1. Windows 1.0 – Microsoft released the first version of Windows in 1985 and it featured tiled windows. From the beginning Windows was designed as a multitasking system. It was more of a GUI for the underlying MS-DOS operating system. It is interesting to note that Microsoft supported this operating system for 16 years (till 2001)!

2. Windows 3.11 – The next major release of Windows was in 1993 named Windows for Workgroups 3.11. It included networking and truetype fonts. Within months of release it sold millions of copies and Microsoft was named as the “Most of innovative company in US” by Forbes.

3. Windows 95 – Released in 1995, Windows 95 cemented Microsoft’s position as the solid leader in operating systems business. Microsoft integrated MS-DOS into Windows effectively putting all other MS-DOS competitors out of business. Windows 95 also introduced Internet Explorer 1.0. For optimal use Windows 95 required 8MB of RAM. The basic UI elements introduced in Windows 95 remains even today in Windows 7.

4. Windows 2000 – Windows 2000 was released in 2000 and the primary market was business laptops and server machines. Windows 2000 includes NTFS 3.0 and introduced encrypted file system. Windows 2000 was marketed as the most secure operating system, but continues to receive security patches in short intervals. Windows 2000 is supported till July 2010.

5. Windows XP – Released in 2001, Windows XP is the most used operating system even as of 2009 with more than 60% of market share. It offered a fresh user interface and a number of performance and stability improvements. Windows XP is supported till 2014.

6. Windows Vista – Windows Vista was released in 2007 and was not adopted quickly due to its high system requirements. To get a decent performance it required 1GB of RAM (Windows XP required 128MB) probably due to the fact that its engine core components were rewritten (audio, display, networking etc.). However it does have over 20% of the OS market share as of 2009. Vista is also notorious for its high prices (Ultimate edition costs over $300 almost matching hardware price).

There are a number of other Windows releases which are not considered in the above 6 generations. These include Windows 2 and Windows 3, Windows 98, Windows NT and Windows Me.

And then in 2009, Microsoft launches Windows 7 as the seventh generation Windows operating system.

This is a marketing video for Windows Vista and looks impressive. Clearly not made by geeks!

There are 450 million pcs world wide? That means Bill Gates can look at about 450 million * 380 = 171 billion dollars and more. Of course you need to discount all the pirated editions

via istartedsomething.

Found via Gizmodo and digg.

This week Microsoft rolled out Windows Vista at retailers in 70 countries. It is 5 years since the last major version of Windows (Windows XP) came out.

There are three primary purposes of Home Server:

1. Automated Computer Backup – Home Server will sit in the middle of your house and completely backup the entire hard drives of every computer connected to it, automatically. Lose anything, even an entire computer, and you will be able to restore it. You will even be able to restore older versions of files, taking advantage of a valuable feature in Windows Vista.

2. Access Everything From Anywhere – With a Home Server, you will be able to access all of your files from any computer, inside or outside your home, as well as accessing your home computers from outside the home. You will centrally store your files to make them easier to access at all times.

3. Grows With You – Home Server will be designed to make it easier for users to expand its capabilities, especially making it easy to add more hard drives.

One Microsoft official at CES has told ActiveWin.com that work has already begun for IE 8, the next version of Internet Explorer, and we can expect to see a final product within 18-24 months. In addition, there are reportedly no plans for an interim service pack, but rather focus completely on the next version, which will compete even more directly with Firefox.

Some of the features rumoured to be included in Internet Explorer 8.0 are,

• Full compliance to CSS specifications.
• Ability to move tabs from one IE window to another.
• A “Lock Page” functionality. This will prevent accidental navigation.
• Enhanced support for add-ons (plugins)

I think we can expect IE 8.0 release towards the end of 2008.

Upgrade if you haven’t, it is worth it

Download IE 7.0

Check here for some of the prototypes,

Over at the Microsoft press tent at the Consumer Electronics (CES) Show, Microsoft is showing off a few protypes of its just-announced Windows Home Server product.
Although there were rumors circulating over the past month that Windows Home Server would be based on Windows Vista, that’s not the case, said product director Steven VanRoekel.

More Info
Windows Home Server Homepage
What is inside Windows Home Server?

Join Bill Gates as he keynotes 2007 CES demonstrating how Microsoft is delivering a new generation of connected experiences. Bill will be joined by Robbie Bach in announcing several new offerings from Windows Vista, Xbox 360, Microsoft TV and more.

Microsoft also has a blog on the CES events. The video is available there as well.