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.
Windows 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:
Windows 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 '90s.
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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