As a student, you do know that in this modern age it is impossible to do any personal work without a laptop or computer. And when you fire up your electronic device, the image of light passing through what looks like glass tiles would welcome you. This is the world of Windows 10. Microsoft’s latest product is nothing short of magical. Right from the start button to the folder page, from a basic tool like a calculator to the revamped Paint 3D, Windows 10 is nothing less than an Operating System which empowers the user right from the very beginning.
History of Windows
Windows had a humble beginning back in 1985, when Microsoft, the parent company of Windows OS, released its first variation named Windows 1.0 whose main target was business and organizations. It had a very basic Graphic User Interface (GUI) though critics noted that it was mostly an extension of MS-DOS, with bringing nothing revolutionary to the table. The harsh reviews, as well as competition from Apple’s Lisa, were responsible for little popularity of this iteration.
Windows 2.0 and Windows 3.0 were released in 1987 and 1990 respectively. These successful iterations of Windows made sure to integrate better GUI, better design, better aesthetics than the previous generation as well as the integration of keyboard shortcuts, which lead to its rising popularity among its niche consumer market of hobbyists and organizations. But in 1995, Windows 95 changed everything where it was responsible for entering into a new market of personal computer (PC) owners. This mainly happened due to Microsoft bundling Internet Explorer 1.0 with the OS, making sure users can browse the internet without any hassle of buying browsers.
2001 was a major year for Microsoft, for their Windows XP was a smash hit, boasting a sales figure of millions and above. First time PC users preferred Windows over macOS for the former was cost-efficient and allowed to download and install music and movies and applications from the third-party store for free, unlike the latter. In 2007, following their success of Windows XP, Windows Vista was launched but to dismal reviews and sales. Microsoft was criticised for not making improvements of the previous generation, rather than making something not pleasing to look at, as well as high memory management, which was even turned down by organisations as well.
In 2009, Windows 7 was released which aimed to make a better iteration of Windows Vista, which was again successful in the market. In 2012, Windows 8 was released but its live tiles and dual desktop features were criticised, for which Windows 10 was released in 2015, which took the best features of both generations prior and provided the best.
Some features of Windows 10:
- Start Button : In the tech world, several loud voices have long clamoured for the return of the Start menu after replacing it with the Start screen on Windows 8. Microsoft heeded the cries for its return but gave it a tile-based appendage to keep the OS touch-enabled and not lose details about live tiles. Since tiles come in different sizes, you can give larger tiles to the more relevant apps and smaller ones to the extras, which is helpful even if you're using a mouse.
- Cortana : You can talk to your computer just like the way you talk to Siri on iPhone or Alexa. You can simply ask your personal voice assistant Cortana on Windows 10 to play music or just simply shut down your computers at the end of the day.
- Apps, Movies and Games : Windows 10 helps you find the apps you need for small and big tasks, and you can run either full-screen or windowed applications. In their own sandboxes, these apps run, so they're more stable than old-school Windows apps. By providing updates in Action Center and built-in sharing, they also integrate with the system; for instance, using a regular share button, a photo app may share to an Instagram app.
- Action Center : Notifications pop up for notifications, alerts, and even breaking news on our mobile, so why shouldn't your PC? It does so with Windows 10. Similar to the macOS Notification Center, the Action Center displays email notifications, from the device itself (for example, you have installed an update), and from applications. You can see a notice about the weather or a birthday reminder.
- Security: Windows 10 inherits from Windows 8 the Secure Boot functionality and makes it even more secure. This requires that Microsoft or the hardware maker sign any code that runs right when the OS begins. Windows 10 PCs can be set up so that this functionality can not be bypassed, unlike Windows 8. Device Guard, Microsoft Passport, and Windows Hello are three other security features for Windows 10. More recently, both ransomware protection and exploit / threat protection were added by Microsoft.
However, these are just a few of the features from the vast array of features available. With other features being fast speed, a better browser, virtual desktops and timeline, screen capture tool and smartphone tie-in, Windows 10 almost has it all covered for the smooth functioning of your computer and fulfillment of all your requirements.