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MS Windows is not to be confused with the Window metaphor in general or the X11 windowing system in particular.

The Windows logo

MS Windows is an operating system developed and marketed by Microsoft. MS Windows is the most popular desktop operating system in the world but until fairly recently was infamous for devastating security problems and other severe quality control issues. Windows was previously world famous for crashing very frequently. Most of these problems have been fixed now and the latest version, Windows 7, is a viable serious operating system officially supported by Vistua administration.

An unrelated operating system also marked as "Windows" is available for mobile devices, but has suffered a sharp decline in market-share due to product stagnation and vigorous competition, the latter of which the desktop OS market lacks. A completely new mobile operating system called 'Windows Phone' was launched in 2010 to address these deficiencies.

MS Windows, like virtually all modern desktop environments, uses the "WIMP" metaphor, "Window, Icon, Menu, Pointer" (I.E. mouse, trackball or similar). MS Windows is unique among major operating systems for including a complete GUI platform embedded into the heart of the operating system. UNIX, by comparison, relies on the X Window System for this purpose and Mac OS X separates the core operating system from the desktop concerns.

Virtually all consumer PCs are shipped with MS Windows only. This practice basically makes it impossible for rival operating systems to gain a foothold in the market. In order to sell computers with MS Windows, vendors must agree to sell no other OS. This practice is under legal fire in some countries.

While MS windows market-share in the desktop arena has gradually eroded, it shows no signs of ceasing to be the dominant OS anytime soon, for better or for worse. MS windows is a textbook case of "the good enough" being the worst enemy of the "best". Although UNIX/Linux have numerous compelling technical advantages, a combination of superior marketing efforts, vendor lock-in, and controversial business practices have cemented MS Windows' position as the dominant consumer operating system.

See also:

• UNIX
• Window
• Wikipedia:Comparison of Windows and Linux

Categories: Windows

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