History of Windows
(Operating System)
Timeline of Windows
MS-DOS
• MS DOS - Microsoft Disk Operating System
• Command-line interface (CLI)
• MS-DOS was a renamed form of 86-DOS –
owned by Seattle Computer Products, written
by Tim Paterson.
• Created on August 1981
MS-DOS
Windows 1.0
• 16-bit multi-tasking shell on top of an existing
MS-DOS installation
• Limited multi-tasking
• The development of Windows began after Bill
Gates saw a demonstration of VisiCorp's
Vision.
• Created on 20th November 1985
Windows 1.0
Windows 2.0
• Allows application windows to overlap
• First version to integrate the control panel
• March 17, 1988, Apple filed a lawsuit against
Microsoft and HP, accusing them of copying
the Macintosh System
• Created on 9th December 1987
Windows 2.0
Windows 3.0
• Protected/Enhanced mode to run Windows
applications with reduced memory issues
• Better memory management
• Developed based on work by David Weise and
Murray Sargent in 1989.
• Create on 22nd May 1990
Windows 3.0
Windows NT
• Portability to multiple processor architectures,
as well as higher security and stability
• Designed from scratch (“Unix killer”)
• Bill Gates hired David Cutler from DEC to
design Windows NT. (WNT = VMS)
• Created on 27th July 1993
Windows NT
Windows 95
• Introduced the taskbar, the 'Start' button, and
the way the user navigates
• Moved to multitasked 32-bit architecture
Windows 95 included support for 255-
character mixed-case long filenames
• Created on 24th August 1995
Windows 95
Windows 98
• Improved power management, network
management, and USB support
• Added Standby and Hibernate modes
• Introduced the Windows Driver Model (WDM)
to manage device drivers
• Create on 25th June 1998
Windows 98
Windows 2000
• is an operating system that was produced by
Microsoft as part of the Windows NT family of
operating systems
• Added NTFS (New Technology File System) 3.0
and the Encrypting File System (EFS)
• Created on 17th February 2000
Windows 2000
Windows ME
• Introduced a System Restore feature, and
improved digital media and networking tools
• Criticized for speed and stability issues, a PC
World article dubbed Windows ME the
"Mistake Edition“ (Very short shelf-life)
• Hardware support improvements
• Created on 14th September 2000
Windows ME
Windows XP
• Improved taskbar and ‘Start’ menu, better
networking features
• Newly improved user interface
• The first version of Windows to use product
activation in an effort to reduce software
piracy
• Created on 25th October 2001
Windows XP
Windows Vista
• Introduced Windows Search, Windows Aero, Windows
Sidebar, Shadow Copy
• Integrated Speech Recognition
• Created on Vista 30th January 2007
Criticisms of Vista
- high system requirements more
- restrictive licensing
- new digital rights management
- lack of compatibility with some pre-Vista hardware and
software
Windows Vista
Windows 7
• Support for virtual hard disks, better multi-
core processors performance
• Improved touch and handwriting recognition
• Intended to address criticisms faced by
Windows Vista, such as performance
improvements
• Created on 22nd October 2009
Windows 7
Windows 8
• Heavier integration with online services from
Microsoft and others (Skydrive, Xbox)
• Faster startup through UEFI integration
• Created on 26th October 2012
• User interface focused on tablets users,
including a touch-optimized shell using the
"Metro" design language, and a new 'Start'
screen (No ‘Start button)
• Created on 26th October 2012
Windows 8
Windows 10
• Return of ‘Start’ button, a virtual desktop
system, integration with Windows Phone
• Device dependent interface
• Incorporates Microsoft's intelligent personal
assistant Cortana Threshold
• Created on 29th July 2015
Windows 10
