Hi everybody! I am often asked questions about operating systems but by far the question asked most frequently is about what is the best operating system to use. Being a professional technician, I have used everything from Windows 95 to the present Windows 7. I will give you a brief synopsis or history, if you will, on each and then I will note my favorite and explain why.
The beginning of the computer era as we know it began with the introduction of Windows 95. The name Windows was derived from the way the open boxes would look on the screen. They actually resembled a “window” on the side of a building that you could look through. Little did anybody know at the time that this look was going to gradually change the lives of millions of people with not only the way they could surf the internet (dial up at the time) but that it would eventually change the way we do just about everything from our social life to banking. Windows 95 was supported from 1995 thru 2001.
On June 25, 1998, Windows 98 was introduced. Thios edition of Windows greatly enhanced the user experience and allowed the system to work much faster then the previous version. Through the course of the operating systems life, several service packs were introduced to help make the system more stable and also more secure. It also marked the beginning of the USB device. Windows 98 was supported till 2000.
Windows ME was introduced in the year 2000. As the name implies, it was released during our millennium year. This operating system was basically a 98 upgrade and it was the first time system restore was introduced. This was the last operating system to use the old Windows 95 baseline.
On October 25, 2001 Windows XP was born. This system has become one of the longest running operating systems ever. To this day, millions still use XP as their primary OS. In fact it is so stable and reliable, that we will probably see it around for many years yet to come. XP allows users to work faster and efficiently and it has a fairly uncomplicated back end which allows for easy configuration. This version also introduced the USB device as we know it today. From a technicians stand point, it is also farly easy to repair when things go really bad. At this point I would like to add that if I had to pick a favorite operating system, this would be my choice. I still use XP and will continue to as long as humanly possible.
In 2006, Microsoft introduced Windows Vista. This was the first OS to use the reliable NTFS file system. When it was first introduced, it was hard for die hard XP users to make the switch (and it still is). The look and feel was different and many of the places to configure your settings became more complicated. I have customers to this day still complaining about that. All in all, they did help step up security. Even with all the security measures, this OS still gets attacked by many common viruses and Trojans.
Windows 7 was introduced in 2009 and is basically a spin off of Vista. This OS made great improvements in things like start up and shut down and a lot of the resource issues from Vista were resolved. Soon, Windows 8 will be introduced with a look totally different from anything we have seen yet. It will have a look more comparable to your Smart Phone screen.
OK, I saved the best for last. The best operating system to use from a security standpoint would be Windows 7 but if you maintain a good active anti virus and firewall, Windows XP still wins my vote as the best operating system in existence.
Author: Joe Zelenak, Staff Writer
Yes i still think windows xp is the best! it outlasted all of them!