Professor and computer scientist David J. Malan joins WIRED to answer your computer and programming questions from Twitter. How do search engines compile information so quickly? Which operating system ...

Operating systems (OS) are the intermediary between computer hardware and software, an essential piece of any digital device. Much like an orchestra conductor, they ensure harmonious communication ...

How many times have you been asked what operating system version you use, and you haven’t got a clue? The question is often asked when you’re seeking technical support for software or hardware issues, ...

Long before Windows, and even before MS-DOS, Microsoft sold a Unix-based operating system it called Xenix in 1980. It was the first OS made by the company, but it eventually sold it off in 1987. On ...

As the forerunner to the graphical user interfaces in Microsoft’s Windows platform, MS-DOS helped set the stage for the company’s dominance in the PC software market. When MS-DOS was released in 1981, ...

When we talk about computers -- PCs, smartphones, cars -- we generally assume that there's just one operating system: A single, monolithic piece of software that manages each individual piece of ...

If you don't know what the Linux desktop operating system is, or if you're new to it, Jack Wallen's quick explainer will get you up to speed. Linux. What is it? At one point in time it was a niche ...

Don’t be surprised if I say that 9 out of 10 computers run some version of the Windows operating system today. However, no one could have predicted this outcome when the journey began with MS-DOS and ...

A NeXTcube computer running the NeXTSTEP operating system. Simon Claessen / Flickr Today marks the 35th anniversary of the launch of NeXTSTEP, a computer operating system launched by Steve Jobs during ...