Learn Vista - About Microsoft Windows

Microsoft Windows or popularly called as Windows is a family of  PC operating system that is developed by Microsoft. Windows has undergone evolution from MS-DOS, a text and command-line based operating system. The first version of Windows, Windows Graphic Environment 1.0 is created to meet the demand for computer with pictured display. Windows 1.0 is a 16-bit software (not an operating system) that runs on MS-DOS. Windows 2.x and 3.x is also same, they still run on MS-DOS. Start from Windows 4.0 and Windows NT 3.1, Windows began to become the stand-alone operating system and didn't depend on MS-DOS. Microsoft Windows then grows up and can dominate the use of operating system until reaching 90%.

The list of Windows versions that has been released are:

16-bit, run on MS-DOS:
- Windows 1.0 - November 1985
- Windows 2.0 - December 9, 1987
- Windows 3.0 - May 22, 1990
- Windows 3.1 - August 1992
- Windows for Workgroups - October 1992
- Windows fro Workgroups - November 1993

Hybrid (16-bit / 32-bit), run not depend on MS-DOS:
- Windows 95 - August 24, 1995
- Windows 98 - June 25, 1998
- Windows 98 Second Edition - May 5, 1999
- Windows Millennium Edition (ME) - June 19, 2000

Kernel / Windows NT based:
- Windows NT 3.1 - August 1993
- Windows NT 3.5 - September 1994
- Windows NT 3.51 - June 1995
- Windows NT 4.0 - July 29, 1996
- Windows 2000 - February 17, 2000
- Windows XP - October 25, 2001
- Windows Server 2003 - 2003
- Windows Vista - 2007

Next Windows:
- Windows Server 2008 (2007 - 2008)
- Windows 7 (Windows Vienna) - (2010 - 2012)

Source: Wikipedia