Microsoft Windows

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Windows NT
– Windows NT is an operating system for server computers and workstations.
– It has three subfamilies that share the same kernel.
– Windows NT is targeted for consumer and corporate desktops.

Windows
– Windows is an operating system for personal computers and tablets.
– It competes with macOS, iPadOS, and Android.
– Windows is the most popular desktop operating system with a 70% market share as of March 2023.

Windows Server
– Windows Server is an operating system designed for server computers.
– It has a strong naming scheme and competition from Linux.

Windows PE
– Windows PE is a lightweight version of Windows used for installation, recovery, and troubleshooting.
– It is used for installing Windows on bare-metal computers.

Windows IoT
– Windows IoT is a general-purpose operating system for resource-limited devices.
– It is developed for embedded systems and is folded under the Windows Compact trademark.
– Windows families no longer being developed include Windows 9x, Windows Mobile, Windows Phone, and Windows Embedded Compact.

Microsoft Windows (Wikipedia)

Microsoft Windows is a group of several proprietary graphical operating system families developed and marketed by Microsoft. Each family caters to a certain sector of the computing industry. For instance, Windows NT for consumer and corporate desktops, Windows Server for servers, and Windows IoT for embedded systems. Defunct Windows families include Windows 9x, Windows Mobile, Windows Phone, and Windows Embedded Compact.

Microsoft Windows
DeveloperMicrosoft
Source model
Initial releaseNovember 20, 1985; 38 years ago (1985-11-20)
Latest release23H2 (10.0.22631.2861) (December 12, 2023; 23 days ago (2023-12-12)) [±]
Latest preview
Release Preview Channel

23H2 (10.0.22631.2861) (December 12, 2023; 23 days ago (2023-12-12)) [±]

Beta Channel

23H2 (10.0.22635.2915) (December 14, 2023; 21 days ago (2023-12-14)) [±]

Dev Channel

10.0.23606.1000 (December 13, 2023; 22 days ago (2023-12-13)) [±]

Canary Channel
10.0.26016.1012 (December 15, 2023; 20 days ago (2023-12-15)) [±]
Marketing targetPersonal computing
Available in110 languages
Update method
Package managerWindows Installer (.msi, .msp), App Installer (.msix, .msixbundle), Microsoft Store (.appx, .appxbundle), Windows Package Manager
PlatformsIA-32, x86-64, ARM, ARM64
Previously: 16-bit x86, DEC Alpha, MIPS, PowerPC, Itanium
Kernel type
Default
user interface
Windows shell
LicenseProprietary commercial software
Official websitewww.microsoft.com/en-us/windows Edit this at Wikidata

The first version of Windows was released on November 20, 1985, as a graphical operating system shell for MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces (GUIs).

Windows is the most popular desktop operating system in the world, with a 70% market share as of March 2023, according to StatCounter. However, Windows is not the most used operating system when including both mobile and desktop OSes, due to Android's massive growth.

As of December 2023, the most recent version of Windows is Windows 11 for consumer PCs and tablets, Windows 11 Enterprise for corporations, and Windows Server 2022 for servers.

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