An Operating System developed by the much hated Microsoft Corporation. Became popular via amoral business practise on the part of Microsoft. Windows is world renowned for being insecure and bug ridden. Some describe it as "the only computer virus that you pay to use".
Excuse me while I run Windows Update and download yet another 80mb bugfix....er....sorry, "upgrade".
by LoneWolf June 19, 2003
by Anonymous November 06, 2002
Glass panes common in the walls of buildings, especially sky scrapers, allowing people inside to see the outside and to let light in.
Windows have been around for thousands of years, although they were originally just holes in the walls of buildings, without any glass panes.
Windows should not be confused with the remarkably unstable and virus-susceptible Windoze.
Windows have been around for thousands of years, although they were originally just holes in the walls of buildings, without any glass panes.
Windows should not be confused with the remarkably unstable and virus-susceptible Windoze.
Yesterday, I was wondering if it was raining or not, so I looked outside through the windows and saw that it was, in fact, raining. Without my windows, I could have gotten wet.
by Glasshole June 24, 2004
An idea created by the wiggles for an operating system, then bill gates started, by stealing everything he could get his hands on.
by ReDucTor August 08, 2003
Openings in a building. Usually glass, in most modern homes. Frequently used for ventilation, aesthetics, and defenestration.
by Baraldo.Jefferson January 23, 2007
At first it was a graphical shell designed by Microsoft that added much-needed 32-bit preemptive multitasking to the otherwise inferior monolithic monotasking 16-bit DOS kernel. These shells are the "win9x" series of Windows--every version from Windows 95 through Windows ME (previous versions of Windows were 16-bit). A parallel project called Windows NT (which would later evolve into Windows 2000, Windows XP, and soon into Windows Vista), a true 32-bit preemptive multitasking OS (read: no DOS), is in the process of replacing the win9x series. All are surprisingly insecure.
Architecturally, these are all inferior OS's when compared to their main competition: UNIX and its derivitives (i.e. Linux and *NIX OS's, and Mac OS X). Arguably, they only managed to gain a marketshare because the UNIX community had been in a state of decline in the mid 1990s, and Linux wasn't user-friendly enough to take the market (i.e. there was a power vacuum). All Windows OS's and shells are plagued with numerous security holes inherent to their monolithic design: because all essential parts of the OS's are so tightly integrated, not only is it extremely difficult for a development team to attempt to fix a problem without creating more problems due to the interdependencies inherent to the monolithic structure, but also any security flaws in ANY component of the OS (or shell) could be used to somewhat easily exploit any other system components. This, coupled with the fact that none of the Windows OS's are true multi-user systems (unlike time-sharing systems like UNIX and its derivitives), thus making it easier for a user to do significant damage to the system without using the administer account, makes all of the OS's undesirable for mission-critical applications (including server use), or even for regular internet use. In fact, security analyses show that Windows suffers from so much malware and cracker/script-kiddie attacks mostly for its flawed design, rather than its popularity. One should also note that popularity is only indicative of effective marketing, not quality.
The only "worthy" use for this software is to play games--its large userbase has attracted 3rd-party multimedia programming and hardware development firms more than any other OS in history. Consequently, most hardware in the computing world works or can be made to work with Windows. Even now, this unique feature is deteriorating as more and more developers cross-compile their software for Mac OS and Linux (i.e. NVIDIA Corporation writes a universal driver for their video hardware that will work with Windows, Mac OS, and Linux).
Architecturally, these are all inferior OS's when compared to their main competition: UNIX and its derivitives (i.e. Linux and *NIX OS's, and Mac OS X). Arguably, they only managed to gain a marketshare because the UNIX community had been in a state of decline in the mid 1990s, and Linux wasn't user-friendly enough to take the market (i.e. there was a power vacuum). All Windows OS's and shells are plagued with numerous security holes inherent to their monolithic design: because all essential parts of the OS's are so tightly integrated, not only is it extremely difficult for a development team to attempt to fix a problem without creating more problems due to the interdependencies inherent to the monolithic structure, but also any security flaws in ANY component of the OS (or shell) could be used to somewhat easily exploit any other system components. This, coupled with the fact that none of the Windows OS's are true multi-user systems (unlike time-sharing systems like UNIX and its derivitives), thus making it easier for a user to do significant damage to the system without using the administer account, makes all of the OS's undesirable for mission-critical applications (including server use), or even for regular internet use. In fact, security analyses show that Windows suffers from so much malware and cracker/script-kiddie attacks mostly for its flawed design, rather than its popularity. One should also note that popularity is only indicative of effective marketing, not quality.
The only "worthy" use for this software is to play games--its large userbase has attracted 3rd-party multimedia programming and hardware development firms more than any other OS in history. Consequently, most hardware in the computing world works or can be made to work with Windows. Even now, this unique feature is deteriorating as more and more developers cross-compile their software for Mac OS and Linux (i.e. NVIDIA Corporation writes a universal driver for their video hardware that will work with Windows, Mac OS, and Linux).
Even with a broadband connection, an unpatched installation of Windows XP usually cannot download and install the necessary updates before it is infected or exploited.
Mac OS X, Linux, BeOS, Mac OS Classic, and other (somewhat) current OS's with merit, however, are either virtually immune to malware (UNIX and derivitives are compartamentalized and modular, making it virtually impossible for a user, or a program executed by a user, to take control of a system without root privilages), or are too obscure to effectively develop software for in the first place.
Mac OS X, Linux, BeOS, Mac OS Classic, and other (somewhat) current OS's with merit, however, are either virtually immune to malware (UNIX and derivitives are compartamentalized and modular, making it virtually impossible for a user, or a program executed by a user, to take control of a system without root privilages), or are too obscure to effectively develop software for in the first place.
by Judecn July 26, 2006
An OS that started out slower and less powerful than other OS's, but due to it's amazing Start button, it became popular. Then came Windows 95, the revolution of computers. I sure loved Minesweeper. Then came Windows 98, a buggy OS that really didn't improve much upon antyhing from 95, but it was new. ME made it even buggier but at least it added a new recycle bin! The current installment, Windows XP, was said to improve upon the way we looked at Windows. Yes, when I turned on that computer I saw a big green blob as my start button. Thank goodness for classic mode. The new Windows XP improved upon the stability, but not enough to match with the Mac. However, the Windows stays dominant because of it's original monopolization and the fact that it supports more games.
by Anonymous August 17, 2003