Windows is the most popular desktop operating system in the world, with a 70% market share as of March 2023, according to StatCounter. The first version of Windows was released on November 20, 1985, as a graphical operating system shell for MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces (GUIs). Defunct Windows families include Windows 9x, Windows Mobile, Windows Phone, and Windows Embedded Compact. For instance, Windows NT for consumer and corporate desktops, Windows Server for servers, and Windows IoT for embedded systems. Each family caters to a certain sector of the computing industry. Microsoft Windows is a group of several proprietary graphical operating system families developed and marketed by Microsoft. Windows 9x and earlier: Monolithic ( MS-DOS).
Windows Embedded Compact/Windows CE: Hybrid.
