If you're reading this article, chances are you're doing it on a Windows based computer. Despite its success, Windows receives a lot of criticism.
People call it bloated, bug-ridden, etc.
The fact is that the Windows OS has had to overcome a lot of the compromises that went into its original design. Due the dominance of DOS and the limited acceptance of early versions of Windows, it took a long time to convince software makers to write programs for it. Consequently Windows was designed to work on top of DOS and run programs written for either operating system. Another compromise grew out of Microsoft's desire to gain market share as quickly as possible. Any computer builder could receive a license from Microsoft to install Windows on their product while having to comply with only a loose set of standards.