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Microsoft Windows is the most popular operating system that is currently available. According to some industry estimates, Microsoft holds over 90% of the market share. Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems that are what is considered to be GUIs (graphical user interfaces). The first version of Windows was launched in 1985 as an add-on to MS-Dos. From the beginning, Microsoft Windows came bundled with many of the applications that are still included today, such as Paint, WordPad, a calculator, and other tools.
Since the first version launched in 1985, there have been several different versions of Windows available. Windows really started gaining popularity when Windows 3.1 became available. The most current version of the Windows operating system is Windows 7. Oddly, the current most popular system is Windows XP, which is two systems behind the current one. It was the standard for so long and during such a high growth period for Windows that it has a large installed base that is still going strong.
Microsoft Windows remains popular not only because it is a good quality product, but also because it comes standard on almost every non-Macintosh computer sold. Windows is what most users imagine when they think about the computer experience. There are many other operating systems out there, but they do not tend to be as user friendly and easy to access as Windows, so they tend to remain something that is only experienced by those who are extremely knowledgeable about computers.
In the future, there may be another operating system that will come along and give Windows some competition. However, right now Windows is King. This gives some insiders cause for concern, especially considering the poor track record Microsoft has for addressing security concerns. Only time will tell how this all plays out and how it will affect your computer use in the future.
