<s>
Microsoft	O
introduced	O
Windows	O
as	O
a	O
graphical	B-Application
user	I-Application
interface	I-Application
for	O
MS-DOS	B-Application
,	O
which	O
had	O
been	O
introduced	O
two	O
years	O
earlier	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
product	O
line	O
evolved	O
in	O
the	O
1990s	O
from	O
an	O
operating	B-Application
environment	I-Application
into	O
a	O
fully	O
complete	O
,	O
modern	O
operating	B-General_Concept
system	I-General_Concept
over	O
two	O
lines	O
of	O
development	O
,	O
each	O
with	O
their	O
own	O
separate	O
codebase	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
first	O
versions	B-Operating_System
of	I-Operating_System
Windows	I-Operating_System
(	O
1.0	O
through	O
to	O
3.11	O
)	O
were	O
graphical	O
shells	O
that	O
ran	O
from	O
MS-DOS	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	B-Application
95	I-Application
,	O
though	O
still	O
being	O
based	O
on	O
MS-DOS	B-Application
,	O
was	O
its	O
own	O
operating	B-General_Concept
system	I-General_Concept
,	O
using	O
a	O
16-bit	B-Device
DOS-based	O
kernel	B-Operating_System
and	O
a	O
32-bit	O
user	O
space	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	B-Application
95	I-Application
also	O
had	O
a	O
significant	O
amount	O
of	O
16-bit	B-Device
code	O
ported	O
from	O
Windows	B-Application
3.1	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	B-Application
95	I-Application
introduced	O
many	O
features	B-Architecture
that	O
have	O
been	O
part	O
of	O
the	O
product	O
ever	O
since	O
,	O
including	O
the	O
Start	O
menu	O
,	O
the	O
taskbar	O
,	O
and	O
Windows	B-Protocol
Explorer	I-Protocol
(	O
renamed	O
File	B-Protocol
Explorer	I-Protocol
in	O
Windows	B-Application
8	I-Application
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
1997	O
,	O
Microsoft	O
released	O
Internet	B-Protocol
Explorer	I-Protocol
4	I-Protocol
which	O
included	O
the	O
(	O
at	O
the	O
time	O
controversial	O
)	O
Windows	O
Desktop	O
Update	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
aimed	O
to	O
integrate	O
Internet	B-Application
Explorer	I-Application
and	O
the	O
web	O
into	O
the	O
user	O
interface	O
and	O
also	O
brought	O
many	O
new	O
features	B-Architecture
into	O
Windows	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
the	O
ability	O
to	O
display	O
JPEG	O
images	O
as	O
the	O
desktop	O
wallpaper	O
and	O
single	O
window	O
navigation	O
in	O
Windows	B-Protocol
Explorer	I-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
1998	O
,	O
Microsoft	O
released	O
Windows	B-Device
98	I-Device
,	O
which	O
also	O
included	O
the	O
Windows	O
Desktop	O
Update	O
and	O
Internet	B-Protocol
Explorer	I-Protocol
4	I-Protocol
by	O
default	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
inclusion	O
of	O
Internet	B-Protocol
Explorer	I-Protocol
4	I-Protocol
and	O
the	O
Desktop	O
Update	O
led	O
to	O
an	O
antitrust	O
case	O
in	O
the	O
United	O
States	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	B-Device
98	I-Device
included	O
USB	B-Protocol
support	O
out	O
of	O
the	O
box	O
,	O
and	O
also	O
plug	B-Device
and	I-Device
play	I-Device
,	O
which	O
allows	O
devices	O
to	O
work	O
when	O
plugged	O
in	O
without	O
requiring	O
a	O
system	B-Operating_System
reboot	I-Operating_System
or	O
manual	O
configuration	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	B-Device
Me	I-Device
,	O
the	O
last	O
DOS-based	O
version	O
of	O
Windows	O
,	O
was	O
aimed	O
at	O
consumers	O
and	O
released	O
in	O
2000	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
introduced	O
System	O
Restore	O
,	O
Help	O
and	O
Support	O
Center	O
,	O
updated	O
versions	O
of	O
the	O
Disk	B-Application
Defragmenter	I-Application
and	O
other	O
system	O
tools	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
1993	O
,	O
Microsoft	O
released	O
Windows	B-Device
NT	I-Device
3.1	I-Device
,	O
the	O
first	O
version	O
of	O
the	O
newly	O
developed	O
Windows	B-Device
NT	I-Device
operating	B-General_Concept
system	I-General_Concept
.	O
</s>
<s>
Unlike	O
the	O
Windows	O
9x	O
series	O
of	O
operating	B-General_Concept
systems	I-General_Concept
,	O
it	O
is	O
a	O
fully	O
32-bit	O
operating	B-General_Concept
system	I-General_Concept
.	O
</s>
<s>
NT	B-Device
3.1	I-Device
introduced	O
NTFS	B-Application
,	O
a	O
file	B-Application
system	I-Application
designed	O
to	O
replace	O
the	O
older	O
File	B-Application
Allocation	I-Application
Table	I-Application
(	O
FAT	B-Application
)	O
which	O
was	O
used	O
by	O
DOS	B-Device
and	O
the	O
DOS-based	O
Windows	O
operating	B-General_Concept
systems	I-General_Concept
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
1996	O
,	O
Windows	B-Device
NT	I-Device
4.0	I-Device
was	O
released	O
,	O
which	O
includes	O
a	O
fully	O
32-bit	O
version	O
of	O
Windows	B-Protocol
Explorer	I-Protocol
written	O
specifically	O
for	O
it	O
,	O
making	O
the	O
operating	B-General_Concept
system	I-General_Concept
work	O
like	O
Windows	B-Application
95	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	B-Device
NT	I-Device
was	O
originally	O
designed	O
to	O
be	O
used	O
on	O
high-end	O
systems	O
and	O
servers	O
,	O
but	O
with	O
the	O
release	O
of	O
Windows	B-Application
2000	I-Application
,	O
many	O
consumer-oriented	O
features	B-Architecture
from	O
Windows	B-Application
95	I-Application
and	O
Windows	B-Device
98	I-Device
were	O
included	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
the	O
Windows	O
Desktop	O
Update	O
,	O
Internet	B-Protocol
Explorer	I-Protocol
5	I-Protocol
,	O
USB	B-Protocol
support	O
and	O
Windows	B-Device
Media	I-Device
Player	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
These	O
consumer-oriented	O
features	B-Architecture
were	O
further	O
extended	O
in	O
Windows	B-Application
XP	I-Application
in	O
2001	O
,	O
which	O
included	O
a	O
new	O
visual	O
style	O
called	O
Luna	O
,	O
a	O
more	O
user-friendly	O
interface	O
,	O
updated	O
versions	B-Operating_System
of	I-Operating_System
Windows	I-Operating_System
Media	B-Device
Player	I-Device
and	O
Internet	B-Application
Explorer	I-Application
6	I-Application
by	O
default	O
,	O
and	O
extended	O
features	B-Architecture
from	O
Windows	B-Device
Me	I-Device
,	O
such	O
as	O
the	O
Help	O
and	O
Support	O
Center	O
and	O
System	O
Restore	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	B-Application
Vista	I-Application
,	O
which	O
was	O
released	O
in	O
2007	O
,	O
focused	O
on	O
securing	O
the	O
Windows	O
operating	B-General_Concept
system	I-General_Concept
against	O
computer	O
viruses	O
and	O
other	O
malicious	O
software	O
by	O
introducing	O
features	B-Architecture
such	O
as	O
User	O
Account	O
Control	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
New	O
features	B-Architecture
include	O
Windows	O
Aero	O
,	O
updated	O
versions	O
of	O
the	O
standard	O
games	O
(	O
e.g.	O
</s>
<s>
Solitaire	B-Application
)	O
,	O
Windows	B-Application
Movie	I-Application
Maker	I-Application
,	O
and	O
Windows	B-Protocol
Mail	I-Protocol
to	O
replace	O
Outlook	B-Application
Express	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Despite	O
this	O
,	O
Windows	B-Application
Vista	I-Application
was	O
critically	O
panned	O
for	O
its	O
poor	O
performance	O
on	O
older	O
hardware	O
and	O
its	O
at-the-time	O
high	O
system	O
requirements	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	B-Device
7	I-Device
followed	O
in	O
2009	O
nearly	O
three	O
years	O
after	O
its	O
launch	O
,	O
and	O
despite	O
it	O
technically	O
having	O
higher	O
system	O
requirements	O
,	O
reviewers	O
noted	O
that	O
it	O
ran	O
better	O
than	O
Windows	B-Application
Vista	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	B-Device
7	I-Device
removed	O
many	O
applications	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
Windows	B-Application
Movie	I-Application
Maker	I-Application
,	O
Windows	B-Device
Photo	I-Device
Gallery	I-Device
and	O
Windows	B-Protocol
Mail	I-Protocol
,	O
instead	O
requiring	O
users	O
to	O
download	O
separate	O
Windows	B-Application
Live	I-Application
Essentials	I-Application
to	O
gain	O
some	O
of	O
those	O
features	B-Architecture
and	O
other	O
online	O
services	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	B-Application
8	I-Application
,	O
which	O
was	O
released	O
in	O
2012	O
,	O
introduced	O
many	O
controversial	O
changes	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
the	O
replacement	O
of	O
the	O
Start	O
menu	O
with	O
the	O
Start	O
Screen	O
,	O
the	O
removal	O
of	O
the	O
Aero	O
interface	O
in	O
favor	O
of	O
a	O
flat	O
,	O
colored	O
interface	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
the	O
introduction	O
of	O
"	O
Metro	O
"	O
apps	O
(	O
later	O
renamed	O
to	O
Universal	O
Windows	O
Platform	O
apps	O
)	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
Charms	O
Bar	O
user	O
interface	O
element	O
,	O
all	O
of	O
which	O
received	O
considerable	O
criticism	O
from	O
reviewers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	B-Device
8.1	I-Device
,	O
a	O
free	O
upgrade	O
to	O
Windows	B-Application
8	I-Application
,	O
was	O
released	O
in	O
2013	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
following	O
version	O
of	O
Windows	O
,	O
Windows	B-Operating_System
10	I-Operating_System
,	O
which	O
was	O
released	O
in	O
2015	O
,	O
reintroduced	O
the	O
Start	O
menu	O
and	O
added	O
the	O
ability	O
to	O
run	O
Universal	O
Windows	O
Platform	O
apps	O
in	O
a	O
window	O
instead	O
of	O
always	O
in	O
full	O
screen	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	B-Operating_System
10	I-Operating_System
was	O
generally	O
well-received	O
,	O
with	O
many	O
reviewers	O
stating	O
that	O
Windows	B-Operating_System
10	I-Operating_System
is	O
what	O
Windows	B-Application
8	I-Application
should	O
have	O
been	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
latest	O
version	O
of	O
Windows	O
,	O
Windows	B-Application
11	I-Application
,	O
was	O
released	O
on	O
October	O
5	O
,	O
2021	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	B-Application
11	I-Application
incorporates	O
a	O
redesigned	O
user	O
interface	O
,	O
including	O
a	O
new	O
Start	O
menu	O
,	O
a	O
visual	O
style	O
featuring	O
rounded	O
corners	O
,	O
and	O
a	O
new	O
layout	O
for	O
the	B-Application
Microsoft	I-Application
Store	I-Application
,	O
and	O
also	O
included	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Edge	I-Application
by	O
default	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	O
1.0	O
was	O
not	O
a	O
complete	O
operating	B-General_Concept
system	I-General_Concept
,	O
but	O
rather	O
an	O
"	O
operating	B-Application
environment	I-Application
"	O
that	O
extended	O
MS-DOS	B-Application
,	O
and	O
shared	O
the	O
latter	O
's	O
inherent	O
flaws	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
first	O
version	O
of	O
Microsoft	O
Windows	O
included	O
a	O
simple	O
graphics	O
painting	O
program	O
called	O
Windows	B-Application
Paint	I-Application
;	O
Windows	B-Application
Write	I-Application
,	O
a	O
simple	O
word	B-General_Concept
processor	I-General_Concept
;	O
an	O
appointment	O
calendar	B-Protocol
;	O
a	O
card-filer	O
;	O
a	O
notepad	B-Application
;	O
a	O
clock	O
;	O
a	O
control	B-Application
panel	I-Application
;	O
a	O
computer	B-General_Concept
terminal	I-General_Concept
;	O
Clipboard	O
;	O
and	O
RAM	B-Architecture
driver	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
also	O
included	O
the	O
MS-DOS	B-Application
Executive	I-Application
and	O
a	O
game	O
called	O
Reversi	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Microsoft	O
had	O
worked	O
with	O
Apple	O
Computer	O
to	O
develop	O
applications	O
for	O
Apple	O
's	O
new	O
Macintosh	B-Device
computer	O
,	O
which	O
featured	O
a	O
graphical	B-Application
user	I-Application
interface	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
part	O
of	O
the	O
related	O
business	O
negotiations	O
,	O
Microsoft	O
had	O
licensed	O
certain	O
aspects	O
of	O
the	O
Macintosh	B-Device
user	O
interface	O
from	O
Apple	O
;	O
in	O
later	O
litigation	O
,	O
a	O
district	O
court	O
summarized	O
these	O
aspects	O
as	O
"	O
screen	O
displays	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
the	O
development	O
of	O
Windows	O
1.0	O
,	O
Microsoft	O
intentionally	O
limited	O
its	O
borrowing	O
of	O
certain	O
GUI	B-Application
elements	O
from	O
the	O
Macintosh	B-Device
user	O
interface	O
,	O
to	O
comply	O
with	O
its	O
license	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Much	O
of	O
the	O
popularity	O
for	O
Windows	B-Application
2.0	I-Application
came	O
by	O
way	O
of	O
its	O
inclusion	O
as	O
a	O
"	O
run-time	O
version	O
"	O
with	O
Microsoft	O
's	O
new	O
graphical	O
applications	O
,	O
Excel	B-Application
and	O
Word	B-Application
for	I-Application
Windows	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
They	O
could	O
be	O
run	O
from	O
MS-DOS	B-Application
,	O
executing	O
Windows	O
for	O
the	O
duration	O
of	O
their	O
activity	O
,	O
and	O
closing	O
down	O
Windows	O
upon	O
exit	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Microsoft	O
Windows	O
received	O
a	O
major	O
boost	O
around	O
this	O
time	O
when	O
Aldus	B-Operating_System
PageMaker	I-Operating_System
appeared	O
in	O
a	O
Windows	O
version	O
,	O
having	O
previously	O
run	O
only	O
on	O
Macintosh	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Like	O
prior	O
versions	B-Operating_System
of	I-Operating_System
Windows	I-Operating_System
,	O
version	O
2.0	O
could	O
use	O
the	O
real-mode	B-Application
memory	B-General_Concept
model	O
,	O
which	O
confined	O
it	O
to	O
a	O
maximum	O
of	O
1	O
megabyte	O
of	O
memory	B-General_Concept
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
such	O
a	O
configuration	O
,	O
it	O
could	O
run	O
under	O
another	O
multitasker	O
like	O
DESQview	B-Operating_System
,	O
which	O
used	O
the	O
286	B-Application
protected	I-Application
mode	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
also	O
the	O
first	O
version	O
to	O
support	O
the	O
High	B-Device
Memory	I-Device
Area	I-Device
when	O
running	O
on	O
an	O
Intel	B-General_Concept
80286	I-General_Concept
compatible	O
processor	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
edition	O
was	O
renamed	O
Windows/286	O
with	O
the	O
release	O
of	O
Windows	O
2.1	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
separate	O
Windows/386	O
edition	O
had	O
a	O
protected	B-Application
mode	I-Application
kernel	B-Operating_System
,	O
which	O
required	O
an	O
80386	B-General_Concept
compatible	O
processor	O
,	O
with	O
LIM-standard	O
EMS	O
emulation	O
and	O
VxD	B-Application
drivers	O
in	O
the	O
kernel	B-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
All	O
Windows	O
and	O
DOS-based	O
applications	O
at	O
the	O
time	O
were	O
real	B-Application
mode	I-Application
,	O
and	O
Windows/386	O
could	O
run	O
them	O
over	O
the	O
protected	B-Application
mode	I-Application
kernel	B-Operating_System
by	O
using	O
the	O
virtual	B-Application
8086	I-Application
mode	I-Application
,	O
which	O
was	O
new	O
with	O
the	O
80386	B-General_Concept
processor	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
Apple	O
Computer	O
,	O
Inc	O
.	O
v	O
.	O
Microsoft	O
Corp.	O
,	O
version	O
2.03	O
,	O
and	O
later	O
3.0	O
,	O
faced	O
challenges	O
from	O
Apple	O
over	O
its	O
overlapping	O
windows	O
and	O
other	O
features	B-Architecture
Apple	O
charged	O
mimicked	O
the	O
ostensibly	O
copyrighted	O
"	O
look	O
and	O
feel	O
"	O
of	O
its	O
operating	B-General_Concept
system	I-General_Concept
and	O
"embodie[d]	O
and	O
generated	O
a	O
copy	O
of	O
the	O
Macintosh	B-Device
"	O
in	O
its	O
OS	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	B-Application
3.0	I-Application
,	O
released	O
in	O
May	O
1990	O
,	O
improved	O
capabilities	O
given	O
to	O
native	O
applications	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
also	O
allowed	O
users	O
to	O
better	O
multitask	B-Operating_System
older	O
MS-DOS	B-Application
based	O
software	O
compared	O
to	O
Windows/386	O
,	O
thanks	O
to	O
the	O
introduction	O
of	O
virtual	B-Architecture
memory	I-Architecture
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	B-Application
3.0	I-Application
'	O
s	O
user	O
interface	O
finally	O
resembled	O
a	O
serious	O
competitor	O
to	O
the	O
user	O
interface	O
of	O
the	O
Macintosh	B-Device
computer	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
PCs	O
had	O
improved	O
graphics	O
by	O
this	O
time	O
,	O
due	O
to	O
VGA	B-Protocol
video	O
cards	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
protected/enhanced	O
mode	O
allowed	O
Windows	O
applications	O
to	O
use	O
more	O
memory	B-General_Concept
in	O
a	O
more	O
painless	O
manner	O
than	O
their	O
DOS	B-Device
counterparts	O
could	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	B-Application
3.0	I-Application
could	O
run	O
in	O
real	O
,	O
standard	O
,	O
or	O
386	B-General_Concept
enhanced	O
modes	O
,	O
and	O
was	O
compatible	O
with	O
any	O
Intel	O
processor	O
from	O
the	O
8086/8088	O
up	O
to	O
the	O
80286	B-General_Concept
and	O
80386	B-General_Concept
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
was	O
the	O
first	O
version	O
to	O
run	O
Windows	O
programs	O
in	O
protected	B-Application
mode	I-Application
,	O
although	O
the	O
386	B-General_Concept
enhanced	O
mode	O
kernel	B-Operating_System
was	O
an	O
enhanced	O
version	O
of	O
the	O
protected	B-Application
mode	I-Application
kernel	B-Operating_System
in	O
Windows/386	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	B-Application
3.0	I-Application
received	O
two	O
updates	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
"	O
multimedia	O
"	O
version	O
,	O
Windows	B-Application
3.0	I-Application
with	O
Multimedia	O
Extensions	O
1.0	O
,	O
was	O
released	O
in	O
October	O
1991	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
was	O
bundled	O
with	O
"	O
multimedia	O
upgrade	O
kits	O
"	O
,	O
comprising	O
a	O
CD-ROM	O
drive	O
and	O
a	O
sound	B-Device
card	I-Device
,	O
such	O
as	O
the	O
Creative	O
Labs	O
Sound	B-Application
Blaster	I-Application
Pro	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
version	O
was	O
the	O
precursor	O
to	O
the	O
multimedia	O
features	B-Architecture
available	O
in	O
Windows	B-Application
3.1	I-Application
(	O
first	O
released	O
in	O
April	O
1992	O
)	O
and	O
later	O
,	O
and	O
was	O
part	O
of	O
Microsoft	O
's	O
specification	O
for	O
the	O
Multimedia	B-Device
PC	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
features	B-Architecture
listed	O
above	O
and	O
growing	O
market	O
support	O
from	O
application	O
software	O
developers	O
made	O
Windows	B-Application
3.0	I-Application
wildly	O
successful	O
,	O
selling	O
around	O
10	O
million	O
copies	O
in	O
the	O
two	O
years	O
before	O
the	O
release	O
of	O
version	O
3.1	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	B-Application
3.0	I-Application
became	O
a	O
major	O
source	O
of	O
income	O
for	O
Microsoft	O
,	O
and	O
led	O
the	O
company	O
to	O
revise	O
some	O
of	O
its	O
earlier	O
plans	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
During	O
the	O
mid	O
to	O
late	O
1980s	O
,	O
Microsoft	O
and	O
IBM	O
had	O
cooperatively	O
been	O
developing	O
OS/2	B-Application
as	O
a	O
successor	O
to	O
DOS	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
OS/2	B-Application
would	O
take	O
full	O
advantage	O
of	O
the	O
aforementioned	O
protected	B-Application
mode	I-Application
of	O
the	O
Intel	B-General_Concept
80286	I-General_Concept
processor	O
and	O
up	O
to	O
16MB	O
of	O
memory	B-General_Concept
.	O
</s>
<s>
OS/2	B-Application
1.0	O
,	O
released	O
in	O
1987	O
,	O
supported	O
swapping	O
and	O
multitasking	B-Operating_System
and	O
allowed	O
running	O
of	O
DOS	B-Device
executables	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
IBM	O
licensed	O
Windows	O
 '	O
GUI	B-Application
for	O
OS/2	B-Application
as	O
Presentation	B-Device
Manager	I-Device
,	O
and	O
the	O
two	O
companies	O
stated	O
that	O
it	O
and	O
Windows	B-Application
2.0	I-Application
would	O
be	O
almost	O
identical	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Presentation	B-Device
Manager	I-Device
was	O
not	O
available	O
with	O
OS/2	B-Application
until	O
version	O
1.1	O
,	O
released	O
in	O
1988	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Its	O
API	B-Application
was	O
incompatible	O
with	O
Windows	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Version	O
1.2	O
,	O
released	O
in	O
1989	O
,	O
introduced	O
a	O
new	O
file	B-Application
system	I-Application
,	O
HPFS	B-Application
,	O
to	O
replace	O
the	O
FAT	B-Application
file	I-Application
system	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
They	O
cooperated	O
with	O
each	O
other	O
in	O
developing	O
their	O
PC	O
operating	B-General_Concept
systems	I-General_Concept
and	O
had	O
access	O
to	O
each	O
other	O
's	O
code	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Microsoft	O
wanted	O
to	O
further	O
develop	O
Windows	O
,	O
while	O
IBM	O
desired	O
for	O
future	O
work	O
to	O
be	O
based	O
on	O
OS/2	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
an	O
attempt	O
to	O
resolve	O
this	O
tension	O
,	O
IBM	O
and	O
Microsoft	O
agreed	O
that	O
IBM	O
would	O
develop	O
OS/2	B-Application
2.0	O
,	O
to	O
replace	O
OS/2	B-Application
1.3	O
and	O
Windows	B-Application
3.0	I-Application
,	O
while	O
Microsoft	O
would	O
develop	O
the	O
next	O
version	O
,	O
OS/2	B-Application
3.0	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
IBM	O
continued	O
to	O
develop	O
OS/2	B-Application
,	O
while	O
Microsoft	O
changed	O
the	O
name	O
of	O
its	O
(	O
as	O
yet	O
unreleased	O
)	O
OS/2	B-Application
3.0	O
to	O
Windows	B-Device
NT	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Both	O
retained	O
the	O
rights	O
to	O
use	O
OS/2	B-Application
and	O
Windows	O
technology	O
developed	O
up	O
to	O
the	O
termination	O
of	O
the	O
agreement	O
;	O
Windows	B-Device
NT	I-Device
,	O
however	O
,	O
was	O
to	O
be	O
written	O
anew	O
,	O
mostly	O
independently	O
(	O
see	O
below	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
After	O
an	O
interim	O
1.3	O
version	O
to	O
fix	O
up	O
many	O
remaining	O
problems	O
with	O
the	O
1.x	O
series	O
,	O
IBM	O
released	O
OS/2	B-Application
version	O
2.0	O
in	O
1992	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
was	O
a	O
major	O
improvement	O
:	O
it	O
featured	O
a	O
new	O
,	O
object-oriented	B-Application
GUI	B-Application
,	O
the	O
Workplace	O
Shell	O
(	O
WPS	O
)	O
,	O
that	O
included	O
a	O
desktop	O
and	O
was	O
considered	O
by	O
many	O
to	O
be	O
OS/2	B-Application
'	O
s	O
best	O
feature	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Microsoft	O
would	O
later	O
imitate	O
much	O
of	O
it	O
in	O
Windows	B-Application
95	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Version	O
2.0	O
also	O
provided	O
a	O
full	O
32-bit	O
API	B-Application
,	O
offered	O
smooth	O
multitasking	B-Operating_System
and	O
could	O
take	O
advantage	O
of	O
the	O
4gigabytes	O
of	O
address	O
space	O
provided	O
by	O
the	O
Intel	B-General_Concept
80386	I-General_Concept
.	O
</s>
<s>
Still	O
,	O
much	O
of	O
the	O
system	O
had	O
16-bit	B-Device
code	O
internally	O
which	O
required	O
,	O
among	O
other	O
things	O
,	O
device	O
drivers	O
to	O
be	O
16-bit	B-Device
code	O
as	O
well	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
was	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
reasons	O
for	O
the	O
chronic	O
shortage	O
of	O
OS/2	B-Application
drivers	O
for	O
the	O
latest	O
devices	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Version	O
2.0	O
could	O
also	O
run	O
DOS	B-Device
and	O
Windows	B-Application
3.0	I-Application
programs	O
,	O
since	O
IBM	O
had	O
retained	O
the	O
right	O
to	O
use	O
the	O
DOS	B-Device
and	O
Windows	O
code	O
as	O
a	O
result	O
of	O
the	O
breakup	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
response	O
to	O
the	O
impending	O
release	O
of	O
OS/2	B-Application
2.0	O
,	O
Microsoft	O
developed	O
Windows	B-Application
3.1	I-Application
(	O
first	O
released	O
in	O
April	O
1992	O
)	O
,	O
which	O
included	O
several	O
improvements	O
to	O
Windows	B-Application
3.0	I-Application
,	O
such	O
as	O
display	O
of	O
TrueType	O
scalable	O
fonts	O
(	O
developed	O
jointly	O
with	O
Apple	O
)	O
,	O
improved	O
disk	O
performance	O
in	O
386	B-General_Concept
Enhanced	O
Mode	O
,	O
multimedia	O
support	O
,	O
and	O
bugfixes	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
also	O
removed	O
Real	B-Application
Mode	I-Application
,	O
and	O
only	O
ran	O
on	O
an	O
80286	B-General_Concept
or	O
better	O
processor	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Later	O
Microsoft	O
also	O
released	O
Windows	B-Application
3.11	I-Application
,	O
a	O
touch-up	O
to	O
Windows	B-Application
3.1	I-Application
which	O
included	O
all	O
of	O
the	O
patches	O
and	O
updates	O
that	O
followed	O
the	O
release	O
of	O
Windows	B-Application
3.1	I-Application
in	O
1992	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
1992	O
and	O
1993	O
,	O
Microsoft	O
released	O
Windows	O
for	O
Workgroups	O
(	O
WfW	O
)	O
,	O
which	O
was	O
available	O
both	O
as	O
an	O
add-on	B-Application
for	O
existing	O
Windows	B-Application
3.1	I-Application
installations	O
and	O
in	O
a	O
version	O
that	O
included	O
the	O
base	O
Windows	O
environment	O
and	O
the	O
networking	O
extensions	O
all	O
in	O
one	O
package	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
There	O
were	O
two	O
versions	B-Operating_System
of	I-Operating_System
Windows	I-Operating_System
for	O
Workgroups	O
,	O
WfW	O
3.1	O
and	O
WfW	O
3.11	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Unlike	O
prior	O
versions	O
,	O
Windows	O
for	O
Workgroups	O
3.11	O
ran	O
in	O
386	B-General_Concept
Enhanced	O
Mode	O
only	O
,	O
and	O
needed	O
at	O
least	O
an	O
80386SX	O
processor	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Even	O
though	O
the	O
3.1x	O
series	O
still	O
lacked	O
most	O
of	O
the	O
important	O
features	B-Architecture
of	O
OS/2	B-Application
,	O
such	O
as	O
long	O
file	O
names	O
,	O
a	O
desktop	O
,	O
or	O
protection	O
of	O
the	O
system	O
against	O
misbehaving	O
applications	O
,	O
Microsoft	O
quickly	O
took	O
over	O
the	O
OS	O
and	O
GUI	B-Application
markets	O
for	O
the	O
IBM	B-Device
PC	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Windows	B-Library
API	I-Library
became	O
the	O
de	O
facto	O
standard	O
for	O
consumer	O
software	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
December	O
31	O
,	O
2001	O
,	O
Microsoft	O
declared	O
Windows	B-Application
3.1	I-Application
obsolete	O
and	O
stopped	O
providing	O
support	O
and	O
updates	O
for	O
the	O
system	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
OEM	O
licensing	O
for	O
Windows	O
for	O
Workgroups	O
3.11	O
on	O
embedded	B-Architecture
systems	I-Architecture
continued	O
to	O
be	O
available	O
until	O
November	O
1	O
,	O
2008	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Meanwhile	O
,	O
Microsoft	O
continued	O
to	O
develop	O
Windows	B-Device
NT	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
main	O
architect	O
of	O
the	O
system	O
was	O
Dave	O
Cutler	O
,	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
chief	O
architects	O
of	O
VAX/VMS	B-Operating_System
at	O
Digital	O
Equipment	O
Corporation	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Microsoft	O
hired	O
him	O
in	O
October	O
1988	O
to	O
create	O
a	O
successor	O
to	O
OS/2	B-Application
,	O
but	O
Cutler	O
created	O
a	O
completely	O
new	O
system	O
instead	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Cutler	O
had	O
been	O
developing	O
a	O
follow-on	O
to	O
VMS	B-Operating_System
at	O
DEC	O
called	O
MICA	B-Operating_System
,	O
and	O
when	O
DEC	O
dropped	O
the	O
project	O
he	O
brought	O
the	O
expertise	O
and	O
around	O
20	O
engineers	O
with	O
him	O
to	O
Microsoft	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	B-Device
NT	I-Device
Workstation	I-Device
(	O
Microsoft	O
marketing	O
wanted	O
Windows	B-Device
NT	I-Device
to	O
appear	O
to	O
be	O
a	O
continuation	O
of	O
Windows	B-Application
3.1	I-Application
)	O
arrived	O
in	O
Beta	O
form	O
to	O
developers	O
at	O
the	O
July	O
1992	O
Professional	O
Developers	O
Conference	O
in	O
San	O
Francisco	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Microsoft	O
announced	O
at	O
the	O
conference	O
its	O
intentions	O
to	O
develop	O
a	O
successor	O
to	O
both	O
Windows	B-Device
NT	I-Device
and	O
Windows	B-Application
3.1	I-Application
'	O
s	O
replacement	O
(	O
Windows	B-Application
95	I-Application
,	O
codenamed	O
Chicago	O
)	O
,	O
which	O
would	O
unify	O
the	O
two	O
into	O
one	O
operating	B-General_Concept
system	I-General_Concept
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
successor	O
was	O
codenamed	O
Cairo	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
hindsight	O
,	O
Cairo	B-Application
was	O
a	O
much	O
more	O
difficult	O
project	O
than	O
Microsoft	O
had	O
anticipated	O
and	O
,	O
as	O
a	O
result	O
,	O
NT	O
and	O
Chicago	O
would	O
not	O
be	O
unified	O
until	O
Windows	B-Application
XP	I-Application
—	O
albeit	O
Windows	B-Application
2000	I-Application
,	O
oriented	O
to	O
business	O
,	O
had	O
already	O
unified	O
most	O
of	O
the	O
system	O
's	O
bolts	O
and	O
gears	O
,	O
it	O
was	O
XP	B-Application
that	O
was	O
sold	O
to	O
home	O
consumers	O
like	O
Windows	B-Application
95	I-Application
and	O
came	O
to	O
be	O
viewed	O
as	O
the	O
final	O
unified	O
OS	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Parts	O
of	O
Cairo	B-Application
have	O
still	O
not	O
made	O
it	O
into	O
Windows	O
as	O
of	O
2020	O
:	O
most	O
notably	O
,	O
the	O
WinFS	B-Application
file	B-Application
system	I-Application
,	O
which	O
was	O
the	O
much	O
touted	O
Object	B-Application
File	I-Application
System	I-Application
of	O
Cairo	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Microsoft	O
announced	O
that	O
they	O
have	O
discontinued	O
the	O
separate	O
release	O
of	O
WinFS	B-Application
for	O
Windows	B-Application
XP	I-Application
and	O
Windows	B-Application
Vista	I-Application
and	O
will	O
gradually	O
incorporate	O
the	O
technologies	O
developed	O
for	O
WinFS	B-Application
in	O
other	O
products	O
and	O
technologies	O
,	O
notably	O
Microsoft	B-Application
SQL	I-Application
Server	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
problem	O
plagued	O
the	O
NT	O
line	O
all	O
the	O
way	O
through	O
Windows	B-Application
2000	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
these	O
same	O
features	B-Architecture
made	O
Windows	B-Device
NT	I-Device
perfect	O
for	O
the	O
LAN	B-General_Concept
server	B-Application
market	O
(	O
which	O
in	O
1993	O
was	O
experiencing	O
a	O
rapid	O
boom	O
,	O
as	O
office	O
networking	O
was	O
becoming	O
common	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
NT	O
also	O
had	O
advanced	O
network	O
connectivity	O
options	O
and	O
NTFS	B-Application
,	O
an	O
efficient	O
file	B-Application
system	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	B-Device
NT	I-Device
version	O
3.51	O
was	O
Microsoft	O
's	O
entry	O
into	O
this	O
field	O
,	O
and	O
took	O
away	O
market	O
share	O
from	O
Novell	O
(	O
the	O
dominant	O
player	O
)	O
in	O
the	O
following	O
years	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
One	O
of	O
Microsoft	O
's	O
biggest	O
advances	O
initially	O
developed	O
for	O
Windows	B-Device
NT	I-Device
was	O
a	O
new	O
32-bit	O
API	B-Application
,	O
to	O
replace	O
the	O
legacy	O
16-bit	B-Library
Windows	I-Library
API	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
API	B-Application
was	O
called	O
Win32	B-Library
,	O
and	O
from	O
then	O
on	O
Microsoft	O
referred	O
to	O
the	O
older	O
16-bit	B-Device
API	B-Application
as	O
Win16	B-Library
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Win32	B-Library
API	I-Library
had	O
three	O
levels	O
of	O
implementation	O
:	O
the	O
complete	O
one	O
for	O
Windows	B-Device
NT	I-Device
,	O
a	O
subset	O
for	O
Chicago	O
(	O
originally	O
called	O
Win32c	O
)	O
missing	O
features	B-Architecture
primarily	O
of	O
interest	O
to	O
enterprise	O
customers	O
(	O
at	O
the	O
time	O
)	O
such	O
as	O
security	O
and	O
Unicode	O
support	O
,	O
and	O
a	O
more	O
limited	O
subset	O
called	O
Win32s	B-Library
which	O
could	O
be	O
used	O
on	O
Windows	B-Application
3.1	I-Application
systems	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Thus	O
Microsoft	O
sought	O
to	O
ensure	O
some	O
degree	O
of	O
compatibility	O
between	O
the	O
Chicago	O
design	O
and	O
Windows	B-Device
NT	I-Device
,	O
even	O
though	O
the	O
two	O
systems	O
had	O
radically	O
different	O
internal	O
architectures	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	B-Device
NT	I-Device
was	O
the	O
first	O
Windows	O
operating	B-General_Concept
system	I-General_Concept
based	O
on	O
a	O
hybrid	B-Operating_System
kernel	I-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
hybrid	B-Operating_System
kernel	I-Operating_System
was	O
designed	O
as	O
a	O
modified	O
microkernel	B-Operating_System
,	O
influenced	O
by	O
the	O
Mach	B-Operating_System
microkernel	I-Operating_System
developed	O
by	O
Richard	O
Rashid	O
at	O
Carnegie	O
Mellon	O
University	O
,	O
but	O
without	O
meeting	O
all	O
of	O
the	O
criteria	O
of	O
a	O
pure	O
microkernel	B-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
released	O
,	O
Windows	B-Device
NT	I-Device
3.x	O
went	O
through	O
three	O
versions	O
(	O
3.1	O
,	O
3.5	O
,	O
and	O
3.51	O
)	O
,	O
changes	O
were	O
primarily	O
internal	O
and	O
reflected	O
back	O
end	O
changes	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
3.5	O
release	O
added	O
support	O
for	O
new	O
types	O
of	O
hardware	O
and	O
improved	O
performance	O
and	O
data	O
reliability	O
;	O
the	O
3.51	O
release	O
was	O
primarily	O
to	O
update	O
the	O
Win32	B-Library
APIs	I-Library
to	O
be	O
compatible	O
with	O
software	O
being	O
written	O
for	O
the	O
Win32c	O
APIs	B-Application
in	O
what	O
became	O
Windows	B-Application
95	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Support	O
for	O
Windows	B-Device
NT	I-Device
3.51	O
ended	O
in	O
2001	O
and	O
2002	O
for	O
the	O
Workstation	O
and	O
Server	B-Application
editions	O
,	O
respectively	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
After	O
Windows	B-Application
3.11	I-Application
,	O
Microsoft	O
began	O
to	O
develop	O
a	O
new	O
consumer-oriented	O
version	O
of	O
the	O
operating	B-General_Concept
system	I-General_Concept
codenamed	O
Chicago	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Chicago	O
was	O
designed	O
to	O
have	O
support	O
for	O
32-bit	O
preemptive	O
multitasking	B-Operating_System
like	O
OS/2	B-Application
and	O
Windows	B-Device
NT	I-Device
,	O
although	O
a	O
16-bit	B-Device
kernel	B-Operating_System
would	O
remain	O
for	O
the	O
sake	O
of	O
backward	O
compatibility	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Win32	B-Library
API	I-Library
first	O
introduced	O
with	O
Windows	B-Device
NT	I-Device
was	O
adopted	O
as	O
the	O
standard	O
32-bit	O
programming	B-Application
interface	I-Application
,	O
with	O
Win16	B-Library
compatibility	O
being	O
preserved	O
through	O
a	O
technique	O
known	O
as	O
"	O
thunking	B-Application
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
new	O
object-oriented	B-Application
GUI	B-Application
was	O
not	O
originally	O
planned	O
as	O
part	O
of	O
the	O
release	O
,	O
although	O
elements	O
of	O
the	O
Cairo	B-Application
user	O
interface	O
were	O
borrowed	O
and	O
added	O
as	O
other	O
aspects	O
of	O
the	O
release	O
(	O
notably	O
Plug	B-Device
and	I-Device
Play	I-Device
)	O
slipped	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Microsoft	O
did	O
not	O
change	O
all	O
of	O
the	O
Windows	O
code	O
to	O
32-bit	O
;	O
parts	O
of	O
it	O
remained	O
16-bit	B-Device
(	O
albeit	O
not	O
directly	O
using	O
real	B-Application
mode	I-Application
)	O
for	O
reasons	O
of	O
compatibility	O
,	O
performance	O
,	O
and	O
development	O
time	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Additionally	O
it	O
was	O
necessary	O
to	O
carry	O
over	O
design	O
decisions	O
from	O
earlier	O
versions	B-Operating_System
of	I-Operating_System
Windows	I-Operating_System
for	O
reasons	O
of	O
backwards	O
compatibility	O
,	O
even	O
if	O
these	O
design	O
decisions	O
no	O
longer	O
matched	O
a	O
more	O
modern	O
computing	O
environment	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
These	O
factors	O
eventually	O
began	O
to	O
impact	O
the	O
operating	B-General_Concept
system	I-General_Concept
's	O
efficiency	O
and	O
stability	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Microsoft	O
marketing	O
adopted	O
Windows	B-Application
95	I-Application
as	O
the	O
product	O
name	O
for	O
Chicago	O
when	O
it	O
was	O
released	O
on	O
August	O
24	O
,	O
1995	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Microsoft	O
had	O
a	O
double	O
gain	O
from	O
its	O
release	O
:	O
first	O
,	O
it	O
made	O
it	O
impossible	O
for	O
consumers	O
to	O
run	O
Windows	B-Application
95	I-Application
on	O
a	O
cheaper	O
,	O
non-Microsoft	O
DOS	B-Device
,	O
secondly	O
,	O
although	O
traces	O
of	O
DOS	B-Device
were	O
never	O
completely	O
removed	O
from	O
the	O
system	O
and	O
MS	B-Application
DOS	I-Application
7	O
would	O
be	O
loaded	O
briefly	O
as	O
a	O
part	O
of	O
the	O
booting	B-Operating_System
process	O
,	O
Windows	B-Application
95	I-Application
applications	O
ran	O
solely	O
in	O
386	B-General_Concept
enhanced	O
mode	O
,	O
with	O
a	O
flat	O
32-bit	O
address	O
space	O
and	O
virtual	B-Architecture
memory	I-Architecture
.	O
</s>
<s>
These	O
features	B-Architecture
make	O
it	O
possible	O
for	O
Win32	B-Library
applications	O
to	O
address	O
up	O
to	O
2	O
gigabytes	O
of	O
virtual	O
RAM	B-Architecture
(	O
with	O
another	O
2GB	O
reserved	O
for	O
the	O
operating	B-General_Concept
system	I-General_Concept
)	O
,	O
and	O
in	O
theory	O
prevented	O
them	O
from	O
inadvertently	O
corrupting	O
the	O
memory	B-General_Concept
space	O
of	O
other	O
Win32	B-Library
applications	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
this	O
respect	O
the	O
functionality	O
of	O
Windows	B-Application
95	I-Application
moved	O
closer	O
to	O
Windows	B-Device
NT	I-Device
,	O
although	O
Windows	O
95/98/Me	O
did	O
not	O
support	O
more	O
than	O
512	O
megabytes	O
of	O
physical	O
RAM	B-Architecture
without	O
obscure	O
system	O
tweaks	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Three	O
years	O
after	O
its	O
introduction	O
,	O
Windows	B-Application
95	I-Application
was	O
succeeded	O
by	O
Windows	B-Device
98	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
IBM	O
continued	O
to	O
market	O
OS/2	B-Application
,	O
producing	O
later	O
versions	O
in	O
OS/2	B-Application
3.0	O
and	O
4.0	O
(	O
also	O
called	O
Warp	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Responding	O
to	O
complaints	O
about	O
OS/2	B-Application
2.0	O
'	O
s	O
high	O
demands	O
on	O
computer	O
hardware	O
,	O
version	O
3.0	O
was	O
significantly	O
optimized	O
both	O
for	O
speed	O
and	O
size	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Before	O
Windows	B-Application
95	I-Application
was	O
released	O
,	O
OS/2	B-Application
Warp	O
3.0	O
was	O
even	O
shipped	O
pre-installed	O
with	O
several	O
large	O
German	O
hardware	O
vendor	O
chains	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
with	O
the	O
release	O
of	O
Windows	B-Application
95	I-Application
,	O
OS/2	B-Application
began	O
to	O
lose	O
market	O
share	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
is	O
probably	O
impossible	O
to	O
choose	O
one	O
specific	O
reason	O
why	O
OS/2	B-Application
failed	O
to	O
gain	O
much	O
market	O
share	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
While	O
OS/2	B-Application
continued	O
to	O
run	O
Windows	B-Application
3.1	I-Application
applications	O
,	O
it	O
lacked	O
support	O
for	O
anything	O
but	O
the	O
Win32s	B-Library
subset	O
of	O
Win32	B-Library
API	I-Library
(	O
see	O
above	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Unlike	O
with	O
Windows	B-Application
3.1	I-Application
,	O
IBM	O
did	O
not	O
have	O
access	O
to	O
the	O
source	O
code	O
for	O
Windows	B-Application
95	I-Application
and	O
was	O
unwilling	O
to	O
commit	O
the	O
time	O
and	O
resources	O
to	O
emulate	O
the	O
moving	O
target	O
of	O
the	O
Win32	B-Library
API	I-Library
.	O
</s>
<s>
IBM	O
later	O
introduced	O
OS/2	B-Application
into	O
the	O
United	O
States	O
v	O
.	O
Microsoft	O
case	O
,	O
blaming	O
unfair	O
marketing	O
tactics	O
on	O
Microsoft	O
's	O
part	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Microsoft	O
went	O
on	O
to	O
release	O
five	O
different	O
versions	B-Operating_System
of	I-Operating_System
Windows	I-Operating_System
95	O
:	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
first	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Plus	I-Application
!	I-Application
</s>
<s>
add-on	B-Application
pack	O
was	O
sold	O
for	O
Windows	B-Application
95	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Microsoft	O
ended	O
extended	O
support	O
for	O
Windows	B-Application
95	I-Application
on	O
December	O
31	O
,	O
2001	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Microsoft	O
released	O
the	O
successor	O
to	O
NT	O
3.51	O
,	O
Windows	B-Device
NT	I-Device
4.0	I-Device
,	O
on	O
August	O
24	O
,	O
1996	O
,	O
one	O
year	O
after	O
the	O
release	O
of	O
Windows	B-Application
95	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
Microsoft	O
's	O
primary	O
business-oriented	O
operating	B-General_Concept
system	I-General_Concept
until	O
the	O
introduction	O
of	O
Windows	B-Application
2000	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Major	O
new	O
features	B-Architecture
included	O
the	O
new	O
Explorer	O
shell	O
from	O
Windows	B-Application
95	I-Application
,	O
scalability	O
and	O
feature	O
improvements	O
to	O
the	O
core	O
architecture	O
,	O
kernel	B-Operating_System
,	O
USER32	O
,	O
COM	B-Application
and	O
MSRPC	B-General_Concept
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	B-Device
NT	I-Device
4.0	I-Device
came	O
in	O
five	O
versions	O
:	O
</s>
<s>
Microsoft	O
ended	O
mainstream	O
support	O
for	O
Windows	B-Device
NT	I-Device
4.0	I-Device
Workstation	O
on	O
June	O
30	O
,	O
2002	O
,	O
and	O
ended	O
extended	O
support	O
on	O
June	O
30	O
,	O
2004	O
,	O
while	O
Windows	B-Device
NT	I-Device
4.0	I-Device
Server	B-Application
mainstream	O
support	O
ended	O
on	O
December	O
31	O
,	O
2002	O
,	O
and	O
extended	O
support	O
ended	O
on	O
December	O
31	O
,	O
2004	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Both	O
editions	O
were	O
succeeded	O
by	O
Windows	B-Application
2000	I-Application
Professional	O
and	O
the	O
Windows	B-Application
2000	I-Application
Server	B-Application
Family	O
,	O
respectively	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Microsoft	O
ended	O
mainstream	O
support	O
for	O
Windows	B-Device
NT	I-Device
4.0	I-Device
Embedded	O
on	O
June	O
30	O
,	O
2003	O
,	O
and	O
ended	O
extended	O
support	O
on	O
July	O
11	O
,	O
2006	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
edition	O
was	O
succeeded	O
by	O
Windows	B-Application
XP	I-Application
Embedded	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
June	O
25	O
,	O
1998	O
,	O
Microsoft	O
released	O
Windows	B-Device
98	I-Device
(	O
code-named	O
Memphis	O
)	O
,	O
three	O
years	O
after	O
the	O
release	O
of	O
Windows	B-Application
95	I-Application
,	O
two	O
years	O
after	O
the	O
release	O
of	O
Windows	B-Device
NT	I-Device
4.0	I-Device
,	O
and	O
21	O
months	O
before	O
the	O
release	O
of	O
Windows	B-Application
2000	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
included	O
new	O
hardware	O
drivers	O
and	O
the	O
FAT32	B-Application
file	B-Application
system	I-Application
which	O
supports	O
disk	O
partitions	O
that	O
are	O
larger	O
than	O
2GB	O
(	O
first	O
introduced	O
in	O
Windows	B-Application
95	I-Application
OSR2	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
USB	B-Protocol
support	O
in	O
Windows	B-Device
98	I-Device
is	O
marketed	O
as	O
a	O
vast	O
improvement	O
over	O
Windows	B-Application
95	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
release	O
continued	O
the	O
controversial	O
inclusion	O
of	O
the	O
Internet	B-Application
Explorer	I-Application
browser	O
with	O
the	O
operating	B-General_Concept
system	I-General_Concept
that	O
started	O
with	O
Windows	B-Application
95	I-Application
OEM	O
Service	O
Release	O
1	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
action	O
eventually	O
led	O
to	O
the	O
filing	O
of	O
the	O
United	O
States	O
v	O
.	O
Microsoft	O
case	O
,	O
dealing	O
with	O
the	O
question	O
of	O
whether	O
Microsoft	O
was	O
introducing	O
unfair	O
practices	O
into	O
the	O
market	O
in	O
an	O
effort	O
to	O
eliminate	O
competition	O
from	O
other	O
companies	O
such	O
as	O
Netscape	B-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
One	O
of	O
the	O
more	O
notable	O
new	O
features	B-Architecture
was	O
the	O
addition	O
of	O
Internet	B-Protocol
Connection	I-Protocol
Sharing	I-Protocol
,	O
a	O
form	O
of	O
network	B-Protocol
address	I-Protocol
translation	I-Protocol
,	O
allowing	O
several	O
machines	O
on	O
a	O
LAN	B-General_Concept
(	O
Local	B-General_Concept
Area	I-General_Concept
Network	I-General_Concept
)	O
to	O
share	O
a	O
single	O
Internet	O
connection	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Hardware	O
support	O
through	O
device	O
drivers	O
was	O
increased	O
and	O
this	O
version	O
shipped	O
with	O
Internet	B-Protocol
Explorer	I-Protocol
5	I-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
Mainstream	O
support	O
for	O
Windows	B-Device
98	I-Device
and	O
98	O
SE	O
ended	O
on	O
June	O
30	O
,	O
2002	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Microsoft	O
released	O
Windows	B-Application
2000	I-Application
on	O
February	O
17	O
,	O
2000	O
,	O
as	O
the	O
successor	O
to	O
Windows	B-Device
NT	I-Device
4.0	I-Device
,	O
17	O
months	O
after	O
the	O
release	O
of	O
Windows	B-Device
98	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
has	O
the	O
version	O
number	O
Windows	B-Application
NT	I-Application
5.0	I-Application
,	O
and	O
it	O
was	O
Microsoft	O
's	O
business-oriented	O
operating	B-General_Concept
system	I-General_Concept
starting	O
with	O
the	O
official	O
release	O
on	O
February	O
17	O
,	O
2000	O
,	O
until	O
2001	O
when	O
it	O
was	O
succeeded	O
by	O
Windows	B-Application
XP	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	B-Application
2000	I-Application
has	O
had	O
four	O
official	O
service	O
packs	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
successfully	O
deployed	O
both	O
on	O
the	O
server	B-Application
and	O
the	O
workstation	O
markets	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Amongst	O
Windows	B-Application
2000	I-Application
's	O
most	O
significant	O
new	O
features	B-Architecture
was	O
Active	B-Protocol
Directory	I-Protocol
,	O
a	O
near-complete	O
replacement	O
of	O
the	O
NT	B-Device
4.0	I-Device
Windows	B-General_Concept
Server	I-General_Concept
domain	I-General_Concept
model	O
,	O
which	O
built	O
on	O
industry-standard	O
technologies	O
like	O
DNS	B-Protocol
,	O
LDAP	B-Protocol
,	O
and	O
Kerberos	B-Protocol
to	O
connect	O
machines	O
to	O
one	O
another	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Terminal	B-Protocol
Services	I-Protocol
,	O
previously	O
only	O
available	O
as	O
a	O
separate	O
edition	O
of	O
NT	B-Device
4	I-Device
,	O
was	O
expanded	O
to	O
all	O
server	B-Application
versions	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
number	O
of	O
features	B-Architecture
from	O
Windows	B-Device
98	I-Device
were	O
incorporated	O
also	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
an	O
improved	O
Device	O
Manager	O
,	O
Windows	B-Device
Media	I-Device
Player	I-Device
,	O
and	O
a	O
revised	O
DirectX	B-Application
that	O
made	O
it	O
possible	O
for	O
the	O
first	O
time	O
for	O
many	O
modern	O
games	O
to	O
work	O
on	O
the	O
NT	O
kernel	B-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	B-Application
2000	I-Application
is	O
also	O
the	O
last	O
NT-kernel	O
Windows	O
operating	B-General_Concept
system	I-General_Concept
to	O
lack	O
product	O
activation	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
While	O
Windows	B-Application
2000	I-Application
upgrades	O
were	O
available	O
for	O
Windows	B-Application
95	I-Application
and	O
Windows	B-Device
98	I-Device
,	O
it	O
was	O
not	O
intended	O
for	O
home	O
users	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	B-Application
2000	I-Application
was	O
available	O
in	O
four	O
editions	O
:	O
</s>
<s>
Microsoft	O
ended	O
support	O
for	O
both	O
Windows	B-Application
2000	I-Application
and	O
Windows	B-Application
XP	I-Application
Service	O
Pack	O
2	O
on	O
July	O
13	O
,	O
2010	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
September	O
14	O
,	O
2000	O
,	O
Microsoft	O
released	O
a	O
successor	O
to	O
Windows	B-Device
98	I-Device
called	O
Windows	B-Device
Me	I-Device
,	O
short	O
for	O
"	O
Millennium	O
Edition	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
the	O
last	O
DOS-based	O
operating	B-General_Concept
system	I-General_Concept
from	O
Microsoft	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	B-Device
Me	I-Device
introduced	O
a	O
new	O
multimedia-editing	O
application	O
called	O
Windows	B-Application
Movie	I-Application
Maker	I-Application
,	O
came	O
standard	O
with	O
Internet	B-Protocol
Explorer	I-Protocol
5.5	I-Protocol
and	O
Windows	B-Device
Media	I-Device
Player	I-Device
7	I-Device
,	O
and	O
debuted	O
the	O
first	O
version	O
of	O
System	O
Restore	O
–	O
a	O
recovery	O
utility	O
that	O
enables	O
the	O
operating	B-General_Concept
system	I-General_Concept
to	O
revert	O
system	O
files	O
back	O
to	O
a	O
prior	O
date	O
and	O
time	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
System	O
Restore	O
was	O
a	O
notable	O
feature	O
that	O
would	O
continue	O
to	O
thrive	O
in	O
all	O
later	O
versions	B-Operating_System
of	I-Operating_System
Windows	I-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	B-Device
Me	I-Device
was	O
conceived	O
as	O
a	O
quick	O
one-year	O
project	O
that	O
served	O
as	O
a	O
stopgap	O
release	O
between	O
Windows	B-Device
98	I-Device
and	O
Windows	B-Application
XP	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Many	O
of	O
the	O
new	O
features	B-Architecture
were	O
available	O
from	O
the	O
Windows	O
Update	O
site	O
as	O
updates	O
for	O
older	O
Windows	B-Operating_System
versions	I-Operating_System
(	O
System	O
Restore	O
and	O
Windows	B-Application
Movie	I-Application
Maker	I-Application
were	O
exceptions	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	B-Device
Me	I-Device
was	O
criticized	O
for	O
stability	O
issues	O
,	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
for	O
lacking	O
real	B-Application
mode	I-Application
DOS	B-Device
support	O
,	O
to	O
the	O
point	O
of	O
being	O
referred	O
to	O
as	O
the	O
"	O
Mistake	O
Edition.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	B-Device
Me	I-Device
was	O
the	O
last	O
operating	B-General_Concept
system	I-General_Concept
to	O
be	O
based	O
on	O
the	O
Windows	O
9x	O
(	O
monolithic	B-Operating_System
)	O
kernel	B-Operating_System
and	O
MS-DOS	B-Application
,	O
with	O
its	O
successor	O
Windows	B-Application
XP	I-Application
being	O
based	O
on	O
Microsoft	O
's	O
Windows	B-Device
NT	I-Device
kernel	B-Operating_System
instead	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
October	O
25	O
,	O
2001	O
,	O
Microsoft	O
released	O
Windows	B-Application
XP	I-Application
(	O
codenamed	O
"	O
Whistler	O
"	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
merging	O
of	O
the	O
Windows	O
NT/2000	O
and	O
Windows	O
95/98/Me	O
lines	O
was	O
finally	O
achieved	O
with	O
Windows	B-Application
XP	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	B-Application
XP	I-Application
uses	O
the	O
Windows	B-Application
NT	I-Application
5.1	I-Application
kernel	B-Operating_System
,	O
marking	O
the	O
entrance	O
of	O
the	O
Windows	B-Device
NT	I-Device
core	O
to	O
the	O
consumer	O
market	O
,	O
to	O
replace	O
the	O
aging	O
Windows	O
9x	O
branch	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	B-Application
XP	I-Application
SP1	O
was	O
released	O
in	O
September	O
2002	O
,	O
SP2	O
was	O
released	O
in	O
August	O
2004	O
and	O
SP3	O
was	O
released	O
in	O
April	O
2008	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Service	O
Pack	O
2	O
provided	O
significant	O
improvements	O
and	O
encouraged	O
widespread	O
adoption	O
of	O
XP	B-Application
among	O
both	O
home	O
and	O
business	O
users	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	B-Application
XP	I-Application
was	O
one	O
of	O
Microsoft	O
's	O
longest-running	O
flagship	O
operating	B-General_Concept
systems	I-General_Concept
,	O
beginning	O
with	O
the	O
public	O
release	O
on	O
October	O
25	O
,	O
2001	O
,	O
for	O
at	O
least	O
5	O
years	O
,	O
and	O
ending	O
on	O
January	O
30	O
,	O
2007	O
,	O
when	O
it	O
was	O
succeeded	O
by	O
Windows	B-Application
Vista	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	B-Application
XP	I-Application
is	O
available	O
in	O
a	O
number	O
of	O
versions	O
:	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	B-Application
XP	I-Application
Professional	O
,	O
for	O
business	O
and	O
power	O
users	O
contained	O
a	O
number	O
of	O
features	B-Architecture
not	O
available	O
in	O
Home	O
Edition	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	B-Application
XP	I-Application
Media	I-Application
Center	I-Application
Edition	I-Application
(	O
MCE	O
)	O
,	O
released	O
in	O
October	O
2002	O
for	O
desktops	O
and	O
notebooks	O
with	O
an	O
emphasis	O
on	O
home	O
entertainment	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Contained	O
all	O
features	B-Architecture
offered	O
in	O
Windows	B-Application
XP	I-Application
Professional	O
and	O
the	O
Windows	O
Media	O
Center	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	B-Application
XP	I-Application
Media	I-Application
Center	I-Application
Edition	I-Application
2005	O
,	O
released	O
on	O
October	O
12	O
,	O
2004	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Included	O
the	O
Royale	O
theme	O
,	O
support	O
for	O
Media	O
Center	O
Extenders	O
,	O
themes	O
and	O
screensavers	O
from	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Plus	I-Application
!	I-Application
</s>
<s>
for	O
Windows	B-Application
XP	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
ability	O
to	O
join	O
an	O
Active	B-Protocol
Directory	I-Protocol
domain	O
is	O
disabled	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	B-Operating_System
XP	I-Operating_System
Professional	I-Operating_System
x64	I-Operating_System
Edition	I-Operating_System
,	O
released	O
on	O
April	O
25	O
,	O
2005	O
,	O
for	O
home	O
and	O
workstation	O
systems	O
utilizing	O
64-bit	O
processors	O
based	O
on	O
the	O
x86-64	B-Device
instruction	O
set	O
originally	O
developed	O
by	O
AMD	O
as	O
AMD64	B-Device
;	O
Intel	O
calls	O
their	O
version	O
Intel	O
64	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Internally	O
,	O
XP	B-Operating_System
x64	I-Operating_System
was	O
a	O
somewhat	O
updated	O
version	O
of	O
Windows	O
based	O
on	O
the	O
Server	B-Application
2003	O
codebase	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	B-Application
XP	I-Application
64-bit	O
Edition	O
,	O
is	O
a	O
version	O
for	O
Intel	O
's	O
Itanium	B-General_Concept
line	O
of	O
processors	O
;	O
maintains	O
32-bit	O
compatibility	O
solely	O
through	O
a	O
software	O
emulator	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
is	O
roughly	O
analogous	O
to	O
Windows	B-Application
XP	I-Application
Professional	O
in	O
features	B-Architecture
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
discontinued	O
in	O
September	O
2005	O
when	O
the	O
last	O
vendor	O
of	O
Itanium	B-General_Concept
workstations	O
stopped	O
shipping	O
Itanium	B-General_Concept
systems	O
marketed	O
as	O
"	O
Workstations	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
April	O
25	O
,	O
2003	O
,	O
Microsoft	O
launched	O
Windows	B-Application
Server	I-Application
2003	I-Application
,	O
a	O
notable	O
update	O
to	O
Windows	B-Application
2000	I-Application
Server	B-Application
encompassing	O
many	O
new	O
security	O
features	B-Architecture
,	O
a	O
new	O
"	O
Manage	O
Your	O
Server	B-Application
"	O
wizard	O
that	O
simplifies	O
configuring	O
a	O
machine	O
for	O
specific	O
roles	O
,	O
and	O
improved	O
performance	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
is	O
based	O
on	O
the	O
Windows	O
NT	O
5.2	O
kernel	B-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
few	O
services	O
not	O
essential	O
for	O
server	B-Application
environments	O
are	O
disabled	O
by	O
default	O
for	O
stability	O
reasons	O
,	O
most	O
noticeable	O
are	O
the	O
"	O
Windows	O
Audio	O
"	O
and	O
"	O
Themes	O
"	O
services	O
;	O
users	O
have	O
to	O
enable	O
them	O
manually	O
to	O
get	O
sound	O
or	O
the	O
"	O
Luna	O
"	O
look	O
as	O
per	O
Windows	B-Application
XP	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
December	O
2005	O
,	O
Microsoft	O
released	O
Windows	B-Application
Server	I-Application
2003	I-Application
R2	O
,	O
which	O
is	O
actually	O
Windows	B-Application
Server	I-Application
2003	I-Application
with	O
SP1	O
(	O
Service	O
Pack	O
1	O
)	O
,	O
together	O
with	O
an	O
add-on	B-Application
package	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Among	O
the	O
new	O
features	B-Architecture
are	O
a	O
number	O
of	O
management	O
features	B-Architecture
for	O
branch	O
offices	O
,	O
file	O
serving	O
,	O
printing	O
and	O
company-wide	O
identity	O
integration	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	B-Application
Server	I-Application
2003	I-Application
is	O
available	O
in	O
six	O
editions	O
:	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	B-Application
Server	I-Application
2003	I-Application
R2	O
,	O
an	O
update	O
of	O
Windows	B-Application
Server	I-Application
2003	I-Application
,	O
was	O
released	O
to	O
manufacturing	O
on	O
December	O
6	O
,	O
2005	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
is	O
distributed	O
on	O
two	O
CDs	O
,	O
with	O
one	O
CD	O
being	O
the	O
Windows	B-Application
Server	I-Application
2003	I-Application
SP1	O
CD	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
other	O
CD	O
adds	O
many	O
optionally	O
installable	O
features	B-Architecture
for	O
Windows	B-Application
Server	I-Application
2003	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
R2	O
update	O
was	O
released	O
for	O
all	O
x86	O
and	O
x64	B-Device
versions	O
,	O
except	O
Windows	B-Application
Server	I-Application
2003	I-Application
R2	O
Enterprise	O
Edition	O
,	O
which	O
was	O
not	O
released	O
for	O
Itanium	B-General_Concept
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
April	O
25	O
,	O
2005	O
,	O
Microsoft	O
released	O
Windows	B-Operating_System
XP	I-Operating_System
Professional	I-Operating_System
x64	I-Operating_System
Edition	I-Operating_System
and	O
Windows	B-Application
Server	I-Application
2003	I-Application
,	O
x64	B-Device
Editions	I-Device
in	O
Standard	O
,	O
Enterprise	O
and	O
Datacenter	O
SKUs	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	B-Operating_System
XP	I-Operating_System
Professional	I-Operating_System
x64	I-Operating_System
Edition	I-Operating_System
is	O
an	O
edition	O
of	O
Windows	B-Application
XP	I-Application
for	O
x86-64	B-Device
personal	O
computers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
is	O
designed	O
to	O
use	O
the	O
expanded	O
64-bit	O
memory	B-General_Concept
address	O
space	O
provided	O
by	O
the	O
x86	O
–	O
64	O
architecture	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	B-Operating_System
XP	I-Operating_System
Professional	I-Operating_System
x64	I-Operating_System
Edition	I-Operating_System
is	O
based	O
on	O
the	O
Windows	B-Application
Server	I-Application
2003	I-Application
codebase	O
,	O
with	O
the	O
server	B-Application
features	B-Architecture
removed	O
and	O
client	O
features	B-Architecture
added	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Both	O
Windows	B-Application
Server	I-Application
2003	I-Application
x64	B-Device
and	O
Windows	B-Operating_System
XP	I-Operating_System
Professional	I-Operating_System
x64	I-Operating_System
Edition	I-Operating_System
use	O
identical	O
kernels	B-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	B-Operating_System
XP	I-Operating_System
Professional	I-Operating_System
x64	I-Operating_System
Edition	I-Operating_System
is	O
not	O
to	O
be	O
confused	O
with	O
Windows	B-Application
XP	I-Application
64-bit	O
Edition	O
,	O
as	O
the	O
latter	O
was	O
designed	O
for	O
Intel	B-General_Concept
Itanium	I-General_Concept
processors	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
During	O
the	O
initial	O
development	O
phases	O
,	O
Windows	B-Operating_System
XP	I-Operating_System
Professional	I-Operating_System
x64	I-Operating_System
Edition	I-Operating_System
was	O
named	O
Windows	B-Application
XP	I-Application
64-Bit	O
Edition	O
for	O
64-Bit	O
Extended	O
Systems	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
July	O
2006	O
,	O
Microsoft	O
released	O
a	O
thin-client	B-Device
version	O
of	O
Windows	B-Application
XP	I-Application
Service	O
Pack	O
2	O
,	O
called	O
Windows	B-Device
Fundamentals	I-Device
for	I-Device
Legacy	I-Device
PCs	I-Device
(	O
WinFLP	B-Device
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
aim	O
of	O
WinFLP	B-Device
is	O
to	O
give	O
companies	O
a	O
viable	O
upgrade	O
option	O
for	O
older	O
PCs	O
that	O
are	O
running	O
Windows	B-Application
95	I-Application
,	O
98	O
,	O
and	O
Me	O
that	O
will	O
be	O
supported	O
with	O
patches	O
and	O
updates	O
for	O
the	O
next	O
several	O
years	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Most	O
user	O
applications	O
will	O
typically	O
be	O
run	O
on	O
a	O
remote	O
machine	O
using	O
Terminal	B-Protocol
Services	I-Protocol
or	O
Citrix	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
While	O
being	O
visually	O
the	O
same	O
as	O
Windows	B-Application
XP	I-Application
,	O
it	O
has	O
some	O
differences	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
For	O
example	O
,	O
if	O
the	O
screen	O
has	O
been	O
set	O
to	O
16	B-Device
bit	I-Device
colors	O
,	O
the	O
Windows	B-Application
2000	I-Application
recycle	O
bin	O
icon	O
and	O
some	O
XP	B-Application
16-bit	B-Device
icons	O
will	O
show	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Paint	O
and	O
some	O
games	O
like	O
Solitaire	B-Application
are	O
n't	O
present	O
too	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	O
Home	O
Server	B-Application
(	O
code-named	O
Q	O
,	O
Quattro	O
)	O
is	O
a	O
server	B-Application
product	O
based	O
on	O
Windows	B-Application
Server	I-Application
2003	I-Application
,	O
designed	O
for	O
consumer	O
use	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	O
Home	O
Server	B-Application
can	O
be	O
configured	O
and	O
monitored	O
using	O
a	O
console	O
program	O
that	O
can	O
be	O
installed	O
on	O
a	O
client	O
PC	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Such	O
features	B-Architecture
as	O
Media	O
Sharing	O
,	O
local	O
and	O
remote	O
drive	O
backup	O
and	O
file	O
duplication	O
are	O
all	O
listed	O
as	O
features	B-Architecture
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
release	O
of	O
Windows	O
Home	O
Server	B-Application
Power	O
Pack	O
3	O
added	O
support	O
for	O
Windows	B-Device
7	I-Device
to	O
Windows	O
Home	O
Server	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	B-Application
Vista	I-Application
was	O
released	O
on	O
November	O
30	O
,	O
2006	O
,	O
to	O
business	O
customers	O
—	O
consumer	O
versions	O
followed	O
on	O
January	O
30	O
,	O
2007	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	B-Application
Vista	I-Application
intended	O
to	O
have	O
enhanced	O
security	O
by	O
introducing	O
a	O
new	O
restricted	O
user	O
mode	O
called	O
User	O
Account	O
Control	O
,	O
replacing	O
the	O
"	O
administrator-by-default	O
"	O
philosophy	O
of	O
Windows	B-Application
XP	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Vista	B-Application
was	O
the	O
target	O
of	O
much	O
criticism	O
and	O
negative	O
press	O
,	O
and	O
in	O
general	O
was	O
not	O
well	O
regarded	O
,	O
this	O
was	O
seen	O
as	O
leading	O
to	O
the	O
relatively	O
swift	O
release	O
of	O
Windows	B-Device
7	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
One	O
major	O
difference	O
between	O
Vista	B-Application
and	O
earlier	O
versions	B-Operating_System
of	I-Operating_System
Windows	I-Operating_System
,	O
Windows	B-Application
95	I-Application
and	O
later	O
,	O
was	O
that	O
the	O
original	O
start	O
button	O
was	O
replaced	O
with	O
the	O
Windows	O
icon	O
in	O
a	O
circle	O
(	O
called	O
the	O
Start	O
Orb	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Vista	B-Application
also	O
featured	O
new	O
graphics	O
features	B-Architecture
,	O
the	O
Windows	O
Aero	O
GUI	B-Application
,	O
new	O
applications	O
(	O
such	O
as	O
Windows	B-Protocol
Calendar	I-Protocol
,	O
Windows	O
DVD	O
Maker	O
and	O
some	O
new	O
games	O
including	O
Chess	B-Application
,	O
Mahjong	B-Application
,	O
and	O
Purble	B-Application
Place	I-Application
)	O
,	O
Internet	B-Application
Explorer	I-Application
7	I-Application
,	O
Windows	B-Device
Media	I-Device
Player	I-Device
11	I-Device
,	O
and	O
a	O
large	O
number	O
of	O
underlying	O
architectural	O
changes	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	B-Application
Vista	I-Application
had	O
the	O
version	O
number	O
NT	O
6.0	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
During	O
its	O
lifetime	O
,	O
Windows	B-Application
Vista	I-Application
had	O
two	O
service	O
packs	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	B-Application
Vista	I-Application
shipped	O
in	O
six	O
editions	O
:	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
biggest	O
advantage	O
of	O
the	O
64-bit	O
version	O
was	O
breaking	O
the	O
4gigabyte	O
memory	B-General_Concept
barrier	O
,	O
which	O
32-bit	O
computers	O
cannot	O
fully	O
access	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	B-Device
Server	I-Device
2008	O
,	O
released	O
on	O
February	O
27	O
,	O
2008	O
,	O
was	O
originally	O
known	O
as	O
Windows	B-Device
Server	I-Device
Codename	O
"	O
Longhorn	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	B-Device
Server	I-Device
2008	O
built	O
on	O
the	O
technological	O
and	O
security	O
advances	O
first	O
introduced	O
with	O
Windows	B-Application
Vista	I-Application
,	O
and	O
was	O
significantly	O
more	O
modular	O
than	O
its	O
predecessor	O
,	O
Windows	B-Application
Server	I-Application
2003	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	B-Device
Server	I-Device
2008	O
shipped	O
in	O
ten	O
editions	O
:	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	B-Device
7	I-Device
was	O
released	O
to	O
manufacturing	O
on	O
July	O
22	O
,	O
2009	O
,	O
and	O
reached	O
general	O
retail	O
availability	O
on	O
October	O
22	O
,	O
2009	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Since	O
its	O
release	O
,	O
Windows	B-Device
7	I-Device
had	O
one	O
service	O
pack	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Some	O
features	B-Architecture
of	O
Windows	B-Device
7	I-Device
were	O
faster	O
booting	B-Operating_System
,	O
Device	O
Stage	O
,	O
Windows	B-Application
PowerShell	I-Application
,	O
less	O
obtrusive	O
User	O
Account	O
Control	O
,	O
multi-touch	O
,	O
and	O
improved	O
window	O
management	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Features	B-Architecture
included	O
with	O
Windows	B-Application
Vista	I-Application
and	O
not	O
in	O
Windows	B-Device
7	I-Device
include	O
the	O
sidebar	O
(	O
although	O
gadgets	O
remain	O
)	O
and	O
several	O
programs	O
that	O
were	O
removed	O
in	O
favor	O
of	O
downloading	O
their	O
Windows	O
Live	O
counterparts	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	B-Device
7	I-Device
met	O
with	O
positive	O
reviews	O
,	O
which	O
said	O
the	O
OS	O
was	O
faster	O
and	O
easier	O
to	O
use	O
than	O
Windows	B-Application
Vista	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	B-Device
7	I-Device
shipped	O
in	O
six	O
editions	O
:	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
some	O
countries	O
in	O
the	O
European	O
Union	O
,	O
there	O
were	O
other	O
editions	O
that	O
lacked	O
some	O
features	B-Architecture
such	O
as	O
Windows	B-Device
Media	I-Device
Player	I-Device
,	O
Windows	O
Media	O
Center	O
and	O
Internet	B-Application
Explorer	I-Application
—	O
these	O
editions	O
were	O
called	O
names	O
such	O
as	O
"	O
Windows	B-Device
7	I-Device
N.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
Microsoft	O
focused	O
on	O
selling	O
Windows	B-Device
7	I-Device
Home	O
Premium	O
and	O
Professional	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Unlike	O
the	O
corresponding	O
Vista	B-Application
editions	O
,	O
the	O
Professional	O
and	O
Enterprise	O
editions	O
were	O
supersets	O
of	O
the	O
Home	O
Premium	O
edition	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
At	O
the	O
Professional	O
Developers	O
Conference	O
(	O
PDC	O
)	O
2008	O
,	O
Microsoft	O
also	O
announced	O
Windows	B-Device
Server	I-Device
2008	I-Device
R2	I-Device
,	O
as	O
the	O
server	B-Application
variant	O
of	O
Windows	B-Device
7	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	B-Device
Server	I-Device
2008	I-Device
R2	I-Device
shipped	O
in	O
64-bit	O
versions	O
(	O
x64	B-Device
and	O
Itanium	B-General_Concept
)	O
only	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2010	O
,	O
Microsoft	O
released	O
Windows	O
Thin	O
PC	O
or	O
WinTPC	O
,	O
which	O
was	O
a	O
feature-and	O
size-reduced	O
locked-down	O
version	O
of	O
Windows	B-Device
7	I-Device
expressly	O
designed	O
to	O
turn	O
older	O
PCs	O
into	O
thin	B-Device
clients	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
WinTPC	O
was	O
available	O
for	O
software	O
assurance	O
customers	O
and	O
relied	O
on	O
cloud	B-Architecture
computing	I-Architecture
in	O
a	O
business	O
network	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	O
Home	O
Server	B-Application
2011	O
code	O
named	O
'	O
Vail	O
 '	O
was	O
released	O
on	O
April	O
6	O
,	O
2011	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	O
Home	O
Server	B-Application
2011	O
is	O
built	O
on	O
the	O
Windows	B-Device
Server	I-Device
2008	I-Device
R2	I-Device
code	O
base	O
and	O
removed	O
the	O
Drive	O
Extender	O
drive	O
pooling	O
technology	O
in	O
the	O
original	O
Windows	O
Home	O
Server	B-Application
release	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	O
Home	O
Server	B-Application
2011	O
is	O
considered	O
a	O
"	O
major	O
release	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Its	O
predecessor	O
was	O
built	O
on	O
Windows	B-Application
Server	I-Application
2003	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
WHS	O
2011	O
only	O
supports	O
x86-64	B-Device
hardware	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Microsoft	O
decided	O
to	O
discontinue	O
Windows	O
Home	O
Server	B-Application
2011	O
on	O
July	O
5	O
,	O
2012	O
,	O
while	O
including	O
its	O
features	B-Architecture
into	O
Windows	B-Device
Server	I-Device
2012	O
Essentials	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	O
Home	O
Server	B-Application
2011	O
was	O
supported	O
until	O
April	O
12	O
,	O
2016	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
June	O
1	O
,	O
2011	O
,	O
Microsoft	O
previewed	O
Windows	B-Application
8	I-Application
at	O
both	O
Computex	O
Taipei	O
and	O
the	O
D9	O
:	O
All	O
Things	O
Digital	O
conference	O
in	O
California	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
first	O
public	O
preview	O
of	O
Windows	B-Device
Server	I-Device
2012	O
was	O
shown	O
by	O
Microsoft	O
at	O
the	O
2011	O
Microsoft	O
Worldwide	O
Partner	O
Conference	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	B-Application
8	I-Application
Release	I-Application
Preview	O
and	O
Windows	B-Device
Server	I-Device
2012	O
Release	O
Candidate	O
were	O
both	O
released	O
on	O
May	O
31	O
,	O
2012	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Product	O
development	O
on	O
Windows	B-Application
8	I-Application
was	O
completed	O
on	O
August	O
1	O
,	O
2012	O
,	O
and	O
it	O
was	O
released	O
to	O
manufacturing	O
the	O
same	O
day	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	B-Device
Server	I-Device
2012	O
went	O
on	O
sale	O
to	O
the	O
public	O
on	O
September	O
4	O
,	O
2012	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	B-Application
8	I-Application
went	O
on	O
sale	O
to	O
the	O
public	O
on	O
October	O
26	O
,	O
2012	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
One	O
edition	O
,	O
Windows	B-Operating_System
RT	I-Operating_System
,	O
runs	O
on	O
some	O
system-on-a-chip	O
devices	O
with	O
mobile	O
32-bit	O
ARM	O
(	O
ARMv7	O
)	O
processors	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	B-Application
8	I-Application
features	B-Architecture
a	O
redesigned	O
user	O
interface	O
,	O
designed	O
to	O
make	O
it	O
easier	O
for	O
touchscreen	O
users	O
to	O
use	O
Windows	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
desktop	O
interface	O
is	O
also	O
present	O
for	O
running	O
windowed	O
applications	O
,	O
although	O
Windows	B-Operating_System
RT	I-Operating_System
will	O
not	O
run	O
any	O
desktop	O
applications	O
not	O
included	O
in	O
the	O
system	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
the	O
Building	O
Windows	B-Application
8	I-Application
blog	O
,	O
it	O
was	O
announced	O
that	O
a	O
computer	O
running	O
Windows	B-Application
8	I-Application
can	O
boot	B-Operating_System
up	I-Operating_System
much	O
faster	O
than	O
Windows	B-Device
7	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
New	O
features	B-Architecture
also	O
include	O
USB	B-Protocol
3.0	O
support	O
,	O
the	O
Windows	B-Application
Store	I-Application
,	O
the	O
ability	O
to	O
run	O
from	O
USB	B-Protocol
drives	O
with	O
Windows	O
To	O
Go	O
,	O
and	O
others	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	B-Device
8.1	I-Device
and	O
Windows	B-Device
Server	I-Device
2012	O
R2	O
were	O
released	O
on	O
October	O
17	O
,	O
2013	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	B-Device
8.1	I-Device
is	O
available	O
as	O
an	O
update	O
in	O
the	O
Windows	B-Application
Store	I-Application
for	O
Windows	B-Application
8	I-Application
users	O
only	O
and	O
also	O
available	O
to	O
download	O
for	O
clean	O
installation	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	B-Application
8	I-Application
was	O
given	O
the	O
kernel	B-Operating_System
number	O
NT	O
6.2	O
,	O
with	O
its	O
successor	O
8.1	B-Device
receiving	O
the	O
kernel	B-Operating_System
number	O
6.3	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
So	O
far	O
,	O
neither	O
has	O
had	O
any	O
service	O
packs	O
yet	O
,	O
although	O
many	O
consider	O
Windows	B-Device
8.1	I-Device
to	O
be	O
a	O
service	O
pack	O
for	O
Windows	B-Application
8	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
Windows	B-Device
8.1	I-Device
received	O
two	O
main	O
updates	O
in	O
2014	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	B-Application
8	I-Application
is	O
available	O
in	O
the	O
following	O
editions	O
:	O
</s>
<s>
Microsoft	O
ended	O
support	O
for	O
Windows	B-Device
8.1	I-Device
on	O
January	O
10	O
,	O
2023	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
a	O
result	O
,	O
installation	O
of	O
Google	B-Application
Chrome	I-Application
on	O
PCs	O
running	O
Windows	B-Device
7	I-Device
,	O
Windows	B-Application
8	I-Application
,	O
Windows	B-Device
8.1	I-Device
and	O
Windows	B-Operating_System
10	I-Operating_System
(	O
even	O
x86-64	B-Device
CPUs	O
with	O
SSE3	B-General_Concept
instruction	O
set	O
)	O
,	O
iPhones	B-Device
,	O
iPads	B-Device
and	O
iPod	B-Device
Touches	I-Device
with	O
A9	O
,	O
A10	O
Fusion	O
,	O
A10X	B-Device
Fusion	I-Device
and	O
A11	B-Device
Bionic	I-Device
running	O
iOS	B-Operating_System
14	I-Operating_System
,	O
iOS	B-Operating_System
15	I-Operating_System
and	O
iOS	B-Operating_System
16	I-Operating_System
,	O
Intel	O
-	O
and	O
ARM-based	O
Macs	O
running	O
macOS	B-Device
Catalina	I-Device
,	O
macOS	B-Operating_System
Big	I-Operating_System
Sur	I-Operating_System
and	O
macOS	B-Device
Monterey	I-Device
and	O
pre-Android	O
12	O
devices	O
,	O
will	O
no	O
longer	O
be	O
allowed	O
starting	O
February	O
2023	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
means	O
future	O
Google	B-Application
Chrome	I-Application
versions	O
beyond	O
110	O
now	O
requires	O
iOS	B-Operating_System
16	I-Operating_System
or	O
later	O
and	O
iPhones	B-Device
and	O
iPads	B-Device
with	O
A12	B-Device
Bionic	I-Device
or	O
newer	O
,	O
Android	B-Application
12	I-Application
or	O
later	O
,	O
Windows	B-Application
11	I-Application
or	O
later	O
and	O
PCs	O
with	O
x86-64	B-Device
CPUs	O
with	O
SSE4.1	O
instruction	O
set	O
,	O
macOS	B-Operating_System
Ventura	I-Operating_System
or	O
later	O
and	O
ARM-based	O
Macs	O
released	O
in	O
2020	O
or	O
later	O
,	O
but	O
Google	B-Application
Chrome	I-Application
is	O
still	O
supported	O
on	O
64-bit	O
Linux	B-Application
distributions	I-Application
beyond	O
Windows	B-Device
8.1	I-Device
'	O
s	O
end-of-support	O
date	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	B-Operating_System
10	I-Operating_System
was	O
unveiled	O
on	O
September	O
30	O
,	O
2014	O
,	O
as	O
the	O
successor	O
for	O
Windows	B-Application
8	I-Application
,	O
and	O
was	O
released	O
on	O
July	O
29	O
,	O
2015	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
distributed	O
without	O
charge	O
to	O
Windows	B-Device
7	I-Device
and	O
8.1	B-Device
users	O
for	O
one	O
year	O
after	O
release	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
number	O
of	O
new	O
features	B-Architecture
like	O
Cortana	B-Application
,	O
the	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Edge	I-Application
web	O
browser	O
,	O
the	O
ability	O
to	O
view	O
Windows	B-Application
Store	I-Application
apps	O
as	O
a	O
window	O
instead	O
of	O
fullscreen	O
,	O
the	O
return	O
of	O
the	O
Start	O
menu	O
,	O
virtual	O
desktops	O
,	O
revamped	O
core	O
apps	O
,	O
Continuum	O
,	O
and	O
a	O
unified	O
Settings	O
app	O
were	O
all	O
features	B-Architecture
debuted	O
in	O
Windows	B-Operating_System
10	I-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
Unlike	O
Windows	B-Application
8	I-Application
,	O
Windows	B-Operating_System
10	I-Operating_System
received	O
mostly	O
positive	O
reviews	O
,	O
praising	O
improvements	O
of	O
stability	O
and	O
practicality	O
than	O
its	O
predecessor	O
,	O
however	O
,	O
it	O
received	O
some	O
criticism	O
due	O
to	O
mandatory	O
update	O
installation	O
,	O
privacy	O
concerns	O
and	O
advertising-supported	O
software	O
tactics	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Although	O
Microsoft	O
claimed	O
Windows	B-Operating_System
10	I-Operating_System
would	O
be	O
the	O
last	O
Windows	O
version	O
,	O
eventually	O
a	O
new	O
major	O
release	O
,	O
Windows	B-Application
11	I-Application
,	O
was	O
announced	O
in	O
2021	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
That	O
made	O
Windows	B-Operating_System
10	I-Operating_System
last	O
longer	O
as	O
Microsoft	O
's	O
flagship	O
operating	B-General_Concept
system	I-General_Concept
than	O
any	O
other	O
version	O
of	O
Windows	O
,	O
beginning	O
with	O
the	O
public	O
release	O
on	O
July	O
29	O
,	O
2015	O
,	O
for	O
six	O
years	O
,	O
and	O
ending	O
on	O
October	O
5	O
,	O
2021	O
,	O
when	O
Windows	B-Application
11	I-Application
was	O
released	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Until	O
late	O
2021	O
,	O
Windows	B-Operating_System
10	I-Operating_System
had	O
received	O
twelve	O
main	O
updates	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Version	O
1507	O
(	O
codenamed	O
Threshold	O
1	O
)	O
was	O
the	O
original	O
version	O
of	O
Windows	B-Operating_System
10	I-Operating_System
and	O
released	O
in	O
July	O
2015	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	B-Operating_System
10	I-Operating_System
can	O
now	O
be	O
activated	O
with	O
a	O
product	O
key	O
for	O
Windows	B-Device
7	I-Device
and	O
later	O
,	O
thus	O
simplifying	O
the	O
activation	O
process	O
and	O
essentially	O
making	O
Windows	B-Operating_System
10	I-Operating_System
free	O
for	O
anyone	O
who	O
has	O
Windows	B-Device
7	I-Device
or	O
later	O
,	O
even	O
after	O
the	O
free	O
upgrade	O
period	O
ended	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
"	O
Find	O
My	O
Device	O
"	O
feature	O
was	O
added	O
,	O
allowing	O
users	O
to	O
track	O
their	O
devices	O
if	O
they	O
lose	O
them	O
,	O
similar	O
to	O
the	O
Find	B-Operating_System
My	I-Operating_System
iPhone	I-Operating_System
service	O
that	O
Apple	O
offers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
few	O
tweaks	O
were	O
added	O
to	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Edge	I-Application
,	O
including	O
tab	O
previews	O
and	O
the	O
ability	O
to	O
sync	O
the	O
browser	O
with	O
other	O
devices	O
running	O
Windows	B-Operating_System
10	I-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
Kernel	B-Operating_System
version	O
number	O
:	O
10.0.10586	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Many	O
new	O
features	B-Architecture
were	O
included	O
in	O
the	O
version	O
,	O
including	O
more	O
integration	O
with	O
Cortana	B-Application
,	O
a	O
dark	O
theme	O
,	O
browser	O
extension	O
support	O
for	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Edge	I-Application
,	O
click-to-play	O
Flash	O
by	O
default	O
,	O
tab	O
pinning	O
,	O
web	O
notifications	O
,	O
swipe	O
navigation	O
in	O
Edge	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
ability	O
for	O
Windows	O
Hello	O
to	O
use	O
a	O
fingerprint	O
sensor	O
to	O
sign	O
into	O
apps	O
and	O
websites	O
,	O
similar	O
to	O
Touch	O
ID	O
on	O
the	O
iPhone	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Microsoft	O
,	O
through	O
their	O
partnership	O
with	O
Canonical	O
,	O
integrated	O
a	O
full	O
Ubuntu	B-Operating_System
bash	O
shell	O
via	O
the	O
Windows	O
Subsystem	O
for	O
Linux	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Notable	O
tweaks	O
in	O
this	O
version	O
of	O
Windows	B-Operating_System
10	I-Operating_System
include	O
the	O
removal	O
of	O
the	O
controversial	O
password-sharing	O
feature	O
of	O
Microsoft	O
's	O
Wi-Fi	O
Sense	O
service	O
,	O
a	O
slightly	O
redesigned	O
Start	O
menu	O
,	O
Tablet	O
Mode	O
working	O
more	O
like	O
Windows	B-Application
8	I-Application
,	O
overhauled	O
emoji	B-Application
,	O
improvements	O
to	O
the	O
lock	O
screen	O
,	O
calendar	B-Protocol
integration	O
in	O
the	O
taskbar	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
Blue	O
Screen	O
of	O
Death	O
now	O
showing	O
a	O
QR	O
code	O
which	O
users	O
can	O
scan	O
to	O
quickly	O
find	O
out	O
what	O
caused	O
the	O
error	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
version	O
of	O
Windows	B-Operating_System
10	I-Operating_System
's	O
kernel	B-Operating_System
version	O
is	O
10.0.14393	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Features	B-Architecture
for	O
this	O
update	O
include	O
a	O
new	O
Paint	O
3D	O
application	O
,	O
which	O
allows	O
users	O
to	O
create	O
and	O
modify	O
3D	O
models	O
,	O
integration	O
with	O
Microsoft	O
's	O
HoloLens	B-General_Concept
and	O
other	O
"	O
mixed-reality	O
"	O
headsets	O
produced	O
by	O
other	O
manufacturers	O
,	O
Windows	O
My	O
People	O
,	O
which	O
allows	O
users	O
to	O
manage	O
contacts	O
,	O
Xbox	O
game	O
broadcasting	O
,	O
support	O
for	O
newly	O
developed	O
APIs	B-Application
such	O
as	O
WDDM	B-Device
2.2	O
,	O
Dolby	O
Atmos	O
support	O
,	O
improvements	O
to	O
the	O
Settings	O
app	O
,	O
and	O
more	O
Edge	O
and	O
Cortana	B-Application
improvements	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
version	O
also	O
included	O
tweaks	O
to	O
system	O
apps	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
an	O
address	O
bar	O
in	O
the	O
Registry	B-Protocol
Editor	I-Protocol
,	O
Windows	B-Application
PowerShell	I-Application
being	O
the	O
default	O
command	O
line	O
interface	O
instead	O
of	O
the	O
Command	B-Device
Prompt	I-Device
and	O
the	O
Windows	O
Subsystem	O
for	O
Linux	O
being	O
upgraded	O
to	O
support	O
Ubuntu	B-Operating_System
16.04	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
version	O
of	O
Windows	B-Operating_System
10	I-Operating_System
was	O
released	O
on	O
April	O
11	O
,	O
2017	O
,	O
as	O
a	O
free	O
update	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
introduced	O
a	O
new	O
design	O
language	O
—	O
the	O
Fluent	B-Application
Design	I-Application
System	I-Application
and	O
incorporates	O
it	O
in	O
UWP	O
apps	O
such	O
as	O
Calculator	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
also	O
added	O
new	O
features	B-Architecture
to	O
the	O
Photos	O
application	O
,	O
which	O
were	O
once	O
available	O
only	O
in	O
Windows	B-Application
Movie	I-Application
Maker	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Strides	O
were	O
taken	O
to	O
incorporate	O
Fluent	B-Application
Design	I-Application
into	O
Windows	O
,	O
which	O
included	O
adding	O
Acrylic	O
transparency	O
to	O
the	O
Taskbar	O
and	O
Taskbar	O
Flyouts	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Version	O
1809	O
,	O
announced	O
as	O
the	O
Windows	B-Operating_System
10	I-Operating_System
October	O
2018	O
Update	O
and	O
codenamed	O
Redstone	O
5	O
among	O
new	O
features	B-Architecture
,	O
introduced	O
Dark	O
Mode	O
for	O
File	B-Protocol
Explorer	I-Protocol
,	O
Your	O
Phone	O
App	O
to	O
link	O
Android	O
phone	O
with	O
Windows	B-Operating_System
10	I-Operating_System
,	O
new	O
screenshot	O
tool	O
called	O
Snip	O
&	O
Sketch	O
,	O
Make	O
Text	O
Bigger	O
for	O
easier	O
accessibility	O
,	O
and	O
Clipboard	O
History	O
and	O
Cloud	O
Sync	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Version	O
1903	O
,	O
announced	O
as	O
the	O
Windows	B-Operating_System
10	I-Operating_System
May	O
2019	O
Update	O
,	O
codenamed	O
19H1	O
,	O
was	O
released	O
on	O
May	O
21	O
,	O
2019	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
added	O
many	O
new	O
features	B-Architecture
including	O
the	O
addition	O
of	O
a	O
light	O
theme	O
to	O
the	O
Windows	O
shell	O
and	O
a	O
new	O
feature	O
known	O
as	O
Windows	O
Sandbox	O
,	O
which	O
allowed	O
users	O
to	O
run	O
programs	O
in	O
a	O
throwaway	O
virtual	O
window	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Notably	O
,	O
this	O
was	O
the	O
first	O
version	O
to	O
allow	O
an	O
application	O
to	O
default	O
to	O
using	O
UTF-8	O
as	O
the	O
process	O
code	O
page	O
and	O
to	O
default	O
to	O
UTF-8	O
as	O
the	O
code	O
page	O
in	O
programs	O
such	O
as	O
Notepad	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Version	O
1909	O
,	O
announced	O
as	O
the	O
Windows	B-Operating_System
10	I-Operating_System
November	O
2019	O
Update	O
,	O
codenamed	O
19H2	O
,	O
was	O
released	O
on	O
November	O
12	O
,	O
2019	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
unlocked	O
many	O
features	B-Architecture
that	O
were	O
already	O
present	O
,	O
but	O
hidden	O
or	O
disabled	O
,	O
on	O
1903	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
an	O
auto-expanding	O
menu	O
on	O
Start	O
while	O
hovering	O
the	O
mouse	O
on	O
it	O
,	O
OneDrive	O
integration	O
on	O
Windows	O
Search	O
and	O
creating	O
events	O
from	O
the	O
taskbar	O
's	O
clock	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Some	O
PCs	O
with	O
version	O
1903	O
had	O
already	O
enabled	O
these	O
features	B-Architecture
without	O
installing	O
1909	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Version	O
2004	O
,	O
announced	O
as	O
the	O
Windows	B-Operating_System
10	I-Operating_System
May	O
2020	O
Update	O
,	O
codenamed	O
20H1	O
,	O
was	O
released	O
on	O
May	O
27	O
,	O
2020	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
introduces	O
several	O
new	O
features	B-Architecture
such	O
as	O
renaming	O
virtual	O
desktops	O
,	O
GPU	O
temperature	O
control	O
and	O
type	O
of	O
disk	O
on	O
task	O
manager	O
,	O
chat-based	O
interface	O
and	O
window	O
appearance	O
for	O
Cortana	B-Application
,	O
and	O
cloud	O
reinstalling	O
and	O
quick	O
searches	O
(	O
depends	O
from	O
region	O
)	O
for	O
search	O
home	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Version	O
20H2	O
,	O
announced	O
as	O
the	O
Windows	B-Operating_System
10	I-Operating_System
October	O
2020	O
Update	O
,	O
codenamed	O
20H2	O
,	O
was	O
released	O
on	O
October	O
20	O
,	O
2020	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Version	O
21H1	O
,	O
announced	O
as	O
the	O
Windows	B-Operating_System
10	I-Operating_System
May	O
2021	O
Update	O
,	O
codenamed	O
21H1	O
,	O
was	O
released	O
on	O
May	O
18	O
,	O
2021	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Version	O
21H2	O
,	O
announced	O
as	O
the	O
Windows	B-Operating_System
10	I-Operating_System
November	O
2021	O
Update	O
,	O
codenamed	O
21H2	O
,	O
was	O
released	O
on	O
November	O
16	O
,	O
2021	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Version	O
22H2	O
,	O
announced	O
as	O
the	O
Windows	B-Operating_System
10	I-Operating_System
2022	O
Update	O
,	O
codenamed	O
22H2	O
,	O
was	O
released	O
on	O
October	O
18	O
,	O
2022	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	B-Device
Server	I-Device
2016	I-Device
is	O
a	O
release	O
of	O
the	O
Microsoft	O
Windows	B-Device
Server	I-Device
operating	B-General_Concept
system	I-General_Concept
that	O
was	O
unveiled	O
on	O
September	O
30	O
,	O
2014	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	B-Device
Server	I-Device
2016	I-Device
was	O
officially	O
released	O
at	O
Microsoft	O
's	O
Conference	O
,	O
September	O
26	O
–	O
30	O
,	O
2016	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
is	O
based	O
on	O
the	O
Windows	B-Operating_System
10	I-Operating_System
Anniversary	O
Update	O
codebase	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	B-Device
Server	I-Device
2019	I-Device
is	O
a	O
release	O
of	O
the	O
Microsoft	O
Windows	B-Device
Server	I-Device
operating	B-General_Concept
system	I-General_Concept
that	O
was	O
announced	O
on	O
March	O
20	O
,	O
2018	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
first	O
Windows	B-Application
Insider	I-Application
preview	O
version	O
was	O
released	O
on	O
the	O
same	O
day	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	B-Device
Server	I-Device
2019	I-Device
is	O
based	O
on	O
the	O
Windows	B-Operating_System
10	I-Operating_System
October	O
2018	O
Update	O
codebase	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
Windows	B-Device
Server	I-Device
2019	I-Device
is	O
based	O
on	O
the	O
Windows	O
version	O
1809	O
codebase	O
,	O
it	O
too	O
was	O
removed	O
from	O
distribution	O
at	O
the	O
time	O
,	O
but	O
was	O
re-released	O
on	O
November	O
13	O
,	O
2018	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
software	O
product	O
life	O
cycle	O
for	O
Server	B-Device
2019	I-Device
was	O
reset	O
in	O
accordance	O
with	O
the	O
new	O
release	O
date	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	B-Device
Server	I-Device
2022	I-Device
is	O
a	O
release	O
of	O
the	O
Microsoft	O
Windows	B-Device
Server	I-Device
operating	B-General_Concept
system	I-General_Concept
which	O
is	O
based	O
on	O
the	O
Windows	B-Operating_System
10	I-Operating_System
November	O
2021	O
Update	O
codebase	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	B-Application
11	I-Application
is	O
the	O
next	O
generation	O
release	O
of	O
Windows	B-Device
NT	I-Device
,	O
and	O
the	O
successor	O
to	O
Windows	B-Operating_System
10	I-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
is	O
distributed	O
for	O
free	O
to	O
all	O
Windows	B-Operating_System
10	I-Operating_System
users	O
with	O
compatible	O
PCs	O
via	O
a	O
Windows	O
Update	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
According	O
to	O
Microsoft	O
,	O
Windows	B-Application
11	I-Application
will	O
be	O
released	O
for	O
newer	O
PCs	O
first	O
and	O
then	O
the	O
initial	O
release	O
will	O
continue	O
till	O
mid-2022	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	B-Application
11	I-Application
revamps	O
the	O
GUI	B-Application
and	O
brings	O
modern	O
code	O
,	O
thus	O
making	O
it	O
much	O
faster	O
than	O
Windows	B-Operating_System
10	I-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
is	O
also	O
noted	O
that	O
Windows	B-Application
11	I-Application
updates	O
are	O
significantly	O
compressed	O
,	O
so	O
the	O
updates	O
are	O
downloaded	O
faster	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Also	O
,	O
Windows	B-Application
11	I-Application
does	O
not	O
show	O
signs	O
of	O
the	O
'	O
Installing	O
Updates	O
 '	O
screen	O
while	O
installing	O
updates	O
during	O
'	O
Update	O
and	O
Restart	O
 '	O
phase	O
,	O
thus	O
finishing	O
updates	O
within	O
5	O
minutes	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
system	O
incorporates	O
a	O
renewed	O
interface	O
called	O
"	O
Mica	B-Operating_System
"	O
,	O
which	O
includes	O
translucent	O
backgrounds	O
,	O
rounded	O
edges	O
and	O
color	O
combinations	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
MSN	O
widget	O
panel	O
,	O
the	B-Application
Microsoft	I-Application
Store	I-Application
,	O
and	O
the	O
file	O
browser	O
,	O
among	O
other	O
applications	O
,	O
have	O
also	O
been	O
redesigned	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
some	O
features	B-Architecture
and	O
programs	O
such	O
as	O
Cortana	B-Application
,	O
Internet	B-Application
Explorer	I-Application
and	O
Paint	O
3D	O
were	O
removed	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Apps	O
like	O
3D	O
Viewer	O
,	O
Paint	O
3D	O
,	O
Skype	O
and	O
OneNote	O
for	O
Windows	B-Operating_System
10	I-Operating_System
can	O
be	O
downloaded	O
from	O
the	B-Application
Microsoft	I-Application
Store	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
is	O
worth	O
noting	O
the	O
increase	O
in	O
requirements	O
compared	O
to	O
its	O
predecessors	O
,	O
requiring	O
a	O
minimum	O
of	O
4	O
GB	O
of	O
RAM	B-Architecture
,	O
64	O
GB	O
of	O
free	O
space	O
and	O
a	O
TPM	O
2.0	O
security	O
chip	O
,	O
besides	O
losing	O
official	O
compatibility	O
with	O
7th	B-Device
generation	I-Device
Intel	I-Device
Core	I-Device
processors	I-Device
,	O
1st	O
generation	O
AMD	O
Ryzen	O
,	O
and	O
earlier	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Version	O
21H2	O
,	O
codenamed	O
21H2	O
and	O
formerly	O
Sun	O
Valley	O
,	O
was	O
the	O
initial	O
version	O
of	O
Windows	B-Application
11	I-Application
released	O
on	O
October	O
5	O
,	O
2021	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Version	O
22H2	O
,	O
announced	O
as	O
the	O
Windows	B-Application
11	I-Application
2022	O
Update	O
,	O
codenamed	O
22H2	O
,	O
was	O
released	O
on	O
September	O
20	O
,	O
2022	O
.	O
</s>
