Ranking all 12 versions of Windows, from worst to best - Digital Trends

Reviewers felt that it couldn’t adequately compete with Apple’s GUI operating system, and criticized its speed and poor compatibility with existing software.

It introduced the iconic Start menu, nesting applications within submenus to make compartmentalizing programs easier and improving organization in the increasingly busy visual interface.

It also introduced screensavers, which was such a visually striking part of desktop computers moving forward that they would be some people’s defining memory of the operating system.

It updated the Start menu into something far more functional, added new login methods like fingerprint and facial recognition, and improved scaling for better high-resolution support.

MSN Messenger, AIM, and ICQ opened up the world to young PC users for the first time, and Limewire, Kazaa, and eDonkey let them share data like never before.

It feels like the last Windows operating system that was fast and modern, but hadn’t yet started chasing features designed for other platforms, like touch-targeted UI elements, or smart assistant integration.