Windows @ 25: Microsoft readies low key celebration

Microsoft is about to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Windows, a milestone that has seen the operating system blossom from a primitive graphical interface to the multifunctional marvel that is Windows 7.

The operating system started with Windows 1.0 back in 1985, and there have been 15 editions to date.

Many people will fondly remember Windows 95, which introduced a revamped user interface and marked the first outing for Internet Explorer.

The launch of Windows 95 also saw Windows take off in the enterprise sector, and more than a million copies flew off the shelves in just four days.

But it hasn't always been plain sailing for Microsoft, and editions such as Windows ME received a mauling for being inherently unstable.

More recently, Windows XP and Windows 7 have received praise, the latter being awarded five stars in a V3.co.uk Windows 7 review.

These triumphs have helped Microsoft to maintain an operating system monopoly, and Windows is estimated to have a 91 per cent market share.

V3.co.uk contacted Microsoft chief executive Steve Ballmer to ask for a comment on the 25th anniversary, and received the short and simple "Windows, windows, windows", which we imagined he repeated like the now infamous " Developers, developers, developers".

V3.co.uk has put together a list of 25 things you didn't know about Windows, including the estimated 25 million crashes everyday.

We also have an analysis about how Microsoft won the desktop battle and a Windows timeline showing key stages in the operating system's history.