Microsoft Windows: creation history and interesting facts. Interesting facts and useful tips Interesting facts about operating systems
The amazing feature of man is herd mentality. At certain points in time, that part of the brain that is responsible for the mind is turned off and copying the behavior of others is turned on. Of course, you all understood, we are talking about the fact that you are all diligently paying one well-known American corporation with money, time and nerves, ask the question “why?”. Yes, of course, most of you, following the tradition established during Perestroika, use Windows. Moreover, the majority of this majority will not be able to explain on closer examination why they do it. Linux is much more convenient and stable than Windows, it's just that Microsoft marketers managed to drive something else into the heads of others. Meanwhile, the author of this blog uses Linux Fedora, and the blog itself (web server) also runs on Linux Gentoo. Let's talk more interesting facts about Linux:
1. The first Linux was written in 1991 by Finnish student Linus Torvalds. Now this operating system is being created by many hundreds of thousands of developers around the world, including full-time developers of such well-known corporations as IBM, Intel, Google, Samsung, Oracle, Hitachi, LG Electronics, NEC, Sony, Panasonic, Qualcomm. For comparison, Microsoft has about 80,000 developers and they released their first iconic Windows 95 ... Guess what year ...
2. Linux can be found on over 87% of systems and ~500 of the world's best supercomputers. Most smartphones and smartwatches run Linux-modified Android, your router most likely runs Linux as well.
3. The Linux kernel is written in C.
4. Now the share of the code written by Linus Torvalds in the kernel is less than 2%, however, it is Linus who is the main developer and decides to include the code in the kernel and release the next version.
5. The Linux kernel version 1.0.0 was released with 176,250 lines of code. The Linux kernel currently consists of over 10 million lines of code.
6. An asteroid (Torvalds) and its satellite (Linus) were named after Linus Torvalds.
7. Linux is the most portable operating system, able to run both in hours and in a supercluster consisting of several floors of servers.
8. The official mascot of the Linux operating system is a penguin named Tux. According to legend, the penguin pecked Linus at the zoo, after which they struck up a friendship.
9. At first, Torvalds wanted to name his offspring Freax (a hybrid of the words free, freak and the letter X, denoting belonging to Unix systems), but the system administrator who allocated him a place on the server for distributing the operating system named the directory Linux.
10. Linux principles are taken from Unix systems and tested by their long history.
11. When people talk about Linux to the uninitiated, they imagine something complicated from a hacker movie, while many handy graphical tools appeared on Linux long before Microsoft could. A lot of things in Windows are done so inconveniently and clumsily that Linux users who have to use Windows swear a lot.
12. After Windows 8 came out, many users switched to Linux as it was more familiar than the Windows hack.
13. The Linux operating system has nothing to do with medicine under the name "Linex"
14. "Vanilla kernel" (vanilla kernel) is not ice cream, but an unmodified version of the Linux kernel.
15. There are many different games for Linux, of various genres.
16. Linux can be updated while you are working on it. It does not force updates and reboots.
17. Linux can run Windows programs, but not vice versa.
18. The Linux code is open, you can always see what exactly works on your computer. Windows collects your data and sends it to someone...
19. Linux is run by the community, the situation is excluded, as in the case of Windows 8, when everyone spat on the final result. Even if you are in the minority, it will be possible to install a different graphical environment.
20. Linux does not have a single shell like Windows does. A lot of them. Look at the pictures by the keywords Gnome, KDE, XFCE, Unity, choose the one you like.
21. Linux can run on older and weaker computers as well. Look at LUbuntu or Puppy Linux. Puppy can even run on 256MB of RAM!
22. The absence of viruses in Linux is not a myth. More precisely, there are viruses, but most of them work on the principle of Brute force, i.e. they are not capable of more than sorting out passwords to your computer.
23. With Linux, you don't have to surf the internet to download a program. Programs are selected in a convenient application store (as in Google Play). Windows is just starting to try to implement this.
24. On Linux, programs don't store their settings in an ever-blooming registry. For this reason, it does not need to be reinstalled once a year, and settings can be transferred from a computer to another by simple copying.
25. The Linux community is so large that you will find a place to ask your question if things don't work out. In any language.
Every computer user remembers everyone's favorite Windows XP OS, which was the perfect example of what a real operating system should be. Convenient, intuitive, fast, not overloaded with superfluous and absolutely unnecessary functions. Unfortunately, today Microsoft has stopped supporting this version of the OS, since three more versions have already been released after it, but XP still has an impressive army of fans - this is an indisputable fact. As well as the fact that this OS will go down in history as one of the best.
Using XP
You may be surprised, but today there are 500 million copies of this OS in active use - and these are only official licensed copies. There are probably even more pirated versions.
Just like XP
Those users who had to upgrade the system to the eighth version, or who have already bought a device with a pre-installed OS, are now actively looking for ways to make this operating system look as similar to XP as possible. To do this, you can even download a special program from the Internet.
IRS
Many government agencies, such as the IRS, still use Windows XP - in most cases this is due to the incompatibility of the software used with other versions, but it is also a sign of the reliability of this OS.
A photo
Everyone knows the original Windows XP screensaver, which depicts hills. This photo was sold for over a million dollars and is considered the second most valuable photograph in history.
ATMs
PC users may well have changed the operating system, but most ATMs still use Windows XP.
Age
Windows XP is an incredibly old operating system. Believe it or not, it was released back in 2001.
Protection errors
Despite the fact that Windows XP is one of the most beloved operating systems, it has very serious security holes. If you use this OS, then the probability of being hacked increases by about six times compared to modern systems.
IE Versions
The popular Internet Explorer browser of more modern versions simply will not run on XP - this operating system only supports IE 8 and below.
Piracy
To date, support and sale of Windows XP has been discontinued, but people continue to actively download and install pirated versions of this operating system.
Folder or CON file
It's rather strange, but in Windows XP you won't be able to create a folder or file called CON - such a file already exists in the system, it is extremely important, and cannot be accessed.
Upgrade speed
Many companies that are still using Windows XP report that they don't upgrade to the new version, not because of the cost, but because of the time it would take to migrate everything. software to the new operating system.
XP is experience
Windows XP is one of the last systems to use letters instead of a serial number to indicate the version. And behind the letters XP is the English word eXPerience, which translates as "experience."
End of Support
As mentioned earlier, support and sales of this OS ended, and this was reported in 2014, that is, quite recently - Windows XP lived for a long 13 years.
Decorations
If you wish, you can decorate the folders and replace the icons with other pictures - this is a useless, but extremely nice feature.
TweakUI
Use TweakUI - this tool has been specially designed to personalize your version of the operating system.
Two versions
If you have two hard drives, then you can install two versions of the operating system at the same time - there are detailed step-by-step instructions on the Internet on how to do this.
limited shopping cart
In this operating system, the "Basket" is limited in size - it can only contain 10% of the volume of the hard drive on which the system is installed.
beta version
The beta version of the operating system that was supposed to replace Windows 98 had Windows name Whistler - in honor of the ski resort in British Columbia, where many of Microsoft's top employees went on vacation.
Drop in sales
Support for XP ended in 2014, but sales of that OS dropped significantly and didn't pick up again as early as 2008.
Number of security holes
The number of privacy problems for this operating system was accurately calculated - the total number exceeded seventy pieces.
Have you ever wondered how the operating system installed on your computer got the name it ended up with? If you feel a clear lack of interesting reference material, then we suggest that you familiarize yourself with a short set of facts about how each of the most popular systems of its time got its name.
Lacking a graphical user interface, the Micro Soft Disk Operating System (MS-DOS is Microsoft's disk operating system) is the successor to the Quick and Dirty Operating System (Q-DOS and later renamed 86-DOS) developed by Seattle Computer Products. . The prefix MS in this case is only an indicator that this version of the operating system was developed by Microsoft. By the same principle, for example, the Apple DOS operating system was called.
Windows 1.0-NT 4.0
It turns out that Windows 1.0 got the name "Windows" because one of its main features was the ability to switch between multiple windows of the graphical user interface. After the announcement of this operating system, Microsoft decided to use a digital label for each version, from version 1.0 to 3.1 and until the introduction of the new Windows NT operating system, where NT stands for New Technology (new technologies).
Windows 95-ME
The kernel of the Windows 3.1 operating system was subsequently used with the new graphical interface of the Windows 95, 98 operating systems, as well as the Millennium Edition, which was released in 2000 and named after the new third millennium. ME is the latest version of the Windows 9x operating system. After it, the company decided to change course and chose to further develop the Windows NT family, the first new member of which was the Windows NT 5.0 operating system (which was renamed Windows 2000).
Windows XP, Vista and Windows 7
You may not know, but the name XP comes from the English word "eXPerience" (experience). Windows XP began its experience back in 2001, eventually becoming the most popular operating system of all time. Its successor in 2007 was Vista, nee Longhorn. As for the question of why Microsoft chose the name Vista, the world heard the answer to it right during the presentation of this operating system. The fact is that the word "vista" can be translated as "new opportunities" or "new views of the future." In other words, it was these values that were invested in the name of the OS, since it was they who symbolized and personified the benefits that the OS was supposed to give to its users. We all know the result - Vista has become one of the most unsuccessful operating systems from Microsoft in history, as even its former CEO admitted. After Vista, Microsoft decided to go back to the numeric operating system naming scheme and released Windows 7 and then Windows 8.
System 1-7.5
It was Apple's first Macintosh operating system, which was introduced in 1984. After that, the company decided to use numeric numbering in each of the subsequent versions. After the first seven versions of the System operating system, Apple decided to rename the OS and called it Mac OS.
Mac OS 8-10
Initially, version 8 of Mas OS was to be called Mac OS 7.7, but due to some legal circumstances, Apple decided to do otherwise. Mac OS 9, which was developed further, was the last classic Mac operating system created by Apple based on its own software code. Mac OS X, based on BSD (Berkeley Software Distribution), was a giant leap forward for the company. It was decided to name each new version of Mac OS X after one of the representatives of the wild cat family.
linux
To some extent, this operating system owes its name to Ari Lemke, the owner of the FTP server, on which, at the request of Linus Torvalds, the future OS was hosted. Linus later admitted that the kernel was inspired by the MINIX operating system, which did not suit him with its limited license. Torvalds originally wanted to name the new core "Freax". Instead, Lemke created a directory on the FTP server called the archive "Linux"—derived from "Linus Minix."
In Zulu and Khosa (two African languages), the word Ubuntu is translated as "humanity". Each new release of Ubuntu has its own codename and build number. The build number can usually symbolize the year and month of release of the new version, while the version code name contains the names of various animals.
Even a person far from IT technologies has heard of Microsoft Windows. According to figures from July 2017, Windows is installed on 35.7% of all computers in the world. The corporation itself ranks first in the world in terms of software distribution and coverage of the Internet technology market segment. The company did not come to such indicators immediately and, of course, its path was not a well-trodden path, since Microsoft Windows is a kind of pioneer among the OS and it was this company that had to "stuff" more than a dozen bumps before universal recognition.
A brief excursion into history
Microsoft itself has been officially operating on the market since 1975. On the this moment it is one of the largest in the world and is engaged in the implementation of software not only for PCs, but also for other computing equipment, including set-top boxes, PDAs, and its own line of smartphones.
Windows is the main brainchild of the corporation, an operating system with a priority of the graphic component in the management process, which is also not without curiosities in its history of formation. The first issue took place on November 20, 1985.
Microsoft Monopoly Scandals
There are many scandals in the history of Microsoft, Windows, Office, the essence of which is the corporation's claims to monopoly within the segment. No need to look too far, the last "showdown" between Mozilla Firefox and Microsoft because of the position of browsers in Windows 10 is a clear confirmation that the company does not lose ambition in conquering the entire market as a whole.
In addition, on November 10, 2016, the FAS Russia registered a lawsuit from Kaspersky Lab about Microsoft's monopoly behavior in the context of the services provided in the field of anti-virus software. In Microsoft Windows 10 in earlier versions, it is quite difficult to disable the built-in antivirus. He even considers some programs from other developers to be spyware and removes it.
MS-DOS operating system
Despite the fact that the "first attempt at writing" Microsoft Windows, namely the MS-DOS disk operating system, was not received very well on the market, the project as a whole was recognized as a success. This version of the software was produced in the period in the 80s and early 90s, was modeled on the basis of the x86 system and differed by a significant number of "holes" in the code. Also, few people know, but the truly first OS from Microsoft is XENIX, it was developed under UNIX, but the project was closed for some reason. MS-DOS is considered to be a "dirty" UNIX version of the original, and was unconfirmedly rumored to have been released in an incredible rush.
Windows 95-98
The first version of the OS, controlled by means of a graphical manipulator, and not a text line, was introduced in 1995. Excluding the NT OS version, this software is considered the corporation's first serious commercial success in the field of Internet technologies. The OS was intended primarily for the retail, home customer segment, not the business sector. In addition, this particular version of Microsoft Windows has become a landmark for the company as a whole. Replacing Windows 3.0, the OS came out under its own brand with the famous "windows".
Windows 95 is the last version of the original OS that can be installed using floppy disks. To be more precise, we are talking about 13 floppy disks and the minimum version of the software. The famous singer and showman Bob Rivers devoted an entire musical composition to this version of the OS, in which he tried to describe how much he was tired of constant crashes. Despite some skepticism, Windows 95 turned out to be competitive, and the 98th version of the OS only strengthened the position of the software.
Windows 2000
If the previous OS was a hybrid for 16-bit and 32-bit systems, then Win2k was a real breakthrough on an already beaten field. This project was supposed to be the "swan song" of the NT project inside Microsoft Windows, but came out under its own brand name. There was support for installing software and drivers via a USB port, as well as wireless technologies.
In general, according to reviews, Windows 2000 is one of the most successful ideas of the corporation and is extremely stable. Few people know, but it was this version that became the first with the introduction of File Protection from the company.
Windows XP
With the exception of the not-so-new Millennium Edition, which was introduced in 2000, Windows XP has become Microsoft's trump card, which gave it user loyalty. An interesting fact is that the development of the OS was carried out for 600 days, 5734 people were employed in the project, and this is a record number for the corporation at that time. Several innovations have appeared in the OS, for example, "Start" has been divided into two columns, and the integrated software has acquired new "skins" and innovations.
On the eve of the first OS teasers before the public, the corporation's marketing department came up with a slogan that was supposed to embody the speed of Windows XP. It sounded like Prepare to Fly (translation - "Prepare to fly"), but it was replaced due to an unpleasant analogy to the events of September 11, 2001. Later, the familiar Yes You Can appeared (translation - "Yes, you can").
Windows Vista
According to the position of users, this is the first failure of the corporation. Replacing the classic interface with a new one, moreover, rather inconvenient, has become one of the key disadvantages of this version of the OS, which was released on January 30, 2007. The OS turned out to be extremely "heavy", exceeding the size of the XP version by almost 1.4 times. In addition, the sold circulation hardly recouped the costs of the corporation. The bet on the home segment and PC exclusives did not work, leaving the company behind its competitors.
This is the first version of the OS from the company, which has an integrated sidebar that complements the control panel. Also here it became possible to add a transparency effect to the design of Windows Aero. Some adherents of the original version of the OS have claimed that Windows has created a graphically improved but technically degraded Windows XP.
Windows 7
In 2009, Windows 7 saw the light, becoming the second major success of the corporation in the global market. The graphical component of the system has become better, themes that looked like a crude development in Windows Vista have become one of the most requested tools and an occasion for art among users. The integrated Windows Search has been improved, made more complete, and expanded functionality. Technically, Windows 7 has become more perfect. The corporation did not provide stunning innovations, but the OS became much more stable in operation. It is no longer supported by the company, but is still popular.
Microsoft Office for Windows 7 is considered one of the most convenient text editors in the entire line. The program has acquired many useful features and is also in demand. Microsoft visual Windows 7 has also been improved and received a more user-friendly interface.
Windows 8
The G8 appeared in a public format in 2012. "Tiles" were not appreciated by everyone, but the benefit of innovations did not end there. A task manager appeared, synchronization of parameters, as well as the first commercial attempts of the corporation inside its own software. By the way, an interesting incident is connected with the popularization of the Windows Store. Valve criticized Windows 8 on the eve of the presentation of the latter due to the fact that they feared for the position of Steam against the backdrop of the internal Microsoft store. This was one of the first accusations of the company in the monopolization of the software segment.
Windows 10
The current version of Windows was introduced in 2015 and remains the most controversial. Microsoft was accused of forcibly distributing the OS among licensed users, infringing on the rights of other software developers, creating a distortion in the market, promoting their own projects within an already promoted brand, and commercializing the process as a whole. It will suffice to mention that the OS was updated by itself, completely ignoring the user's attempts to cancel the process. Microsoft Office for Windows 10 was not available at all in the company's business package for a brief period.
Other software
Incidents occurred with other software from Microsoft. Microsoft Office Window 7 remains one of the company's most successful third-party projects, but Office, released in 2010, has gained a following of its own. For example, it was this version that acquired a convenient interface for integrating visual content within a document. Also, Microsoft Windows 2010, namely the Office package, received more convenient documentation management tools, creating screenshots and sending papers by mail. And, for example, Excel was created at all as software for the Macintosh.
As you can see, the history of the formation of Microsoft is rich in all sorts of incidents and "interesting things". It is impossible to cover them all, since the corporation has been moving towards its positions for more than three decades. However, given the current trend, commercial motives within the company can cross out the hard-earned audience and simply throw the company back.
Time is rapidly running forward, and the Windows 7 operating system is still very popular, today this system has occupied more than half of the market for modern systems. Therefore, this article focuses on the most interesting features of Windows 7.
1. Using the function to customize the ClearType text, you can achieve an improved, high-quality text image on a computer monitor, as this function already has a built-in font setting. To open the tool with which it is possible to configure ClearType, you must press start, and enter “cleartype” into the search engine system, then press enter on the keyboard. Next, you need to do everything as the ClearType configuration system indicates.
2. In Windows 7, after opening the "start" button, the items are shortcuts, which means that when you open the "control panel" link, the window of the same name opens. There is a way to do this in a different, convenient way. You need to press the "start" key with the mouse, press the settings key in the settings system, then find the "control panel", select the method - display everything as a menu, then the control panel utilities are shown in the "start" system, this speeds up access to them.
3. By pressing and holding the Shift button on the desktop on the keyboard, you must press the button on the right side of the mouse on the file and in the context menu, there will be functions that complement it.
4. By pressing the button on the right side of the mouse on the included program in the task system, while pressing the Shift button and holding it in this position, you can open the menu that was used in earlier versions of Windows, and not the one used in the Windows operating system 7.
6. Using Windows 7, it is possible to change the name of all several files at once. Performing this action, we select the necessary files, by pressing the F2 button we set the name of the first file document, after which all the selected files will have the same name, as well as a sequence number.
7. For Windows 7 users who work with two monitors, it is possible to use the desired keyboard connection: the Windows key plus the Shift key plus the left arrow key and the Windows key plus the Shift key plus the right pointing arrow key, thanks to such combinations it is possible to move from one monitor to another.
8. In the Windows 7 operating system, there are resources for setting different volumes for various programs. For example, Opera works, in which an open window with any kind of animated Flash player with sound, plus the Media Player window is open, by clicking on the speaker button and the mixer link in the system, it is possible to adjust the sound or the overall sound volume from the window.
9. If you decide to leave somewhere for a few minutes, but do not want to turn off the computer or you decide to instantly limit the viewing of your actions on the monitor, use the Win-L combination, and using this connection, the desktop on your monitor will be blocked .
10. Place shortcuts to the programs you use most often in the task system. From this point on, all the necessary programs for work can be quickly launched.