Just a stroll down memory lane.
Published: November 19, 2015 -- 16:06
Windows 1.0
November 20, 1985
Windows -- originally codenamed Interface Manager -- was announced by Bill Gates in 1983, but didn't ship until 20 November 1985. Its first incarnation was as a front end for Microsoft's command-line DOS, or Disk Operating System.
Windows 1.0 could only support tiled windows, but had desktop features such as the MS-DOS Executive file manager, Calendar, Cardfile, Notepad, Terminal, Calculator and Clock.
Utilities included RAMDrive, for managing memory cards designed to beat the PC's 640KB memory limit, Clipboard and Print Spooler. There was even a game, Reversi. In a special introductory offer, Windows 1.0 came with Windows Write and Windows Paint and cost $99.
Windows 2.0
December 9, 1987
The second version of Windows introduced overlapping windows and supported 16-colour VGA graphics. It marked the debut of the Control Panel and Program Information Files, or PIFs, that told Windows how to run DOS applications,. It was also the first Windows platform for Microsoft's Word and Excel applications.
Like Windows 1.0, version 2.0 could run on a dual-floppy-drive PC without a hard disk. It used the real-mode memory model, limiting memory access to 1MB.
Overlapping windows and other Mac-like features in Windows 2.0 resulted in an ultimately unsuccessful Apple lawsuit in 1988.
Windows 3.0
May 22, 1990
The first Windows version to achieve widespread use, Windows 3.0 saw significant user interface changes, as well as improved exploitation of the Intel 286 and 386 processors' memory management capabilities.
Program Manager and File Manager made their first appearance here, along with a redesigned Control Panel and Solitaire -- a Windows staple to this day. Everything looked better thanks to Windows 3.0's support for 256-colour VGA.
Windows NT 3.1
July 27, 1993
Windows NT was born from the wreckage of Microsoft's ill-fated OS/2 partnership with IBM. It was built from the ground up under the leadership of ex-DEC software engineer Dave Cutler as a fully 32-bit pre-emptive multitasking, multithreaded, multiprocessing, multiuser operating system with a hybrid kernel and a hardware abstraction layer to facilitate porting between processor platforms.
It was initially developed for the Intel i860, whose N-Ten codename gave NT its name, although later marketing-led revisionism changed this to New Technology. NT variants have appeared on many CPU architectures, including IA-32, x86-64, Alpha, MIPS, PowerPC, ARM and Itanium. Its code base still underpins the current generation of Windows operating systems.
Windows 95
August 24, 1995
Launched with an unprecedented marketing push that included the Rolling Stones song Start Me Up - whose lyrics, detractors gleefully pointed out, included the line, "You make a grown man cry" - Windows 95 was a consumer-oriented hybrid 32-bit/16-bit OS with a brand-new user interface and modern features like plug-and-play automatic device detection and configuration.
Windows 95's UI saw the first appearance of the long-running features such as the Start button and menu - hence Start Me Up - the taskbar and system tray or notification area, and maximise, minimise, close buttons on windows. The start-up jingle for Windows 95 was written by Brian Eno, ironically, on a Mac.
Windows NT 4.0
August 24, 1996
Available in Workstation and Server versions at launch, and followed by Server, Enterprise Edition in 1997 and Terminal Server in 1998, Windows NT 4.0 added the Windows 95 user interface to the fully 32-bit, business-oriented NT operating system.
Under the surface, NT 4.0 saw a number of architectural improvements. In particular, the Graphics Device Interface, or GDI, was moved into kernel mode, giving a significant performance boost over NT 3.5x, although this also required graphics and printer drivers to be updated. NT 4.0 was also the first Windows version to support the DirectX multimedia API.
Windows 98
June 25, 1998
Windows 98 was even more consumer-friendly than its predecessor Windows 95. A range of user-interface enhancements were introduced via the bundled Internet Explorer 4's Windows Desktop Update, including the Quick Launch toolbar, Active Desktop, the ability to minimise a window by clicking its toolbar icon, plus backward and forward buttons, and an address bar, in Windows Explorer.
USB support, first introduced with Windows 95 OSR2.1 in April 1997, was much improved in Windows 98, encompassing hubs, scanners, mice, keyboards and joysticks -- but not modems, printers or storage devices.
Windows 2000 Professional
February 17, 2000
Built on the Windows NT 4.0 code base and designed to replace both NT 4.0 and Windows 98 - although Microsoft subsequently released the ill-starred Windows ME - Windows 2000 Professional brought significant improvements such as plug and play with full ACPI and WDM support, plus many features from the Windows 98/98 SE product line.
New across all Windows 2000 editions were NTFS 3.0, the Encrypting File System (EFS), Logical Disk Manager, an LDAP/Active Directory-enabled Address Book and the Microsoft Management Console (MMC). Windows File Protection prevented unauthorised programs from modifying critical system files.
Windows ME
September 14, 2000
The last of the DOS-based Windows 9x line, Millennium Edition is widely regarded as one of the worst Windows versions ever released.
Unlike Windows 95 and 98, it lacked real-mode DOS support, but did include the useful System Restore feature, which allowed users to take the system back to a previous stable configuration. Just as well, because the hurriedly released Windows ME was notorious for being buggy and crash-prone. It was quickly superseded by the far superior NT-based Windows XP.
Minimum system specifications for Windows ME were a 150MHz Pentium processor with 300MHz recommended, 32MB of RAM with 64MB recommended, and 320MB of hard disk space with 2GB recommended. It could address up to 1.5GB of RAM.
Windows XP
October 25, 2001
NT-based Windows XP succeeded the business-oriented Windows 2000 and the consumer-focused Windows ME, and initially came in Professional and Home versions. With a couple of Service Packs under its belt, XP - for 'eXPerience' - proved to be one of Microsoft's most successful Windows releases ever: extended support for this durable OS finally ended on April 8 2014 -- an unprecedented 12 and a half years after its launch.
The XP user interface featured an updated two-column Start menu, task-grouping support on the taskbar and the ability to lock the taskbar, among other enhancements -- all presented in a new default Luna visual style. Many other themes were available, including the classic Windows 95/2000 interface.
Windows Server 2003
April 24, 2003
The server version of Windows XP came in Web, Standard, Enterprise, and Datacenter editions, and succeeded the respective editions of Windows Server 2000.
Key new features included Active Directory enhancements; the Manage Your Server tool for administrating server roles; version 6.0 of the IIS web server; better Group Policy handling and administration; a backup and restore system, plus improved disk management; and enhanced scripting and command-line tools.
Windows Vista
January 30, 2007
Windows Vista had a convoluted gestation, a delayed birth, and a relatively short life, and retains a reputation as a particularly ill-conceived Windows release.
The main complaints centred on security features, digital rights management, hardware requirements and performance, and software compatibility.
After a false start on the XP code base, Longhorn (Vista's codename) was built on Windows Server 2003 SP1, having jettisoned key features such as WinFS. Despite an extensive beta test program, general availability of Vista came too late for the key Christmas 2006 PC-buying period.
Features that did ship included the Aero interface, which with the right hardware displayed transparent windows and other visual effects, and a redesigned Start menu.
Windows Server 2008
February 27, 2008
Built on the same code base as Windows Vista, Windows Server 2008 included important new features like Network Access Protection (NAP), Server Core, PowerShell and Read-Only Domain Controllers. Existing components such as IIS, Terminal Services and the SMB file-sharing protocol also received thorough overhauls.
NAP checks that PCs connected to the network are compliant with IT policies, and takes appropriate action if they are not. Server Core installs a minimalist GUI and a limited set of server roles, to minimise RAM and patching requirements.
Windows 7
October 22, 2009
Windows 7 is widely regarded as the operating system that Vista should have been. It quickly made inroads into Vista's and XP's market share.
Windows 7's main new interface feature was the redesigned taskbar, featuring the translucent Aero look, thumbnail previews with live content, Jump Lists of recently-opened files and Aero Peek for minimising open application windows to view the desktop.
Other key improvements were a revamped Windows Media Player 12 with internet streaming support, a Device Stage for managing peripherals from one convenient location, fewer User Access Control prompts, faster indexing for the native search, improved touch functionality and a virtualised XP Mode for running legacy applications.