WINDOWS
WHAT IS WINDOWS?
Windows
is a famous operating system that works hand-in-hand with DOS, providing a
more graphically oriented alternative to the DOS command line. Windows is
an operating environment created by Microsoft. The Windows environment is
organized primarily around pictures rather than around text. While issuing
orders in DOS is a matter of typing in commands, in Windows programs it's
a matter of clicking pictures on the screen or making selections from menus.
The advantage of this way of interacting with the computer is that it's less
intimidating to new users and there is less memorization required. If you
forget how to perform a particular task for example, you can often refresh
your memory simply by poking around the screen, seeing which menu options
and icons are available.
Another advantage of using Windows is that most programs designed to run within Windows look and behave similarly. Most Windows application programs are populated with entities such as icons, dialog boxes and, as you might guess, windows. Almost all Windows programs also feature similar menu systems and at least a few of the same commands. To leave any Windows application, for example, you choose the Exit option from a menu named File. Once you have mastered one Windows program, it's fairly easy to learn the next as Windows programs have so much in common.
Windows also allows you to run multiple programs at once. Windows also include a feature known as the Clipboard that lets you easily copy or move data from one program to another. This means that you can copy those sales figures directly from your spreadsheet into your word processing document without having to use any special importing or exporting commands, as you would need to do in DOS.
Windows not only allows you to open two programs at once, it also allows you to carry out work in both programs simultaneously. If you need to perform a time-consuming task in one program, you can simply start the process and then switch to a different program. The task you started in the first program will continue unattended while you continue working in the second one. People refer to this as multitasking.
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