Windows through the ages

1985: Windows 1: The first version introduced programs like Paint that are still in use

1987: Windows 2: New graphical applications like Word and Excel proved popular

1990: Windows 3: A leap forward in visual terms, it was also a commercial success

1993: Windows NT: An enterprise-oriented version of Windows designed for servers and workstations

1995: Windows 95: Many people's first foray into Windows introduced the Start Menu and Taskbar

1998: Windows 98: The first Windows to come bundled with Internet Explorer

2000: Windows 2000: Designed as a new alternative to NT for businesses

2000: Windows ME: "Millennium Edition" was widely derided as a poor stopgap until XP was released

2001: Windows XP: Possibly Microsoft's most successful OS ever, support was only officially ended in 2014

2007: Windows Vista: This long-awaited update had many security and performance flaws and set Microsoft back years

2009: Windows 7: Microsoft put a lot of effort into improving on Vista, with 7 well received

2012: Windows 8: Designed for tablets and mobile as well as PCs, it controversially got rid of the Start Menu

2015: Windows 10: Pitched as Microsoft's last version of Windows, it introduces a new browser, Edge