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Windows 3.1 Turns 30: Here’s How It Made Windows Essential
How to Geek ^ | Apr 6, 2022 | Benj Edwards

Posted on 04/06/2022 3:18:19 PM PDT by upchuck

30 years ago—on April 6, 1992—Microsoft released Windows 3.1, which brought the company to a new level of success, kept the PC platform competitive with Macs, and set the stage for Windows PC domination. Here’s what was special about it...

(Excerpt) Read more at howtogeek.com ...


TOPICS: Local News
KEYWORDS: microsoft; windows; windows31; windowspinglist
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To: Paladin2

Up until that time I was pretty ambivalent about the utility of a GUI.

But in 3.1 I discovered that I could have my editor, compiler, and debugger all open in separate windows and switch easily back and forth. I remember thinking yeah, this changes everything.

And then Windows for Workgroups came along and basically blew Novell out of the water, and the rest was history.


21 posted on 04/06/2022 3:51:07 PM PDT by DarrellZero
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To: SamAdams76

“1992 was the year I bought my first PC.”

Me too. [I still have it in working condition]

1993 was when I bought my second.

Turns out it’s tough to fix a “broken” [from screwing around with settings and s/w loads] without a way to look info up.


22 posted on 04/06/2022 3:54:08 PM PDT by Paladin2
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To: Signalman

Yep - it was a “DOS app”.

My Amiga was light years better.


23 posted on 04/06/2022 3:55:57 PM PDT by fuzzylogic (welfare state = sharing of poor moral choices among everybody)
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To: Paladin2

You can still do that in MS applications. Macros were my good friend before I retired.


24 posted on 04/06/2022 4:02:36 PM PDT by MayflowerMadam (When government fears the people, there is liberty.)
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To: upchuck

Leisure Suit Larry arrived.


25 posted on 04/06/2022 4:08:26 PM PDT by eyedigress (Trump is my President! )
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To: upchuck

Poor Macintosh imitation.

95 became a better imitation.


26 posted on 04/06/2022 4:15:14 PM PDT by ifinnegan (Democrats kill babies and harvest their organs to sell)
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To: Signalman

“It was an “operating environment” not a true operating system”.”

Basically it was a dos program.


27 posted on 04/06/2022 4:16:30 PM PDT by ifinnegan (Democrats kill babies and harvest their organs to sell)
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To: upchuck

I remember Windows 3.1.


28 posted on 04/06/2022 4:18:11 PM PDT by sauropod (So may we start? It's time to start.)
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To: Paladin2

Yeah it had networking. Good ole NETBEUI!


29 posted on 04/06/2022 4:32:01 PM PDT by Alas Babylon! (Rush, we're missing your take on all of this!)
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To: upchuck

Is this when the flying toasters came out?


30 posted on 04/06/2022 4:38:44 PM PDT by cll (Serviam!)
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To: upchuck

I had a version of windows 1.0 that came packaged with Pagemaker. I used it to layout a newslatter. The screens would a some point just turn black until the new version came out.


31 posted on 04/06/2022 4:47:38 PM PDT by kvanbrunt2
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To: upchuck

I recollect what really made it a success was an aggregated commitment at first release from various hardware vendors to include Windows 3.1 on 100m computers in the near future (a year?).

We all know Msquish had to fight legions of bugs with every first release of almost every product. (That was less the case for Flight Simulator.)


32 posted on 04/06/2022 4:48:34 PM PDT by rx (Truth will out!)
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To: MayflowerMadam

You can still do that in MS applications. Macros were my good friend before I retired.>>>. I set up a whole new system security for a couple thousand people using a macro recording testing tool.


33 posted on 04/06/2022 5:00:24 PM PDT by kvanbrunt2
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To: Paladin2

“ There was some kind of command scripting recording macro tool that would copy a series of actions…”

Yes there was. I still have one of several machines with XP which I use every day for a few legacy programs. Macro Magic which does exactly what you describe is on that machine. I’ve had the program since before 2000 and also use it every day for macros I created that go back years.


34 posted on 04/06/2022 5:16:11 PM PDT by icclearly
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To: SamAdams76

Same experience here. Same year. I had Aldus Pagemaker and Word Perfect. A whopping 200MB hard drive!


35 posted on 04/06/2022 5:30:02 PM PDT by Fester Chugabrew ("Poets have been mysteriously silent on the subject of cheese." -G.K. Chesterton)
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To: Renfrew

I really liked 98 SR 2 and Windows 3.11

Was writing Windows software in those days.


36 posted on 04/06/2022 5:32:28 PM PDT by SaveFerris (The Lord, The Christ and The Messiah: Jesus Christ of Nazareth - http://www.BiblicalJesusChrist.Com/)
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To: Paladin2

“3.11 was better....”
Indeed. Far better. The first computer I bought as a complete system and not put together myself via The Computer Shoppers Guide was the Gateway 2000 Big Kahuna. It came with DOS 3.11.


37 posted on 04/06/2022 5:42:18 PM PDT by ocrp1982 (In Christ All Things are Possible)
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To: rarestia

“That still exists in Windows. Look for steps recorder.”

Step Recorder does not create macros or an executable batch file. Step Recorder records the steps you take on the machine to help solve problems. Not execute commands.


38 posted on 04/06/2022 5:44:28 PM PDT by icclearly
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To: Renfrew

The first thing I install is Classic Shell, so I never have to see the execrable Metro interface again.


39 posted on 04/06/2022 5:54:30 PM PDT by bigbob
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To: ShadowAce; Abby4116; afraidfortherepublic; aft_lizard; AF_Blue; AppyPappy; arnoldc1; ATOMIC_PUNK; ..
Windows 3.1 can't be trusted any more (turned 30) ... PING!

You can find all the Windows Ping list threads with FR search: just search on keyword "windowspinglist".

Thanks to ShadowAce for the ping!

40 posted on 04/06/2022 6:06:54 PM PDT by dayglored ("Listen. Strange women lying in ponds distributing swords is no basis for a system of government.")
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