Windows 9x is a generic term referring to a series of Microsoft Windows computer operating systems produced from 1995 to 2000, which were based on the Windows 95 kernel and its underlying foundation of MS-DOS, both of which were updated in subsequent versions. This includes all versions of Windows 95, Windows 98, and Windows Me.
Windows 9x is predominantly known for its use in desktops. In 1998, Windows made up 82% of operating system market share.
Internal release versions for versions of Windows 9x are 4.x. Previous MS-DOS based versions of Windows used version numbers of 3.2 or lower. Windows NT, which was aimed at professional users such as networks and businesses, used a similar but separate version number between 3.1 and 4.0.
The final version of Windows 9x was Windows Me, released in September of 2000 with an internal version number of 4.9. All future versions of Windows, starting with Windows 2000 and Windows XP would be based on the Windows NT codebase.
Read more about Windows 9x: Third-party Development
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“In winter we lead a more inward life. Our hearts are warm and cheery, like cottages under drifts, whose windows and doors are half concealed, but from whose chimneys the smoke cheerfully ascends.... We enjoy now, not an Oriental, but a Boreal leisure, around warm stoves and fireplaces, and watch the shadow of motes in the sunbeams.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)