Here is the most surprising fact about Microsoft Windows

3Microsoft Windows is the most widely used operating system in the world and is used on more than 1.3 billion devices, from desktops and laptops to tablets and smartphones. Windows has been around for more than 35 years, evolving from a simple graphical user interface to a complex and sophisticated platform that supports a variety of applications and services.

But what’s the most surprising fact about Windows that you may not know? It’s not the number of lines of code, market share or security features. It’s the fact that Windows is not one operating system, but many.

Así es, Windows no es una entidad monolítica, sino una colección de diferentes versiones, ediciones y variantes que satisfacen diferentes necesidades y preferencias de usuarios y desarrolladores. Por ejemplo, existen diferentes versiones de Windows para diferentes tipos de dispositivos, como Windows 10 Home, Pro, Enterprise, Education, IoT, Mobile y más. También hay diferentes ediciones de Windows para diferentes regiones e idiomas, como Windows 10 N, KN, Single Language y China Government Edition. Y existen diferentes variantes de Windows para diferentes arquitecturas de hardware, como Windows 10 x86, x64, ARM y ARM64.

Why does Microsoft create so many versions of Windows? The main reason is to provide flexibility and choice to its customers and partners. By offering different versions of Windows, Microsoft can adapt its operating system to different use cases, scenarios and requirements. For example, Windows 10 Home is designed for personal and family use, while Windows 10 Pro is designed for business and professional use. Windows 10 Enterprise is designed for large organizations that need advanced security and management features, while Windows 10 Education is designed for schools and students. Windows 10 IoT is designed for embedded devices running on low-power processors, while Windows 10 Mobile is designed for smartphones running on ARM processors. Et cetera.

Another reason Microsoft creates so many versions of Windows is to comply with different laws and regulations in different countries and regions. For example, Windows 10 N and KN are designed for the European Union and South Korea respectively, where Microsoft must remove certain media-related features from its operating system due to antitrust regulations. Windows 10 Single Language is designed for emerging markets where users can only speak one language and do not need multiple language packs. And Windows 10 China Government Edition is designed for Chinese government and state-owned enterprises that have specific security and privacy requirements.

There you have it, the most surprising fact about Windows that perhaps you did not know. Windows is not one operating system, but many. And each version of Windows has its own features, advantages and disadvantages. Which version of Windows do you use? And which version do you prefer? Let us know in the comments below.

Windows 10, Microsoft’s new operating system, launches Wednesday with high expectations. The previous version, Windows 8, faced a lot of negative feedback for its radical changes to the user interface, and Microsoft’s efforts to enter the mobile market have not been very successful. To achieve Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella’s ambitious goal of reaching one billion Windows devices by 2019, Windows 10 has to be a success.

But Nadella has a big advantage right out of the gate. Despite the popularity of Apple products, Windows still dominates the desktop OS market, with a staggering 90% share, according to the chart below, which uses June 2015 data from web analytics site NetMarketShare. And since Windows 10 is a free upgrade for Windows 7 and 8 users (Microsoft omitted «Windows 9»), Windows 10 is likely to gain desktop OS market share very quickly.

However, it is doubtful that Windows 10 will be able to boost Microsoft’s desktop PC business much further, as research firm IDC points out. The desktop PC market is saturated in both emerging and developed regions, and worldwide PC shipments are expected to fall about 5% in 2015. «Any long-term growth opportunity depends on reviving growth in emerging regions, and that seems unlikely with the toward mobile devices,» Loren Loverde, IDC’s worldwide vice president of PC trackers, said in a report.