The answer to this one’s pretty easy: You’re using Microsoft Windows because you don’t have much choice. Nearly every computer sold since late 2001 comes with Windows XP preinstalled. A few people escaped Windows by buying Apple computers (those nicer-looking computers that cost more).
But chances are, you, your neighbors, your boss, your kids at school, and millions of other people around the world are using Microsoft Windows.
And just what is Windows? Sold by a company called Microsoft, Windows isn’t like your usual software that lets you write term papers or send angry e-mails to mail-order companies. No, Windows is an operating system, meaning it controls the way you work with your computer.
Microsoft is sneaky?
Microsoft may tout Windows as your helpful computing companion, always keeping your best interests in mind, but that’s not really true. Windows always keeps Microsoft’s interests in mind. You’ll find that out as soon as you call Microsoft for help on making Windows work right. Your first two questions are free if you pick up the long distance charges to Redmond,
Washington. The third call (and all the rest) cost $35 apiece. Microsoft also uses Windows to plug its own products and services. Sometimes you click a menu item that touts something helpful, but Windows simply leads you to a Web site where
you can purchase additional items from Microsoft or its business partners.
Simply put, Windows not only controls your computer but also serves as a huge Microsoft advertising vehicle. Most of the offers you see on Windows aren’t necessarily the best ones — they’re just the ones that make the most money for Microsoft. Many of its offers are simply advertising flyers stuffed inside your computer.
Windows gets its name from all the cute little windows it places on your monitor. Each window shows information, such as a picture, a program that you’re running, or a baffling technical reprimand. You can put several windows on-screen at the same time and jump from window to window, visiting different programs. You can also enlarge a window to fill the entire screen.
Like the mother with the whistle in the lunch court, Windows controls every window and each part of your computer. When you turn on your computer, Windows jumps onto the screen and supervises any running programs. Throughout all this action, Windows keeps things running smoothly, even if the programs start throwing food at each other.
In addition to controlling your computer and bossing around your programs, Windows XP comes with a bunch of free programs. Although your computer can run without these programs, they’re nice to have. These programs let you do different things, like write and print letters, browse the Internet, play music, and even whittle down your camcorder’s vacation footage into a three- minute short — automatically.
Windows XP isn’t just the newest version of Windows; it’s actually the best version so far. (Just ask people who upgraded from previous versions.) Windows XP doesn’t crash very often. And if one Windows program crashes, it doesn’t drag the entire computer down with it, like earlier versions did.
Windows XP makes it easier for several people to share a single computer. Each person receives his or her own user account. When users click their names at Windows XP’s opening screen, they see their own work — just the way they left it.
Because Windows XP is sturdier and more secure than earlier Windows versions, it’s also more difficult to figure out. Computers are pretty dumb, so when a potential security problem arises, they simply make you decide how to handle it.
Feb 28, 2011
Feb 27, 2011
What Is Windows XP?
One way or another, you’ve probably already heard about Windows, created by the Microsoft company and owned by one of the richest men in the world. Windows posters line the walls of computer stores. Everybody who’s anybody talks breezily about Windows, the Internet, and the World Wide Web. Weird code words, such as
www.vw.com, stare out cryptically from magazines, newspapers, bus stops, and blimps.
To help you play catch-up in the world of Windows, this chapter fills
you in on the basics of the newest version of Windows, called Windows
XP. The chapter discusses what Windows XP is and what it can do. This
chapter also shows how Windows XP works with older Windows pro-
grams you may have on your shelf.
Because Windows XP comes preinstalled on most new computers, there is a question: Should I bother upgrading to Windows XP?
What Are Windows and Windows XP?
Windows is just another piece of software, like the zillions of others lining the store shelves. But it’s not a program in the normal sense—something that lets you write letters or lets your coworkers play Bozark the Destroyer over the office network after everybody else goes home.
Rather, Windows controls the way you work with your computer. Years ago, computers looked like typewriters connected to TV sets. Just as on a typewriter, people typed letters and numbers onto the computer’s keyboard. The computer listened and then placed those letters and numbers onto the screen. But it was ever-so-boring.
The method was boring because only computer engineers used computers. Nobody expected normal people to use computers—especially not in their offices, their dens, or even in their kitchens. Windows changed all that in several ways.
A Windows software dumps the typewriter analogy and updates the look of computers. Windows replaces the old-style words and numbers with colorful pictures and fun buttons. It’s fun and flashy, like a Versace necktie.
A Windows XP is the most powerful of Microsoft’s Windows software that’s been updated many times since starting to breathe in January 1985. XP is short for Experience, but Microsoft calls it Windows XP to make it sound hip, as if Jimi Hendrix would have used it.
A Programmer types say Windows software is big enough and powerful enough to be called an operating system. That’s because Windows “operates” your computer. Other programs tell Windows what to do, and Windows makes your computer carry out those
commands.
A Microsoft built Windows XP on the shoulders of Windows 2000, an older but powerful version of Windows designed for business users. That means Windows XP is much more difficult to crash than Windows Me or Windows 98. Unfortunately, it also means Windows XP is more difficult for beginners to use.
www.vw.com, stare out cryptically from magazines, newspapers, bus stops, and blimps.
To help you play catch-up in the world of Windows, this chapter fills
you in on the basics of the newest version of Windows, called Windows
XP. The chapter discusses what Windows XP is and what it can do. This
chapter also shows how Windows XP works with older Windows pro-
grams you may have on your shelf.
Because Windows XP comes preinstalled on most new computers, there is a question: Should I bother upgrading to Windows XP?
What Are Windows and Windows XP?
Windows is just another piece of software, like the zillions of others lining the store shelves. But it’s not a program in the normal sense—something that lets you write letters or lets your coworkers play Bozark the Destroyer over the office network after everybody else goes home.
Rather, Windows controls the way you work with your computer. Years ago, computers looked like typewriters connected to TV sets. Just as on a typewriter, people typed letters and numbers onto the computer’s keyboard. The computer listened and then placed those letters and numbers onto the screen. But it was ever-so-boring.
The method was boring because only computer engineers used computers. Nobody expected normal people to use computers—especially not in their offices, their dens, or even in their kitchens. Windows changed all that in several ways.
A Windows software dumps the typewriter analogy and updates the look of computers. Windows replaces the old-style words and numbers with colorful pictures and fun buttons. It’s fun and flashy, like a Versace necktie.
A Windows XP is the most powerful of Microsoft’s Windows software that’s been updated many times since starting to breathe in January 1985. XP is short for Experience, but Microsoft calls it Windows XP to make it sound hip, as if Jimi Hendrix would have used it.
A Programmer types say Windows software is big enough and powerful enough to be called an operating system. That’s because Windows “operates” your computer. Other programs tell Windows what to do, and Windows makes your computer carry out those
commands.
A Microsoft built Windows XP on the shoulders of Windows 2000, an older but powerful version of Windows designed for business users. That means Windows XP is much more difficult to crash than Windows Me or Windows 98. Unfortunately, it also means Windows XP is more difficult for beginners to use.
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