Evolution of 35 years of Windows OS
Windows operating system can be considered as the most popular and user friendly operating system currently in use. It could gain higher attention in a short period of time as it allowed the user to access the PC without any difficulties meanwhile providing some productive tools such as MS Office. This could make the Windows OS compete with the other challenging operating systems in the field ever since it was launched in 1985. Windows OS was the very first Graphical User Interface operating system for IBM compatible PCs which were using MS-DOS. The current latest version Windows 10 is the last member of years of evolution. Let us look back to the history.
Windows 1.0
Windows 1.0 is the first version of Windows OS which was officially unveiled on November 20, 1985. It was a 16-bit half MS-DOS based operating system and required less than 1MB of memory. It was actually not a real OS but more like an operating environment. Minimum requirements for Windows 1.0 are 256 KBs, two double-sided floppy disk drives and a graphics adapter card. The operating system could be controlled with the mouse and the keyboard. Further it contained some simple programs such as Calculator, Notepad and MS-DOS File Management with task simplifying features such as drop-down menus, dialog boxes, scroll bars and icons etc. Although it has hugely grown up today, Windows 1.0 was unable to fulfill the expectations. It was mostly criticized because of its poor performance when running multiple application at once. This version ended supporting on December 31, 2001.
Windows 2.0
Windows 2.0 is the second operating system of Microsoft which was a 16-bit MS-DOS based OS with desktop icons and expanded memory. It was launched on December 9, 1987. This version mainly focused on speed and graphics support. It allowed the user to overlap windows, use keyboard shortcut and control screen layout etc. It also introduced more sophisticated keyboard-shortcuts and the terminology of “minimize” and “maximize”. The desktop icons were introduced and some applications like Control Panel, Print, Notepad, Word and Excel made their debut in this version. Windows 2.0 version also ended supporting on December 31, 2001.
Windows 3.0
Windows 3.0 was launched on May 22, 1990 and soon this version became popular as the design was well improved. It was also a MS-DOS based OS with a new graphical user interface where applications are represented as clickable icons. This Windows was faster and supported advanced graphics with 16 colors. This OS could run on protected mode which gave the access to several megabytes of memory, without the obligation to participate in the software virtual memory scheme. Its price was more expensive as this version was faster than all the previously launched operating systems. Some different managers such as Program Manager, File Manager and Print Manager were included in Windows 3.0. This version ended supporting January 31, 2001.
Windows 3.1
Windows 3.1 was also a MS-DOS based OS which was launched on April 6, 1992. This was an updated edition of Windows 3.0 with 16-bit operating environment. This OS dropped real mode support and required a minimum of 286PC with 1MB of RAM to run. Windows 3.1 had increased system stability compared to Windows 3.0 and introduced the Windows Registry, which was a centralized database. Icons could be dragged and dropped for the first time with this version. Some of the older features of Windows 3.0 were removed, such as CGA graphic support although Windows 3.0’s CGA driver still supported on Windows 3.1. This OS ended supporting on December 31, 2001.
Windows NT 3.1
Windows NT 3.1, which supports advanced engineering and scientific programs, was launched on July 27, 1993. It began as a rewrite of OS/2 operating system, which Microsoft had co-developed with IBM in 1980s. Windows NT 3.1 is a 32-bit operating system unlike its previous versions.
Windows 95
Windows 95 was the more enhanced version of Windows compared to all the preceding versions. This was launched on August 24 and it got a huge attention soon it was released. It was a 32-bit operating system which provides enhanced multimedia capabilities, high end features for mobile computing and integrated networking. Windows 9X was used instead of MS_DOS in this new version. Windows 95 introduced the Start Menu and the Taskbar with Maximize, Minimize and Close Button was also appeared for the first time. And the features like built-in internet support, dial-up networking, new plug and play capabilities were also available in this version. This was one of the first operating systems where the internet could be used. This version ended supporting December 31, 2001.
Windows 98
Windows 98, which was launched on June 25, 1998, was an upgraded version of Windows 95, which fixed bugs and errors with Windows 95. This operating system also used Windows 9X. Windows 98 was faster, more steadier and had the ability to open and close programs quickly. Support for reading DVD disc and USBs was added in this edition of Windows. And also “Quick Launch” feature was introduced. This ended supporting on July 11, 2006.
Windows 2000
Windows 2000 Professional version was designed with an intention to replace all the previous versions on all business desktops. Windows 2000 was based on Windows NT 4.0 and released on February 17, 2000. Workstation Code and it came out with a large number of improvements in reliability, internet capability, support for mobile computing, support for advanced networking and wireless products, IEEE 1394 devices etc. This include improved USB support and accessibility as well as support for hardware advancement such as DVD players. It was the first Windows operating system which adopted the Windows Driver Model.
Windows Millennium Edition (Windows Me)
Windows Me was launched on September 14, 2000, in between Windows 98 and Windows 2000. It was the last OS released in the Windows 9X series, which was targeted specifically the home PC users. In this version, System Restore was introduced for the first time. This important feature enabled the user to roll back the PC to last know good configuration before a problem occurred. It had more internet games, ability to restore the system and view programs like Windows Media Player and Windows Movie Maker compared to the Windows 98 version. Windows Me happened to be the last operating system to be based on Windows 95 code. This version ended supporting July 11, 2006.
Windows XP
Windows XP was Client NT based operating system and one of the best-selling products ever in the history of Microsoft. It was launched on October 25, 2001. The layout and the look of the Windows were redesigned to improve the usability. Basically, Windows XP has two editions- Windows XP Home and Windows XP Professional with the former designed for home use and the later provides key features for business and advanced home computing. Accessing different screens, Handling the Control Panel, Start Menu, Taskbar became more spontaneous. Much focus was put on security updates in this edition to counter the virus and hackers’ attacks. Windows XP also provided Help and Support feature. This version ended supporting on April 8, 2014.
Windows Vista
The most secured Operating System, Windows Vista was released on January 30, 2007. This was also client NT based. User Account Control, BitLocker Drive Encryption were provided to protect the system data. Enhancements were made to the Windows Media Player as digital media became the center of attraction. The Taskbar and Start button got a brand-new look in this edition. Voice recognition technology, a new search component named Windows Search and new multimedia tools such as Windows DVD Maker were added in this version. But this version had some problems like; the software and support from other parties were not up-to-date. Windows Vista ended supporting on April 11, 2017.
Windows 7
Launched on October 22, 2009.Windows 7 was an incremental upgrade to Windows Vista and it was built mainly for the wireless devices such as laptops which started to overtake the desktops. The interface with the introduction of live thumbnail previews was simple and interesting to use. It contained new features like multi-touch support and new kind of a taskbar that allowed applications to be pinned to it. Windows 7 is available in mainly 6 editions; Starter, Home Basic, Home Premium, Professional, Enterprise and Ultimate. Ended supporting on January 14, 2020.
Windows 8
Windows 8 was launched on October 26, 2012. In this version the Charms bar was added where you could search programs or go to settings and Windows Media Center and Start button was removed. System requirements were higher than windows 7. This edition was launched for Tablets, Laptops and PCs and completely different from the previous versions. The interface is completely redesigned, and the Live Tiles were introduced which provided the rich viewing experience for the user. One thing to be noticed in this version is that the Start button was not included. The extraordinary features in this version are Start screen which contains tiles that are used to access apps and files and also Windows Store was introduced to download new apps and games. However this version ended supporting on January 12, 2016.
Windows 10
Windows 10 was released on July 29, 2015 which supports for Universal apps.which was an expansion of the Metro-style apps. Universal apps can be designed to run across multiple Micrisoft product families including PCs , tablets, smartphone, embeded systems, Xbox One, Surface Hub and Mixed Reality. Microsoft decided to take back the classic grapgical user inerface of Windows 7 with some modifications. There are 3 standard buttons on Taskbar; Start Menu, Search button and Task view. Mocrosoft Edge wase released which is a new standard browser after 20 years of Internet Explorer. End of support of Windows 10 version will be January 10, 2029.
It’s time to see the brief history of Windows Operating System.
