Windows 1.0 was released on
November 20, 1985.
CGA/Hercules/EGA (or compatible)
MS-DOS 2.0
256 KB Ram
2 double-sided disk drives or a hard drive
The first version of Microsoft Windows included a
simple
graphics painting program called Windows Paint;
Windows Write, a simple word processor
an appointment calendar;
a card-filer; a notepad; a clock;
a control panel; a computer terminal;
Clipboard; and RAM driver.
Microsoft
Windows computing boxes, or windows represented
a fundamental aspect of the operating system.
Instead of typing MS-DOS commands windows 1.0
allowed
users to point and click to access the windows.
Windows 1.0 was Microsoft's attempt at a graphical
multitasking
operating system for the IBM PC.
Effectively a front end to MS-DOS, Windows 1.0 could run
multiple DOS based applications.
The
system requirements for Windows 1.0:
MS-DOS
2.0, 256 kB of RAM, an EGA
graphics adapter,
two floppy disk drives or a hard drive.
Windows
2.1:
Windows 2.1 was released on May 27, 1988.
Versions 2.0x used the real-mode memory model, whichWindows 1 and 2 were heavily
ignored or viewed as little
more than yet another DOS shell.
Even Microsoft's original
intention was to replace Windows
2.x with OS/2.
However, after IBM and Microsoft went their separate ways
Microsoft focused on delivering Windows 3.x while
building their own new "Windows NT" operating system,
with the intent of using Windows 3.x as a "stepping stone"
to get users to their NT based system.
This stepping stone lasted a
little longer than they wanted,
going through 95, 98 and finally ending with Windows ME.
There was also a less common
version of Windows 3.1 bundled
with Microsoft's MS-DOS based networking software
named "Windows 3.1 for Workgroups".
Regular Windows 3.1 did not
include any networking software,
but could run on top of any DOS based network such as
DEC Pathworks, or Microsoft Lan Manager.
An update, basically a service
pack, could
be applied to Windows 3.1 that brought
the version number up to "3.11".
"Windows 3.11 for Workgroups"
bundled an integrated
Windows 386-protected mode network system, replacing the
MS-DOS version.
Windows 95:
In 1995,
Windows 95 was launched.
The minimum hardware requirements for Microsoft Windows 95:
Actual requirements may vary
based on
features you choose to install.
Therefore, on a 1GB drive, keep 100MB free.
Options, some of which are required by applications, include:
Mouse or compatible pointing deviceWindows 95 is a big successor
of Microsoft to their Windows
for Workgroups 3.xx.
It is no longer a graphic user interface on MS-DOS, but a
complete operation system.
Although users can see regular
MS-DOS window in the boot
process, the system take over MS-DOS 7.0 after it
loaded completely.
The windows control in Windows
95 was improved too.
The system box in the upper left of each window is designed
as an icon of the program.
In each window, the system box, "Minimize",
"Maximize/Restore"
and "Close" are usually located at the upper right corner.
In this version of Windows,
desktop was no longer a place to
display minimized icons.
Desktop now can not only store shortcuts and system icons
such
as new introduced "My Computer" and "Recycle Bin", but
also
store files and programs.
Before Windows 95, Microsoft
almost never provided functions that
could be accessed by a right click in Windows system,
from Windows 95, right click pop-up menu became more
popular and important.
User could use right click to
access the functions of "copy",
"paste" and "cut" almost everywhere in the system.
Some functions such as "properties" and quick "help" can
also be accessed conveniently.
Windows 95 came with an
improved help system, which added
another window to the left of the content window to show
index, and keywords.
The new help system can be displayed in any place of the
window
with any kind of size.
It also supported hyperlink with different functions, such
as
closing the help system.
Other features like Build-in network support with dial-up
for
TCP/IP protocol, support of 32-bit application, pre-emptive
multitasking and thread made Windows 95 stronger to meet the
requirement of Internet access and other complex tasks.
Floppy disks are read and written by a floppy disk drive (FDD).
The
diskette, or floppy disk was invented by IBM and in common
use from the mid 1970's to the late 1990's.
The first floppy disks were 8 inches, and later in came
5.25
and 3.5-inch formats.
The
first floppy disk, introduced in 1971, had a
capacity of 79.7 kB,
and was read-only.
A
floppy disk is called a floppy because the original
floppies
were 8 inches wide and the disk was made out of vinyl so
they
were really flimsy and "floppy" hence came the name
floppy.
The 5.25-inch diskettes were available in a
capacity of
160 KB single Side, 360 KB low-density and
1.2 MB high-density sizes.
By
1994, the 5.25-inch disk was extinct and was
replaced by
the preferred 3.5-inch disks.
The 5 1/4" floppy diskette was really floppy (flimsy),
hence the name.
The 3.5-inch floppy disk format was the last
mass-produced format,
replacing 5.25-inch floppies by the mid 1990's.
It was more durable than previous floppy formats since
the
packaging was rigid plastic with a sliding
metal shutter.
Online Services long before Facebook:
Click on logo for the old
Dial-Up looks & sound.
CompuServe
Prodigy online service
Juno online
service
GEnie
(General Electric Network for Information Exchange)
was an online service created by a General Electric
business.
A Usenet
newsgroup is a repository usually within the Usenet
system,
for messages posted from many users in different
locations using Internet.
Despite the name, newsgroups are discussion groups,
and are not devoted to publishing news, but were when the
internet was young.
Newsgroups
are still around today,
but only accessed with a fee.
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