivers for some hardware, and the usability of other new features such as User Account Control.

Windows Fundamentals for Legacy PCs
Screenshot



Developer
Microsoft
Web site: Windows Fundamentals for Legacy PCs
Release information
Release date: July 8, 2006 [ info]
Current version: RTM, July 8, 2006 [ info]
Source model: Shared source
License: Microsoft EULA
Kernel type: Hybrid kernel
Support status
Current

Description
Microsoft positions WinFLP as an operating system that will provide basic computing services on older hardware, while still providing core management features of more recent Windows releases, such as Windows Firewall, Group Policy, Automatic Updates, and other management services. Microsoft does not consider it a general-purpose OS.[1]

WinFLP is a Windows XP derivative specifically optimized for legacy PCs.[2] It supports running applications locally, as well as those hosted on a remote server using Remote Desktop. It can be installed on a local hard drive, or configured to run on a diskless workstation.

WinFLP will not be made available through retail or OEM channels. Microsoft sees WinFLP as an inexpensive upgrade option for corporations that have a number of Windows 9x computers, but lack the hardware necessary to support the latest Windows. It is exclusively available to Software Assurance customers. WinFLP excludes Games, Outlook Express and some System Tools, even with a full install (1.1 GB)[3].

WinFLP was originally announced with codenames "Eiger" and "Mönch" in mid-2005. Like other Microsoft Windows codenames at the time, these are names of mountains

Windows Server 2003
(Part of the Microsoft Windows family)
Screenshot



Developer
Microsoft
Web site: www.microsoft.com/windowsserver2003/
Release information
Release date: April 24, 2003 info
Current version: 2003 SP2 (5.2.3790.3959), March 13, 2007 info
Source model: Shared source
License: MS-EULA
Kernel type: Hybrid kernel
Support status
Current

Windows Server 2003 is a server operating system produced by Microsoft. Introduced on April 24, 2003 as the successor to Windows 2000 Server, it is considered by Microsoft to be the cornerstone of their Windows Server System line of business server products.

According to Microsoft, Windows Server 2003 is more scalable and delivers better performance than its predecessor, Windows 2000.[1]

Windows XP
(Part of the Microsoft Windows family)
Screenshot



Developer
Microsoft
Web site: Windows XP: Homepage
Release information
Release date: October 25, 2001 info
Current version: Windows XP Service Pack 2, August 6, 2004 info
Source model: Shared source
License: MS-EULA
Kernel type: Hybrid kernel
Language (s): multilingual
Support status
Mainstream support (only with Service Pack 2)[1]
Further reading
Features new to Windows XP
Development of Windows XP

Windows XP is a line of operating systems developed by Microsoft for use on general-purpose computer systems, including home and business desktops, notebook computers, and media centers. The letters "XP" stand for eXPerience.[2] It was codenamed "Whistler", after Whistler, British Columbia, as many Microsoft employees skied at the Whistler-Blackcomb ski resort during its development. Windows XP is the successor to both Windows 2000 Professional and Windows Me, and is the first consumer-oriented operating system produced by Microsoft to be built on the Windows NT kernel and architecture. Windows XP was first released on October 25, 2001, and over 400 million copies were in use in January 2006, according to an estimate in that month by an IDC analyst.[3] It is succeeded by Windows Vista, which was released to volume license customers on November 8, 2006, and worldwide to the general public on January 30, 2007.

The most common editions of the operating system are Windows XP Home Edition, which is targeted at home users, and Windows XP Professional, which has additional features such as support for Windows Server domains and two physical processors, and is targeted at power users and business clients. Windows XP Media Center Edition has additional multimedia features enhancing the ability to record and watch TV shows, view DVD movies, and listen to music. Windows XP Tablet PC Edition is designed to run the ink-aware Tablet PC platform. Two separate 64-bit versions of Windows XP were also released, Windows XP 64-bit Edition for IA-64 (Itanium) processors and Windows XP Professional x64 Edition for x86-64.

Windows XP is known for its improved stability and efficiency over the 9x versions of Microsoft Windows. It presents a significantly redesigned graphical user interface, a change Microsoft promoted as more user-friendly than previous versions of Windows. New software management capabilities were introduced to avoid the "DLL hell" that plagued older consumer-oriented 9x versions of Windows. It is also the first version of Windows to use product activation to combat software piracy, a restriction that did not sit well with some users and privacy advocates. Windows XP has also been criticized by some users for security vulnerabilities, tight integration of applications such as Internet Explorer and Windows Media Player, and for aspects of its default user interface.

Windows XP had been in development since early 1999, when Microsoft started working on Windows Neptune, an operating system intended to be the "Home Edition" equivalent to Windows 2000 Professional. It was eventually merged into the Whistler project, which later became Windows XP.

Windows 2000
(Part of the Microsoft Windows family)
Screenshot



Developer
Microsoft
Web site: www.microsoft.com/windows2000
Release information
Release date: February 17, 2000 info
Current version: 5.0 SP4 Rollup 1 v2 (5.0.3700.6690), September 13, 2005 info
Source model: Shared source[1]
License: Microsoft EULA
Kernel type: Hybrid kernel
Support status
Extended Support Period until June/July 2010,[2][3] security updates will be provided free of cost and paid support is still available.

Windows 2000 (also referred to as Win2K) is a preemptive, interruptible, graphical and business-oriented operating system designed to work with either uniprocessor or symmetric multi-processor computers. It is part of the Microsoft Windows NT line of operating systems and was released on February 17, 2000. It was succeeded by Windows XP in October 2001 and Windows Server 2003 in April 2003. Windows 2000 is classified as a hybrid kernel operating system.

Windows 2000 was made available in four editions: Professional, Server, Advanced Server, and Datacenter Server. Additionally, Microsoft offered Windows 2000 Advanced Server Limited Edition and Windows 2000 Datacenter Server Limited Edition, which were released in 2001 and run on 64-bit Intel Itanium microprocessors.[4] Whilst all editions of Windows 2000 are targeted to different markets, they each share a core set of common functionality, including many system utilities such as the Microsoft Management Console and standard system administration applications. Support for people with disabilities was improved over Windows NT 4.0 with a number of new assistive technologies, and Microsoft included increased support for different languages and locale information. All versions of the operating system support the Windows NT filesystem, NTFS 3.0,[5] the Encrypting File System, as well as basic and dynamic disk storage. The Windows 2000 Server family has additional functionality, including the ability to provide Active Directory services (a hierarchical framework of resources), Distributed File System (a file system that supports sharing of files) and fault-redundant storage volumes. Windows 2000 can be installed and deployed to corporate desktops through either an attended or unattended installation. Unattended installations rely on the use of answer files to fill in installation information, and can be performed through a bootable CD using Microsoft Systems Management Server, by the System Preparation Tool. Windows 2000 is the last NT-kernel based version of Microsoft Windows that does not include Windows Product Activation.

At the time of its release, Microsoft marketed Windows 2000 as the most secure Windows version they had ever shipped,[6] however it became the target of a number of high-profile virus attacks such as Code Red and Nimda. More than seven years after its release, it continues to receive patches for security vulnerabilities on a near-monthly basis.

Windows NT 4.0
(Part of the Microsoft Windows family)
Screenshot



Developer
Microsoft
Release information
Release date: July 29, 1996 info
Current version: SP6a SRP, July 26, 2001 info
Source model: Closed source
License: Microsoft EULA
Kernel type: Hybrid kernel
Support status
Unsupported as of December 31, 2004.[1]

Windows NT 4.0 is a preemptive, graphical and business-oriented operating system designed to work with either uniprocessor or symmetric multi-processor computers. It is the fourth release of Microsoft's Windows NT line of operating systems and was released to manufacturing on July 29, 1996. It is a 32-bit Windows system available in both workstation and server editions with a graphical environment similar to that of Windows 95. The "NT" designation in the product's title initially stood for "New Technology" according to Microsoft's then-CEO Bill Gates, but now no longer has any specific meaning. Windows NT 4.0 was succeeded by Windows 2000 in February 2000. Windows NT 4.0 is classified as a hybrid kernel operating system.

While providing greater stability than Windows 95, it was also less flexible from a desktop perspective. Much of the stability is gained by virtualising the hardware and having software applications access the system APIs rather than the hardware directly as was done in DOS-based versions, including Windows 95, 98, 98SE, and Me. The trade-off is that writing to the APIs rather than hardware directly requires much more work be done by the computer and so hardware intensive applications such as games run much slower. While many programs written for the Win32 API will run on both Windows 95 and Windows NT, the majority of 3D games will not, due in part to NT 4.0 having limited support for DirectX.

Windows NT 4.0 is also less user-friendly than Windows 95 when it comes to certain maintenance and management tasks; there is, for instance, no device management overview of the PC's hardware.

The dichotomy between the NT and "9x" lines of Windows ended with the arrival of Windows XP, by which time the gaming APIs—such as OpenGL and DirectX—had matured sufficiently to be more efficient to write for than common PC hardware and the hardware itself had become powerful enough to handle the API processing overhead acceptably.

Windows NT 4.0 was the last major release of NT to support the Alpha, MIPS or PowerPC CPU architectures. Windows NT 4.0 was rendered obsolete with the advent of Windows 2000 but is still (as of 2005) in widespread use despite Microsoft's many efforts to persuade customers to upgrade to more recent versions. It was also the last release in the Windows NT line to use the "Windows NT" name. NT 4.0 is the last Windows NT Server OS to use the now discontinued BackOffice feature.

Windows NT 3.51
Part of the Microsoft Windows family)
Screenshot



Developer
Microsoft
Release information
Release date: May 30, 1995 [citation needed]
Current version: 3.51.1057 SP5, September 19, 1996 [citation needed]
Source model: Closed source
License: Microsoft EULA
Kernel type: Hybrid kernel
Support status
Unsupported as of December 31, 2001.

Windows NT 3.51 is the third release of Microsoft's Windows NT line of operating systems. It was released on May 30, 1995, nine months after Windows NT 3.5. The release provided two notable feature improvements; firstly NT 3.51 was the first of a short-lived outing of Microsoft Windows on the PowerPC CPU architecture. The second most significant enhancement offered through the release was that it provides client/server support for interoperating with Windows 95, which was released three months after NT 3.51. Windows NT 4.0 became its successor a year later; Microsoft continued to support 3.51 until December 31, 2001.

Windows NT 3.5


Developer
Microsoft
Release information
Release date: September 21, 1994 [citation needed]
Current version: 3.50.807 SP3, June 21, 1995 [citation needed]
Source model: Closed source
License: Microsoft EULA
Kernel type: Hybrid kernel
Support status
Unsupported as of December 31, 2000.

Windows NT 3.5 is the second release of the Microsoft Windows NT operating system. It was released on September 21, 1994.

One of the primary goals during Windows NT 3.5's development was to increase the speed of the operating system; as a result, the project was given the codename "Daytona" in reference to the Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida.[1]

Windows NT 3.1
(Part of the Microsoft Windows family)
Screenshot



Developer
Microsoft
Release information
Release date: July 27, 1993 [citation needed]
Current version: 3.10.528 SP3, November 10, 1994 [citation needed]
Source model: Closed source
License: Microsoft EULA
Kernel type: Hybrid kernel
Support status
Unsupported as of December 31, 2000 [1]

Windows NT 3.1 is the first release of Microsoft's Windows NT line of server and business desktop operating systems, and was released to manufacturing on July 27, 1993. The version number was chosen to match the one of Windows 3.1, the then-latest GUI from Microsoft, on account of the similar visual appearance of the user interface. Two editions of NT 3.1 were made available, Windows NT 3.1 and Windows NT Advanced Server.

Source model: Closed source / Shared source
Stable release: Windows Vista
NT 6.0 (November 8, 2006) [+/-]
Preview release: Windows Server 2008
Release Candidate 0
NT 6.0.6001.16648 (September 2007) [+/-]
Kernel type: Hybrid kernel
Default user interface: Graphical User Interface
License: Microsoft EULA
Working state: Current

Windows NT (New Technology) is a family of operating systems produced by Microsoft, the first version of which was released in July 1993. It was originally designed to be a powerful high-level-language-based, processor-independent, multiprocessing, multiuser operating system with features comparable to Unix. It was intended to complement consumer versions of Windows that were based on MS-DOS. NT was the first fully 32-bit version of Windows, whereas its consumer-oriented counterparts, Windows 3.1x and Windows 9x, were 16-bit/32-bit hybrids. Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows Server 2003, Windows Vista, Windows Server 2008 (beta), and Windows Home Server are based upon the Windows NT system, although they are not branded as Windows NT.

Windows Me
(Part of the Microsoft Windows family)
Screenshot



Developer
Microsoft
Release information
Release date: September 14, 2000 info
Current version: 4.90.3000, September 14, 2000 info
Source model: Closed source
License: Microsoft EULA
Kernel type: Monolithic kernel
Support status
Unsupported as of July 11, 2006[1]

Windows Millennium Edition, or Windows Me (IPA pronunciation: [miː], [ɛm iː]), is a hybrid 16-bit/32-bit graphical operating system released on September 14, 2000 by Microsoft.[2] It was originally codenamed Millennium.

Windows 98
(Part of the Microsoft Windows family)
Screenshot



Developer
Microsoft
Release information
Release date: June 25, 1998 info
Current version: 4.10.2222A, May 5, 1999 info
Source model: Closed source
License: Microsoft EULA
Kernel type: Monolithic kernel
Support status
Unsupported as of July 11, 2006[1]

Windows 98 (codenamed Memphis) is a graphical operating system released on June 25, 1998 by Microsoft and the successor to Windows 95. Like its predecessor, it is a hybrid 16-bit/32-bit monolithic product based on MS-DOS.

The first edition of Windows 98 is designated by the internal version number 4.10.1998, or 4.10.1998A if it has been updated with the Security CD from Microsoft. Windows 98 Second Edition is designated by the internal version number 4.10.2222A, or 4.10.2222B if it has been updated with the Security CD from Microsoft. The successor to Windows 98 is Windows Me.

Windows 95
(Part of the Microsoft Windows family)
Screenshot



Developer
Microsoft
Release information
Release date: August 24, 1995 [citation needed]
Current version: OEM Service Release 2.5, November 26, 1997 [citation needed]
Source model: Closed source
License: Microsoft EULA
Kernel type: Monolithic kernel
Support status
Unsupported as of December 31, 2001.[1]


Windows 95 is a consumer-oriented graphical user interface-based operating system. It was released on August 24, 1995 by Microsoft, and was a significant progression from the company's previous Windows products. During development it was referred to as Windows 4.0 or by the internal codename Chicago.

Windows 95 was intended to integrate Microsoft's formerly separate MS-DOS and Windows products and includes an enhanced version of DOS, often referred to as MS-DOS 7.0. It features significant improvements over its predecessor, Windows 3.1, most visibly the graphical user interface (GUI) whose basic format and structure is still used in later versions such as Windows Vista. There were also large changes made to the underlying workings, including support for 255-character mixed-case long filenames and preemptively multitasked protected-mode 32-bit applications. Whereas its predecessors are optional "operating environments" requiring the MS-DOS operating system (usually available separately), Windows 95 is a consolidated operating system, which was a significant marketing change.

Windows 3.1x
(Part of the Microsoft Windows family)
Screenshot



A typical Windows 3.1x workspace
Developer
Microsoft
Release information
Release date: April 6, 1992 info
Current version: 3.11, December 31, 1993 info
Source model: Closed source
License: Microsoft EULA
Kernel type: See article
Support status
Unsupported as of December 31, 2001

Windows 3.1x is a graphical user interface and a part of the Microsoft Windows software family. Several editions were released between 1992 and 1994, succeeding Windows 3.0. This family of Windows can run in either Standard or 386 Enhanced memory modes. The exception is Windows for Workgroups 3.11, which can only officially run in 386 Enhanced mode.

Windows 3.0
(Part of the Microsoft Windows family)
Screenshot



A typical Windows 3.0 workspace
Developer
Microsoft
Release information
Release date: May 22, 1990 info
Current version: Windows 3.00a, October 31, 1990 info
Source model: Closed source
License: Microsoft EULA
Kernel type: N/A
Support status
Unsupported as of December 31, 2001

Windows 3.0 is the third major release of Microsoft Windows, and came out on May 22, 1990. It became the first widely successful version of Windows (see history of Microsoft Windows) and a powerful rival to Apple Macintosh and the Commodore Amiga on the GUI front. It was succeeded by Windows 3.1.

Windows 2.0
(Part of the Microsoft Windows family)
Screenshot



Windows 2.0 was the first version to support free-moving overlapping windows
Developer
Microsoft
Release information
Release date: November 1987 info
Current version: 2.03, November 1987 info
Source model: Closed source
License: Microsoft EULA
Kernel type: N/A
Support status
Unsupported as of December 31, 2001


Windows 2.0 is a version of the Microsoft Windows graphical user interface-based operating environment that superseded Windows 1.0.

Windows 1.0
(Part of the Microsoft Windows family)
Screenshot



A typical Windows 1.01 screenshot.
Developer
Microsoft
Release information
Release date: November 1985 info
Current version: 1.04, April 1987 info
Source model: Closed source
License: Microsoft EULA
Kernel type: N/A
Support status
Unsupported as of December 31, 2001.

Windows 1.0 is a 16-bit graphical operating environment released on November 20, 1985. It was Microsoft's first attempt to implement a multi-tasking graphical user interface-based operating environment on the PC platform.

Latest Memory

Roundup of 2GB DDR SDRAM Memory Kits for Overclockers



[ 02/10/2006 | 04:42 PM ]
High capacity fast DDR SDRAM for overclocking enthusiasts is no longer a rare thing to see these days. The leading memory manufacturers have finally started offering more and more kits of the kind. In our today’s roundup we will take a closer look at 2GB DDR SDRAM kits from Corsair, OCZ, G.Skill and PQI.

Latest Processor

AMD Athlon 64 X2 4800+ Dual-Core Processor


[ 05/08/2005 | 09:11 PM ]
We are beginning our investigation of the desktop dual-core processors performance. In this review we are going to tell you everything about the AMD dual-core solution: general info, performance tests, overclocking experiments, power consumption and heat dissipation analysis.

Latest Slots

PCI-X/PCI BACKPLANE



-One 64-bit/133MHz PCI-X Slot
-Two 64-bit/100MHz PCI-X Slots
-Four 64-bit/66MHz PCI-X Slots
-Four 64-bit/33MHz PCI Slots
-One SBC Slot
-Automatically detects PCI or PCI-X option card type and matches segment speed to the card detected
-Auto detect and speed matching maximizes system performance
-High-speed, peer-to-peer communications
-PCB thickness .062"
Connector spacing .800" centers
Mounting holes .156" diameter
All dimensions are inches.

Latest Motherboard

Asus Striker Extreme Motherboard
(Quad-Core/Core 2 Duo Extreme/Core 2 Duo/Pentium D/Celeron D, Socket T, nForce 680i SLI, 8GB DDR2, 1333MHz Bus - MPN: STRIKEREXTREME)
Price Range: $319.98 - $417.50 from 7 Sellers
Description: The Asus Striker Extreme provides a detailed BIOS option for enthusiast tweaking, 8-phase capless power to ensure the SLI performance reliability, and the unique gaming features, such as LCD poster, EL I/O, Onboard