Windows

Windows is a family of proprietary operating systems developed by Microsoft, primarily used for personal computers, servers, and embedded systems. It provides a graphical user interface (GUI), file management, and support for a wide range of software applications and hardware devices. As one of the most widely used desktop operating systems globally, it powers devices from home PCs to enterprise servers.

Also known as: Microsoft Windows, Win, Windows OS, Win10, Win11
🧊Why learn Windows?

Developers should learn Windows for building desktop applications, enterprise software, or games using platforms like .NET, as it dominates the business and consumer PC markets. It's essential for system administration, IT support, and developing software that integrates with Microsoft technologies such as Active Directory or Azure. Knowledge of Windows is also crucial for cross-platform development, testing, and deployment in mixed-OS environments.

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.NET
.NET is a free, cross-platform, open-source developer platform for building many types of applications, including web, mobile, desktop, games, IoT, and cloud services. It provides a unified runtime and framework with extensive libraries and tools, supporting multiple programming languages like C#, F#, and Visual Basic. The platform includes the .NET runtime (Common Language Runtime or CLR), the .NET SDK, and frameworks such as ASP.NET Core for web development and Entity Framework for data access.
.NET
.NET is a free, cross-platform, open-source developer platform for building many types of applications, including web, mobile, desktop, games, IoT, and cloud services. It provides a unified runtime and framework with libraries for common tasks, supporting multiple programming languages like C#, F#, and Visual Basic. The platform includes tools for development, debugging, and deployment across various operating systems.
.NET
.NET is a free, cross-platform, open-source developer platform for building many types of applications, including web, mobile, desktop, games, IoT, and cloud services. It provides a unified runtime and framework with libraries for common tasks, supporting multiple programming languages like C#, F#, and Visual Basic. The platform includes tools for development, debugging, and deployment, enabling developers to create high-performance, scalable applications.
.NET 5
.NET 5 is a cross-platform, open-source development platform for building modern applications, including web, mobile, desktop, cloud, and IoT. It unified the previously separate .NET Framework, .NET Core, and Xamarin into a single platform, offering improved performance, simplified deployment, and a consistent API surface. It serves as a foundation for building applications with languages like C#, F#, and Visual Basic.
.NET Core
.NET Core is a free, open-source, cross-platform framework for building modern applications, including web, cloud, mobile, desktop, IoT, and AI solutions. It is a modular, high-performance runtime and library set that supports multiple programming languages like C#, F#, and Visual Basic, and is designed to run on Windows, Linux, and macOS. It succeeded the older .NET Framework and is now part of the unified .NET platform.
.NET Framework
.NET Framework is a proprietary software framework developed by Microsoft that provides a runtime environment and a comprehensive class library for building and running applications on Windows. It supports multiple programming languages, primarily C#, VB.NET, and F#, and includes features like memory management, security, and exception handling. It is widely used for developing desktop applications, web services, and enterprise software.