Microsoft Windows Turns 29: Happy Birthday to the World's Number 1 OS! [Love it or hate it]

Softpedia ^ | 11/21/2014

[SeekAndFind]

  Windows 1.0 was launched 29 years ago

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Windows was, is, and will continue to be the world's number one operating system for the desktop for many years from now, as neither Mac OS X nor Linux have what they need to overtake Microsoft's key player in the PC war. But have you ever wondered how everything actually started? Today is the best moment to ask such a question, because this is the day when Microsoft's Windows celebrates its 29th anniversary.

While we're not going to get through the whole Windows history, because both Microsoft's official website and Wikipedia have an overwhelming amount of information on this, we're still going to briefly describe each Windows version that got to see daylight in the last 29 years and see what's to come for the desktop platform.

Windows 1.0

29 years ago today, Microsoft officially introduced Windows 1.0, its very first operating system that came with a graphical interface for users. It was based on the same MS-DOS system, but users no longer had to type commands, but to simply move a mouse on the screen and click on what Microsoft at that time called windows. Windows 1.0 shipped two years after the public announcement, as Microsoft wasn't yet a mature company at that moment and development took more than expected.

Windows 1.0 came with many of the elements we can find right now in the operating system, including windows, menus, scroll bars, icons, and dialogs that allowed you to interact with the software solution itself. Available apps included Notepad, Paint, Calculator, Writer, and Reversi, the very first game included in Windows.

Windows 1.0 requirements: 256 KB of storage space, two double-sided floppy disk drives, graphics adapter card, and up to 512 KB of space to run apps.

Windows 2.0, 3.0, and 3.1

The following three releases were mostly a struggle for improvements, rather than bringing something entirely new to the market. Microsoft used the basic Windows 1.0 to create an operating system that was capable of performing a lot more tasks, as despite its revolutionary concept, the original project was still limited in functionality.

Windows 2.0 was officially introduced in December 1987 and came with changes in terms of user interface and memory management, but nothing too surprising. More keyboard shortcuts and expanded memory support were integrated into this release.

Windows 3.0 was brought to life in 1990 and introduced essential improvements, such as a revised user interface and significant performance enhancements thanks to apps that were able to run in protected mode. All these updates also led to record sales for the new OS, with stats pointing to 2 million sold copies in just six months after launch.

Windows 3.1 was officially introduced in March 1992 and was mostly focused on visual improvements, again experiencing very good sales.

Windows 95 and Windows 98

Windows 95 was the first OS version whose core design is still being used today, with traditional elements such as the taskbar, Windows Explorer/File Explorer, and Internet Explorer still part of Microsoft's latest releases.

Windows 95 was officially introduced in August 1995 and brought support for 32-bit applications, thus setting the foundation for the software industry that skyrocketed in the last 19 years.

Unsurprisingly, Windows 95 was the best-selling product for Microsoft at the time of its launch and its success was easily continued by its successor, Windows 98.

Windwos 98 wallpaper

In June 1998, Microsoft decided to introduce Windows 98 with several major improvements, including Internet Explorer 4, hibernation, support for multi-monitor configurations, and support for USB and ACPI. Windows 98 Second Edition pushed all these improvements to new levels, adding applications such as Windows Media Player and Internet Explorer 5, both of which were among the catalysts of Windows' rapid growth.

Windows Millennium Edition (also known as Windows ME) was released in September 2000, and just like Windows 2000, brought visual improvements and important enhancements in terms of performance. Both booted really fast and revamped the multimedia side of the operating system, adding Windows Media Player 7 and Windows Movie Maker as key elements to the app lineup.

Windows XP

Still in use today by around 17 percent of the world's desktop computers, Windows XP was one of the most successful OS versions launched by Microsoft. Released in October 2001, Windows XP came in several SKUs, namely Home, Professional, and Media Center, each with different sets of apps aimed at specific user categories.

Windows XP included apps such as Internet Explorer 6 and a new Windows Media Player version, while also boasting a completely new look that made the operating system itself a lot more appealing for PC users.

Windows XP support ended in April 2014 and caused quite a lot of problems for Microsoft because of its shockingly big market share at that time, as users refused to upgrade to a newer OS because of the low spec requirements of XP and its excellent reliability. Security, however, was a main concern, as XP wasn't capable of protecting user data from modern threats.

Windows XP also had a server brother intuitively called Windows Server 2003, whose support ends in July 2015.

Windows Vista

One of the biggest fails in Microsoft's history, Windows Vista was officially launched on November 30, 2006, after many months of delays and revisions to the original build. Windows Vista came with quite a plethora of new features, including a redesigned user interface and many security improvements, but disappointed in terms of performance.

Windows Vista was the first OS version to come with the Aero visual effects, while also boasting the new Windows Search, new multimedia tools, a revamped network system, and better audio features.

Developing Windows Vista took around 5 years to complete, so many claimed that the new OS version came too late after Windows XP. It attracted criticism due to many important changes, including its hardware requirements that forced companies and users to upgrade their systems.

Windows Vista system requirements (for Vista Premium Ready experience): 1 GHz processor, 1 GB of RAM, 128 MB graphics card, 80 GB of storage space.

Windows 7

Microsoft tried to repair the Vista disaster with Windows 7, an operating system that fixed many of the annoyances found in the previous operating system and bringing several improvements in terms of performance and appearance.

Windows 7 was again available in several versions, including Home and Professional, and featured multi-touch support, new visual effects with some changes here and there, networking tweaks, and better security.

Windows 7 is currently the world's number one operating system on the desktop and powers more than 50 percent of the world's PCs. Support for Windows 7 will end in January 2020.

Windows 7 desktop

Windows 8

Launched with much fanfare in October 2012, Windows 8 brought a dramatic change in approach for Microsoft and its users, putting the focus much more on touch features than on the desktop.

Just as expected, adoption of Windows 8 was heavily impacted in the first months after launch, mostly because of the confusion created by the introduction of the so-called “Modern” interface. Videos showing users trying to get around the operating system rapidly spread spreading all over the web, while analysts and experts criticized Microsoft for its increased focus on touch.

Windows 8.1 and Windows 8.1 Update were launched in October 2013 and April 2014, respectively, and were supposed to improve the experiences users had with the modern operating system. The Start button was brought back, but still without a Start menu, while the Metro UI received more features to make it appropriate for use with a mouse and keyboard.

Windows 10

Part of Microsoft's reconciliation with users after the Windows 8 flop, Windows 10 was first announced on September 30 and released to users as a preview build in early October 2014.

Windows 10 brings back the Start menu and puts more focus on feedback, with Microsoft asking users for help and suggestions on how to improve the operating system. The company focused a lot more on the desktop and also implemented features such as multiple desktops, while also adding new visual effects and borderless windows.

Windows 10 is projected to be released in April 2015, but Microsoft is yet to confirm the launch date for this particular OS version.

[John S Mosby]

Dr. Ed Roberts story and his company that hired Gates et al.
Really an amazing story of a very smart man.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ed_Roberts_%28computer_engineer%29

[keat]

Interesting, thanks. My first experience was installing a ripped-off copy of 3.1 from like 17 floppies.

[Red in Blue PA]

[W.]

I didn’t have a need for Lotus, but enjoy DOS gaming still. My plumber friend told me—’Gotta learn yer DOS!’ All the fun of config.sys and IRQ’s getting the sound card to jive. They say kids are so hot on computers, lessee one of them set up a dos game box... Sure, NOW there’s emulator programs! Where were they 20 yrs. ago? ;)

[Dr. Sivana]

Windows was, is, and will continue to be the world's number one operating system for the desktop for many years from now, as neither Mac OS X nor Linux have what they need to overtake Microsoft's key player in the PC war.

Windows DEFINITELY was not an "operating system" in its 1.0-2.x incarnations, and was still running on top of DOS with all of its memory handling limitations until at least Win 95 and truly became its own OS only with Windows NT.

[Riley]

Old IT guy here. Running Mint on a couple of boxes at home. Sorting a wi-fi issue, although I haven’t been able to give it my full attention yet. Very nice. I have a lappy that want to use for astronomy telescope control.

[Riley]

I have that same shirt. I don’t look nearly as good in it.

[EVO X]

Made a living supporting Macs and PC’s and got into Linux for a while before I retired. I have zero inclination to use linux as a desktop platform.
If I want to torture myself, I can fire up the unix console on my mac mini. I have windows 7 bootcamp installed, but the only time I run that is to do the monthly updates. The only reason I keep bootcamp is there is an outside chance a relative will have a windows question. Most have moved to tablets and smart phones..

[neocon1984]

Vista wasn’t all that bad, but I have switched to Macs anyway.

[neocon1984]

What happens if I press Control, Alt, Delete ... in a tender manner?

[bicyclerepair]

Hardly any torture involved in getting a Linux pc.
Linux likes NVidia best. So it helps to know a little first.

I’ll take Mint over ANY windoze, hands down. Everything works crisply on Mint, including Netflix. Sick of waiting for windoze. I want an OS that is quick!

[greeneyes]

We used Lotus at work, so I got one for home too. Don’t remember too much about it, since we went on to all the upgrades and stuff.

I am to the age now, that I hate upgrades. I just want to get on and do my thing and get off the computer. I can’t stand spending time figuring out the new stuff. Just got windows 8.1 and it’s driving me crazy.

[doorgunner69]

I just use the damn things as tools, nothing more or less. How well they do the job is all that matters.

This treating of electronics and software as objects of love and desire is so creepy.

[KarlInOhio]

Windows 1.0 requirements: 256 KB of storage space, two double-sided floppy disk drives, graphics adapter card, and up to 512 KB of space to run apps.

I remember Windows 1.0 was needed for (maybe even included in) Balance of Power. I blew up the world many, many times with it.

[sportutegrl]

What about Bob?

[lacrew]

Started with 2.0...

...something I tend to forget about it - it was on a disk (or a pile of disks), since my Zenith 286 did not have a hard drive.

Remember they days of pulling out a disk to run a program?

[W.]

I know what you’re saying, it took me some time to know W7 when I got this laptop, I’d not kept up since W95 except for a $5 secondhand iMac G3/9.2.2 OS. I hope to stay with this for a spell...

[Paleo Conservative]

I skipped Windows ME. Since I was using lots of technical applications, I got a high performance workstation with Windows 4 NT in 1997. By 2001 that computer had had memory, processor, and graphics upgrades, and NT had gotten unstable. I upgraded to Windows 2000 in 2001 and that same computer started performing flawlessly even though it was a mishmash of parts. Win 2K had lots of the Windows ME interface applied to it.

When my mom needed a new computer in late 2000, my brother and I noticed that the configurations we were looking at from Dell had enough power to run Win 2K, so my brother and I decided we should get Win 2K rather than Win ME. Mom used that computer for over 7 years till we got her a high powered HP laptop with Vista for Xmas 2007 so she could use Photoshop. She's still using that laptop in part due to its 17" monitor. I upgraded it to a Win 7 just 2 years after she got it due to how horrible Vista was. After having a second system crash that made the Windows 7 installation unbootable, I got her an SSD to replace the original physical system drive. In part I got the SSD, because I no longer have the patience to have to wait for the extra hours it takes to wait for hard drives to copy all the files during installation. Two years later, the computer works better than ever, and we'll probably keep it as long as Win 7 is supported by Microsoft.

[greeneyes]

My computer with windows xp crashed and died so I couldn’t even update it. I bought it just after vista(I think). Anyway whatever replaced had so many bugs, that I bought a Dell computer off the shelf that still had xp.

We got our grand daughter’s computer updated to windows 7, but since mine was done done done Hubby bought me a new one. I now have an HP all in one with windows 8.1.

It only had one sheet of quick start instructions and that really just was how to hook up the cords and stuff. No manual or anything. I have ordered a book - 8.1 for seniors and dummies.

Still trying to figure out the help button.

[W.]

Ouch. Well, millions have gone before you and the good thing of that is they’ve documented all the fun they had online. Run a search to help figure something out, it’s been an invaluable assist to me—I’ll still be learning W7 stuff when it goes obsolete...