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| '''Microsoft Windows''' is a series of [[graphical user interface|graphical interface]] [[operating system]]s developed, marketed, and sold by [[Microsoft]].
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| Microsoft introduced an [[operating environment]] named ''Windows'' on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to [[MS-DOS]] in response to the growing interest in [[graphical user interface]]s (GUIs).<ref name=aboutcomnov>{{cite web |url=http://inventors.about.com/od/mstartinventions/a/Windows.htm?rd=1 |title=The Unusual History of Microsoft Windows |accessdate=April 22, 2007}}</ref> Microsoft Windows came to [[Market dominance|dominate]] the world's [[personal computer]] market, overtaking [[Mac OS]], which had been introduced in 1984.
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| The most recent client version of Windows is [[Windows 7]]; the most recent [[Server (computing)|server]] version is [[Windows Server 2008 R2]]; the most recent [[Mobile operating system|mobile]] version is [[Windows Phone|Windows Phone 7.5]].The most recent unstable release is [[Windows 8]].
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| ==Versions==
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| {{See also|List of Microsoft Windows versions}}
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| The term ''Windows'' collectively describes any or all of several generations of [[Microsoft]] [[operating system]] products. These products are generally categorized as follows:
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| [[File:Windows 3.0 logo.svg|left|thumb|140px|The classic Windows logo, used until the release of [[Windows XP]] in 2001]]
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| ===Early versions===
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| {{Main|Windows 1.0|Windows 2.0|Windows 2.1x}}
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| [[File:Windows1.0.png|thumb|300px|Windows 1.0, the first version, released in 1985]] | |
| The history of Windows dates back to September 1981, when Chase Bishop, a computer scientist, designed the first model of an electronic device and project "Interface Manager" was started. It was announced in November 1983 (after the [[Apple Lisa]], but before the [[Macintosh]]) under the name "Windows", but [[Windows 1.0]] was not released until November 1985.<ref name="Petzold">Petzold</ref> The [[operating system shell|shell]] of Windows 1.0 was a program known as the [[MS-DOS Executive]]. Other supplied programs were [[Microsoft Calculator|Calculator]], [[Microsoft Calendar|Calendar]], [[Cardfile]], [[ClipBook Viewer|Clipboard viewer]], Clock, [[Control Panel (Windows)|Control Panel]], [[Notepad (Windows)|Notepad]], [[Microsoft Paint|Paint]], [[Reversi]], [[Terminal emulator|Terminal]], and [[Windows Write|Write]]. Windows 1.0 did not allow overlapping windows. Instead all windows were [[tiling window manager|tiled]]. Only dialog boxes could appear over other windows.
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| [[Windows 2.0]] was released in October 1987 and featured several improvements to the user interface and memory management.<ref name="Petzold"/> Windows 2.0 allowed application windows to overlap each other and also introduced more sophisticated [[keyboard shortcut]]s. It could also make use of [[expanded memory]].
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| Windows 2.1 was released in two different versions: [[Windows/386]] employed the [[Intel 80386|386]] [[virtual 8086 mode]] to multitask several DOS programs, and the paged memory model to emulate expanded memory using available [[extended memory]]. [[Windows/286]] (which, despite its name, would run on the 8086) still ran in [[real mode]], but could make use of the [[high memory area]].
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