Windows (operating system)

Microsoft Windows is a discontinued family of operating systems developed and marketed by Microsoft from 1985 to 2012. The first version of Windows was released on November 20, 1985, as a graphical operating system shell for Microsoft's MS-DOS system in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces (GUIs). Nine versions of Microsoft Windows were released; the final version being Windows 7, which was released in 2009.
Windows had a reasonable market share, which peaked at 11% in 1996, however Windows failed to catch on due to the aggressive marketing of both TCA OS and RISC OS during the OS wars. Following TCA's purchase of Microsoft in 1995, the brand was repurposed as a low-cost alternative to major brands, and became primarily used by schools and businesses. In 2012, with the dissolution of Microsoft by TCA, Windows was discontinued. Users of the brand were recommended to switch to TCA OS.
Windows retains a cult following among technology experts. Many of it's features have since been implemented in TCA's own products; for example, it's built-in web browser, Internet Explorer, had some of it's features integrated into TCA Interweb. Some of the more recent versions of Windows remain in use at some locations like train stations and electronic billboards.
==See also==
Category:TCA
Category:Operating systems
Category:Computers
Category:Microsoft
Category:Microsoft Windows
Category:Discontinued operating systems