Microsoft is a multinational company, which designs and markets computer programs and electronic devices. The beginnings of this were in the 70s, in which Bill Gates and Paul Allen did business with the MITS company, with which they would distribute the Altair BASIC operating system, which would give them the opportunity to create their company. At first it was not well known, but over time and due to alliances with other companies, its popularity increased.
What is microsoft
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It is a company created by entrepreneurs Bill Gates and Paul Allen, which markets computer programs and the devices to run them, providing multiple solutions to businessmen, office workers, students and users in general. This multinational company designs, produces, licenses and distributes the equipment they manufacture, such as computers, laptops, tablets, mobile devices, among others, available on the Microsoft portal and at authorized distributors.
These in turn work with computer systems compatible with their devices and have an infinite number of applications. All its services can be accessed through the creation of a microsoft account (microsoft account). All other programs and services can be acquired through the microsoft store, which is the microsoft online store to acquire all these products with their original license.
The origin of the name comes from the combination of the term micro, "microcomputer", and "soft", software. In principle, the name was used with a hyphen separating both terms, until finally reaching the name microsoft.
Microsoft history
In its beginnings, it was not well known, but it made alliances with other companies that manufactured computers in order to distribute its operating systems. The one with which they achieved success was with OS / 2, born from a collaboration with IBM and which managed to sell more than 6 million units in a very short time.
However, as the years passed, the sales index decreased and it was removed from the market. Even so, it introduced the Office package, which would include Word and Excel, and would be recognized as the most important office application on the market, with prices much higher than the competition.
A year after the launch of Office, windows appeared and dominated the market for operating systems, due to its attractive interface, as well as the simple handling it implied. In the 90s, it progressed and became Windows 95, which managed to sell more than 1 million copies in the first 4 days of being on sale.
This success was only the beginning, since later the company would dare to experiment with the implementation of the internet explorer browser, in addition to creating a radio station and acquiring a magazine.
In later years, they would launch new versions of windows, in addition to improved office packages. Microsoft, in addition to its computer product line, also has a number of entertainment items available, such as the Xbox. In the first quarter of 2020, its co-founder Bill Gates retires from the board of directors to dedicate himself to philanthropy in his organizations dedicated to dealing with issues on health, education and climate change.
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft windows is the operating system developed for all the company's computers, which have been progressively updated.
Next we will present its most important products:
PC operating systems
It is the digital platform with which a computer works, which contains a variety of programs that fulfill specific functions and control the elements of the hardware. In the platform the programs are executed, and its interface will vary according to the company that has developed it. These programs can be purchased for this system in your microsoft store for various versions of windows.
There is a significant number of operating systems for computers, both from large companies such as Microsoft, as well as other independent ones. Among them are: Windows, Mac OS, Unix, Solaris, Linux, Ubuntu, Wave OS, among others.
The one developed by Microsoft for the PC is Windows, released in 1985 in version 1.0, but rather as a graphical interface complementary to the MS-DOS system. Then, among its most popular updates were Windows 95, which replaced MS-DOS for the first time; windows 98; Windows Xp; windows 7; windows 8; and windows 10.
Mobile operating systems
- Windows mobile: is an operating system based on Microsoft Windows CE technology designed specifically for mobile devices such as Pocket PC (PPC), Smartphones and other portable media devices. It is closely linked to other products of the same brand and has an excellent quality graphical interface similar to the desktop versions of windows, so the work environment is very similar to that of home or office. It has currently been overshadowed by Apple's iPhone and Android. Therefore, the company discontinued it to create Windows Phone.
- Windows phone: it is the operating system that replaced windows mobile as of 2010. Microsoft decided to make a complete change in this new operating system with respect to the other; Not only was the name changed, but it was developed from scratch, featuring a completely new interface, better behavior, and greater control over the hardware platforms that run it, in order to become competitive in the mobile world again. However, in 2015, the company decided to withdraw this system from the market due to the segmentation of its operating systems.
- Windows 10 mobile: it was the operating system that succeeded the Windows phone in its version 8.1, which was developed for cell phone devices and tablets, but which in 2017 stopped developing it due to its low demand and activity in the market. However, it has subsequently developed applications with compatibility for devices with the Android and iOS mobile operating systems.
Microsoft office
It is the group of programs for domestic and office tasks, which include software for creating and editing texts, presentations, data processing, among other tasks that allow automating processes.
This package was created in the late eighties by the company originally with PowerPoint, Word and Excel, each of which will be explained later. Microsoft 365 is the service through which you can subscribe for one year to the office program package, in the microsoft online store.
Word
It is a program that allows Office text processing, being the most widely used processor in the world and can support various formats. Among these are the DOC, which is the program's own, its extension being.doc and has a format that allows greater understanding, which is.docx; the RTF format, which allows a text file with its extension.rtf to be opened in any version of Word.
This program has the spell check feature, synonyms and a wide range of options for formatting the text. Since 2016, the program allows you to export or save documents in PDF format.
Excel
It is a software that allows you to develop accounting and financial work thanks to its functions, created especially to create spreadsheets. Currently it has a central made up of columns and rows, which give way to the formation of so-called cells, which will have a specific address assigned, determined by the column and row to which it belongs. In these cells it is possible to place numeric and alphanumeric data.
A very useful tool that Excel provides is to perform arithmetic calculations through the use of formulas, followed by the rule of an equal sign (=). As well as these, there are many tools that this program offers you, which is why it has now become one of the favorite programs for users, to the point that its use has become indispensable.
Powerpoint
It is a program to make presentations, compatible with windows and macOS on desktop computers and mobile devices with Android and iOS. Its applications are useful for the labor and student field.
The program has among its characteristics default templates, although the user can design his own; images can be inserted; create eye-catching texts; transition effects for presentation; animation effects for elements on slides; ability to insert audio and video clips; hyperlinks; among others.
OneNote
This software allows you to take text notes, to which you can add other complementary elements such as images and audiovisual elements, being able to import some of these into the program from other applications. These notes can be shared with other users.
It can be used on PCs (Windows, OS-X), it is also available for mobile telephony (Windows Phone, Android, iOS). It is very useful for the school environment and allows you to point in classes even when you do not have a connection at that time, as it can be synchronized later.
Access
It is a group of programs to store, extract and modify the information of a database. You can collect data from other office applications with a specific topic.
To use its latest version from 2013, your computer must have certain minimum features, such as a 32-bit or 64-bit processor, RAM of at least 1 gigabyte, and 5 gigabytes of disk space.
SharePoint
It is a group of products and software that make office work easier. It contains programs that allow you to browse the Internet, manage documents, processes and searches. It can be downloaded for free by Windows Server users, who will receive added features.
The solutions available include: windows SharePoint Services 3.0, Search Server 2008, Forms Server 2007, microsoft office SharePoint Server 2007 MOSS in its standard and enterprise versions, microsoft office groove server 2007 and microsoft office project server 2007.
Microsoft Xbox
It is the service provided by the video game division belonging to the company. It caters for multiplayer games for Xbox consoles and games for the company's smartphones. Support for these video games can be free or paid depending on the content that the user requires.
This includes content downloads, which can be free or paid; has a platform for online multiplayer; the option of live voice chat; be able to use other external platforms online; ability to store data in a cloud, which can be shared with other users; among other benefits.
Xbox
It was the first game console of this company in association with Intel, which sold 24 million units worldwide. Its main characteristics are:
- Processor core 32 - bit inspired by the Pentium III.
- Your hard drive has a capacity of 8 gigabytes in its first version and 10 in the following.
- Download content from Xbox Live.
- Its external structure was similar to PCs.
- Four S-USB ports for your wireless controllers and one RJ-45 Fast Ethernet port.
- Adapter for televisions without video and audio connections.
- The supported media allowed are DVD, CD, DVD-R, MP3 and WMA on CDs, among others.
Xbox 360
Successor console to the Xbox, which had the cooperation of AMD and IBM. This allowed players to go online to play and download Xbox Live material for payment. This model came on the market in 2006, rivaling the Sony and Nintendo consoles. Although it is discontinued, its online service is still available. Its characteristics are:
- Its graphics processing unit and central processing allow you 8 hours of continuous gameplay, which will turn off when it overheats.
- Port that allows to adapt an external hard disk.
- USB 2.0 input ports.
- Its accessories are compatible with the PC.
Xbox One
It was the successor console to the Xbox 360, released in 2013 to compete with the Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4, giving the player a more intense gaming experience. Its characteristics are:
- Its AMD-powered GPU is stronger than the Xbox 360.
- More realistic graphics due to its higher performance technology with its new API Direct X-12.
- Its command control is similar to that of previous versions, but with autonomous vibration in its triggers and Bluetooth 4.0 connectivity.
- Capable of high-resolution 4K footage in video, images, and cloud gaming.
- Its 8 GB RAM memory, 8-core processor and other technical characteristics make this model one of the fastest and with the best graphics.
- You can receive pay TV signals through decoders.
- Through its HDMI port it receives secondary video signals from a PC, other consoles or Blu-Ray.
Microsoft Mobile
It was an affiliate of Bill Gates' company that manufactured mobile devices and got its start when it acquired Nokia's device division in 2014.
Microsoft lumia
It was a series of smart mobile phones created by the company that used Windows Phone and competed with iOS and Android devices. Previously, prior to Microsoft's acquisition of Nokia's smart device division, it was called the Nokia Lumia.
This range finally disappeared around 2016 due to its low production and the collapse of sales.
The first phone under this new name was the Lumia 535, which had Windows Phone 8.1, and other models such as the Lumia 730, Lumia 735, Lumia 830, Lumia 930, Lumia 540, Lumia 640 and Lumia 640 XL could support Windows 10 Mobile. Finally, and just before its disappearance, the last models to hit the market of this denomination were the Lumia 550, Lumia 650, Lumia 950 and Lumia 950 XL.
Nokia
It is a telecommunications company, which started an alliance with the company for the development of smartphones with Windows Phone, this brand being the banner of this operating system. In 2014, Microsoft acquired the mobile telephony area and the Nokia patent, being able to position itself in second place in telecommunications in the world. Subsequently, already towards 2017, Nokia has made collaborations with the homonymous Xiaomi in its patents for mobile devices.
Some of the devices that resulted from this alliance were the Nokia Lumia range in its models 520, 630/635, 730 and 735, 830, 930, each one adapting to the needs of its users, from those who were looking for something simple, to the most complex and of higher quality.
Windows live
It was a group of online services and applications that could be accessed from a browser or applications installed on the computer. All of these services removed "Windows Live" from their names.
Among its services was the updating of its services; contact book; management of online services; synchronization of contacts; Parental control; email service; schedule; calendar; file storage; and programs like word, excel and powerpoint.
Microsoft outlook
It is a user information manager, which allows you to receive different services and connect with others through mailboxes, calendars and other tools in common, such as tasks, diaries, contacts, among others. It allows you to manage and synchronize email accounts simultaneously, you can search, design emails and manage a large number of emails.
Hotmail
It is the company's free email service, later MSN Hotmail, Windows Live Hotmail, and finally transitioning to Outlook. In 2012 it had around 324 million users, ranking as the most used email in the world that year, above Yahoo and Gmail.
Windows messenger
It was an instant messaging application originally created for PC users, later adapted for mobile telephony. It belonged to the Windows Live group and then to Windows Essentials until it was discontinued when it joined Skype in 2013. This application had about 330 million users at its peak of popularity.
It allowed to send messages when the user was offline, which were delivered when he received the internet; In addition, it allowed interaction between users through games or some other application; and it allowed sharing files stored in a shared files folder.
Windows essentials
It was a group of applications that included the messaging service, blogs, email, among others, adapted to Windows and web services, such as with OneDrive and Hotmail accounts, to work in an integrated way. Its applications included OneDrive, Windows Mail Desktop, Windows Photo Gallery, Windows Movie Maker, Microsoft Family Safety, and Microsoft Outlook Hotmail Connector.
It was discontinued with the release of Windows Live Messenger and Windows 8, being added directly with the new version of the operating system, to finally stop being available for installation in 2017.
Windows live movie maker
It is a video editor created by the company in 2000, starting with very basic functions, such as cutting and pasting video clips. In its subsequent versions, other more complex options were added, such as the timeline, improvements in its graphics and the capacity of analog sources.
Then video and transition effects were added; however, features such as capturing analog sources were removed. Instead, the ability to export edited works to YouTube or DVD was incorporated, later to Facebook and Skydrive, among others.
Other Microsoft services
Skype
It is a free online text, voice and video messaging program. In 2013, Microsoft acquires Windows Live Messenger, which merges with Skype, so that with the same WLM user it could access Skype.
This program allows you to make calls to any country at low costs; a number can also be assigned from a telephone to call users connected from a computer; and offers voicemail service.
Microsoft security
This Microsoft service or Microsoft service, it is a free antivirus for Windows for PC, which protects the system from viruses, Trojans and spies. Previously it was Windows Defender. This type of antivirus is designed for the protection of small businesses and home users, and it is simple, since it has three colors like a traffic light: green (virus-free and protected); yellow (without protection); and red (danger to equipment). The benefits of this antivirus is that it is constantly and automatically updated.
Microsoft encarta
It was a virtual encyclopedia developed in the 90s, which had a wide content of general interest. It consisted of text, images, audios and videos, which complemented the content, its physical support being a CD-ROM or DVD-ROM. Later versions with updated content came onto the market, including web material with the appearance of the Internet and annual subscriptions.
Internet explorer
It is an Internet browser developed for Windows in 1995. Its later editions were the default browser for this system, being one of the most used in 2003, diminishing its popularity over the years, being surpassed by its competitors.
This browser is still used as a complement to Microsoft Edge, a browser developed by the company in 2015 for Windows 10 and Xbox One, reaching Android and iOS mobile telephony in 2017 and later in 2019 it reaches macOS, replacing IE The latest version IE is 11, compatible with Windows 7, 8, and 10 systems.
It is a virtual community for job search, where the user can upload a profile with their skills in the workplace to offer their professional services to companies that are part of the network. This community works with the "Connection", which is the interrelation that a user will have with others and with companies. These can be direct, second degree (direct connections) and third degree (second degree connections).
Users can upload their data in the form of a curriculum vitae, also specifying their work experiences. Companies registered in the network can publish their human resource needs, offering their vacant positions.
Cortana
It is a virtual assistance program for various versions of Windows on smartphones and Xbox, encompassing many functions to improve the user experience. Among them are the search for Bing, voice recognition or music.
Among its functions is the Notebook, which stores user information, improving its effectiveness by patterns of preferences; an intelligent reminder system, which can be associated with a specific contact or location; and, among others, you can solve math problems, make sports predictions or determine currency changes.
There are other number of additional services, applications and solutions offered by the company, but in this section the most recognized in the market were placed.
