What Is Windows 10, and Why Are You Using It?
Created and 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 mailorder companies. No, Windows is an operating system, meaning it controls the way you work with your computer. It’s been around for more than 20 years, and the latest whiz-bang version is called Windows 10, shown in Figure 1-1.
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 10 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 create a slide show from your vacation photos and burn it to a DVD — automatically.
And why are you using Windows 10? If you’re like most people, you didn’t have much choice. Nearly every computer sold since 2016 comes with Windows 10 preinstalled. A few people escaped Windows by buying Apple computers (those nicer-looking computers that cost a lot more). But chances are good that you, your neighbors, your boss, your kids at school, and
millions of other people around the world are using Windows.
Figure 1-1: Windows 10, the newest version of Microsoft Windows.
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 10 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 create a slide show from your vacation photos and burn it to a DVD — automatically.
And why are you using Windows 10? If you’re like most people, you didn’t have much choice. Nearly every computer sold since 2016 comes with Windows 10 preinstalled. A few people escaped Windows by buying Apple computers (those nicer-looking computers that cost a lot more). But chances are good that you, your neighbors, your boss, your kids at school, and
millions of other people around the world are using Windows.
- Microsoft took pains (and several years of work) to make Windows 10 the most secure version of Windows yet. (Just ask people who upgraded from previous versions.)
- Windows makes it easy for several people to share a single computer. Each person receives his or her own user account. When users click their name at the Windows opening screen, they see their own work — just the way they left it. Windows 10 includes controls for parents to limit the time their kids spend on the PC, as well as what programs they can open.
- Windows includes a new backup program that makes it easier to do what you should have been doing all along: Make copies of your important files every night.
- The powerful new search program and library system in Windows 10 mean that you can forget about where you’ve stored your files. To find a missing file, just click the Search button on taskbar and type what that file contained: a few words in a document, the name of the band singing the song, or even the year your favorite jazz albums were released.
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