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Windows History

Windows has evolved over several versions since its initial release in 1985. It started as a graphical interface add-on for MS-DOS and is now one of the most widely used operating systems. Key developments include the addition of overlapping windows in Windows 2, the more polished Windows 3 interface, the transition to 32-bit applications in Windows 95, improved performance and security in Windows XP, and a focus on touch in Windows 8. The latest version, Windows 11, was released in 2021 with an updated interface and user-friendly features.

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44 views2 pages

Windows History

Windows has evolved over several versions since its initial release in 1985. It started as a graphical interface add-on for MS-DOS and is now one of the most widely used operating systems. Key developments include the addition of overlapping windows in Windows 2, the more polished Windows 3 interface, the transition to 32-bit applications in Windows 95, improved performance and security in Windows XP, and a focus on touch in Windows 8. The latest version, Windows 11, was released in 2021 with an updated interface and user-friendly features.

Uploaded by

Gunjan Kristy
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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History of Windows

W indows is one of the most widely used computer operating systems. It is the current
operating system developed by Microsoft. From Windows 1 to Windows 11, this is the
History of the Windows operating system.
Windows was rst released in 1985 as a GUI (Graphical User Interface) for the then MS-
DOS (MicroSoft Disk Operating System). It was originally called “Interface Manager” when
created in 1981. Windows 1.0 was very limited. It came only with a Calculator, Calendar,
Card le, Clip le Viewer, Clock, Control Panel, Notepad, Paint, Reversi, Terminal, and Write.
The rst version of Windows did not allow overlapping windows. This meant that windows
could not open on top of one another like they can today. In 1987, Windows 2.0 came out,
becoming even more popular with improvements to user interface (UI) and memory.
With the release of Windows 2.03, overlapping windows were added, prompting a
lawsuit from Apple. Released in 1990, Windows 3.0 added or improved design, memory, and a
protected mode, which allowed extra memory to allow virtual software. This was run in the same
memory address. It also included improvements to the user interface. Microsoft also rewrote
critical operations from the C language into the assembly language.
In March 1992, Windows 3.1 was made available. It featured a facelift. In August 1993,
Windows for Workgroups with the version number 3.11. In 1994, Windows 3.2 was released
with the version 3.1 for Chinese. This was limited to the Chinese language version. Windows 3.2
was sold as a ten-disk version of MS-DOS with Simpli ed Chinese characters in basic output
and translated utilities.
In August 1995, Windows 95 was released. It was still MS-DOS based, but it introduced
support for 32-bit applications, plug and play hardware, preemptive multitasking, long le names
(up to 255 characters), and provided increased stability. It also introduced the Start Menu,
redesigned user interface, and the Windows Explorer (Now File Explorer). In June 1998,
Windows 98 was released. It gave Windows Driver Model, support for ACPI, hibernation, and
multi-monitor support. In September 2000, Windows ME (Millennium Edition), the last DOS-
based version of Windows. It incorporated user interface from Windows NT and had faster boot
times. It was named one of the worst Windows versions and the fourth worst tech product due to
speed and instability along with hardware compatibility issues and removal of DOS support.
Windows XP was launched in October 2001. It aimed to unify the Windows 9.x and
Windows NT. Microsoft promised this would provide better performance over the DOS-based
versions of Windows. When it rst came out, there were two versions for sale: the “Home” and
“Professional”. At a later time, both included “Media Center”, a home theater PC and a tablet PC
edition. Windows Vista was released in November 2006. It had a few new features and was
available of different editions.
In July 2009, Windows 7 was released as RTM (Release to Manufacturing), making it
available to the public three months later in October 2009. It was intended to be more focused,
incremental upgraded to the Windows line, with the goal of being compatible with applications
and hardware with the previous Windows Vista. It also had support for multi-touch, Windows
shell redesign with an updated taskbar, home networking system called HomeGroup, and
performance improvements. Windows 8 was released in October 2012. Many changes were
made, like a Start Screen versus a Start Menu, a design more inline with touchscreen devices,
and new app classes geared for a touchscreen. Windows 8.1 added the Start button back to the

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taskbar, but it only went to the Start Screen. Online features included OneDrive (formerly
SkyDrive) and the Xbox Live service along with a Windows Store for distributing applications.
Windows 10 was announced in September 2014 and released in July 2015. It brought
back the Start Menu and kept some Windows 8 and 8.1 features, like support for touchscreens
and the live tiles. It also brought the ability for multiple desktops and running applications from
the Windows Store in a traditional window versus fullscreen, and updating via Windows Update.
It changed the migration of the source code from Perforce to Git. In June 2021, Windows 11 was
announced. It moved the Start button and application icons to the center of the taskbar, grouped
some icons together, and included several user-friendly changes. It was released in October 2021
as a free update for all Windows 10 users.

windows-history.pdf / Version 1.0.0 / 10/25/2021

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