Alternate history

Alternate history of the operating systems are a genre that depict various types of OS, software and hardware concepts in a slightly or a completely altered timeline of events.
==Types==
===Alternate Timelines===
Alternate timelines depicts an entirely different sequence of events. These timelines often explore what could have happened if certain key decisions or events unfolded differently. There may be the timelines with little differences with real-world development, or noticeable but not big enough changes, retaining key events, like the release of Windows 95 or Windows NT series.
===Windows History with Never Released Versions===
Commonly abbreviated as WHwNRV, is a extended timeline of an existing Windows versions, often including non-Windows versions like MinderiaOS, OS/2 and GMM OS. Originally precursing from StomperYoshi and popularized by MinderiaYoutuber. It is regarded as the origin of the extended timeline genre, which implies that most of the history of the genre will be linked in some manner to Windows History with Never Released Versions.
To avoid confusion with minderian style, fandom or the use of far future, non-minderian Windows History with Never Released Versions including other existing operating systems and NROS are often known as Extended Timelines or Operating System History with Concept Versions
==Common scenarios==
===Windows after Microsoft's break-up===
As the name suggests, this timeline explores the evolution of Windows as the operating system developed by the independent entity following the June 7, 2000 District Court order on a breakup of Microsoft as its remedy. According to that judgment, Microsoft would have to be split into two separate units, one to produce the operating system and one to produce other software components.
Spyonclear's Microsoft Windows Concepts 11 explores such an alternate timeline, when Windows XP had to be the Windows Ltd.'s first major release.
===Windows after X===
This is either the alternate history of Windows, derivative since the set period of time or Windows version, or the alternate future, following the release of Windows 10 or Windows 11.
==See also==
* List of Alternate Histories
* List of Sviger timelines