Generations of Windows Operating System

-By Joy Batra

It all started in 1983 at a hotel in New York. Two Microsoft founders, Paul Allen and Bill Gates, officially announced the first and next-generation operating system for their corporation – Microsoft Windows. Despite the criticism of stability and constant comparisons with the Apple Macintosh, Microsoft Windows is still the most widely used operating system in the world. In this article, we’ll take you to a long but inspirational tour of Windows Operating System and its various generations or versions till now. So let’s get started.

Overview

Bill Gates and Paul Allen formally founded Microsoft in April 1975. In 1983 Allen was infected with a disease and resigned from Microsoft, but kept himself as a member of Microsoft. Prior to his resignation, Allen and Gates invented MS-DOS(MS Disk Operating System) and sold it to the IBM as an operating system. This is Microsoft’s first operating system before Windows Series. It starts from Windows 1 in 1985 to Windows 10 present today. Here we’ll take a brief look at each of its version and how each time it’s gets changed from the previous one. Starting with Windows 1 & 2;

Windows 1 & 2 (1985-1987)

Windows 1.0 was the first operating system for a graphical user interface. This was the updated version of MS-DOS launched in 1981. It replaces MS-DOS commands with a graphical user interface. For the first time, the user does not need to enter a command to run it. Just move the mouse and click in the fields just as simple.

Windows 2.0 was released in late 1987 with the ability to overlap windows and graphics enhancement. Microsoft Windows 2.0 had gained its popularity because it had many user-friendly features. Microsoft has added keyboard shortcuts and icons to the desktop for displaying programs and files. What’s important is, Windows 2.0 is the first in Windows history to have the most popular maximize and minimize feature.

Windows 3 and Windows NT (1990-1996)

Windows third major release with an improved set of Windows icons and applications. File Manager and Program Manager like applications are quite useful in Windows today as well. Windows 3.1 had replaced the Windows 3 after 2 years of its releasing. In 1992, the latest version of Windows 3.1 was released with the necessary fixes and improved fonts.

Additionally, Windows 3.1 appeared for Windows NT 3.1 in 1993, and later on, an improved version of Windows NT 3.5, Windows NT 3.51, was released. Also the support of OpenGL graphics standard, the NT operating system helps high-end applications for software development, engineering, financial analysis, and important scientific and business tasks.

Windows 95 (1995)

Windows 95, codenamed as Chicago, was the successor to the entire existing Windows operating system after its launching. It offers full support of graphical user interface, an integrated 32-bit Transmission Control Protocol / Internet Protocol (TCP / IP) stack for embedded Internet support, dial-up networking, and new plug-and-play features that make it easy for users to install Hardware and facilitating software.

In addition, File names can now be up to 250 characters long and RAM supported for Windows 95 up to 512 MB with virtual effect 2 GB. DOS was almost bypassed and is now only used for the booting process.

Windows 98 (1998)

Windows 98 was the first operating system with Internet Explorer integrated. It comes with support for new technologies like DVD, USB, FAT32, and more. Windows 98 is an improvement over Windows 95.

Described as an operating system that “Works better, Plays better,” Windows 98 is the first version of Windows designed especially for users. Move the mouse over a user-activated program or function to display a “Help tip” with a short description. Microsoft later released Windows 98 SE with several bug fixes.

Windows 2000 (2000)

In Feb 2000, Microsoft released a very similar version of Windows 98. Windows 2000 was filled with important fixes. In addition to upgrading to Windows NT, Windows 2000 Professional replaces Windows 95, Windows 98, and Windows NT on all business desktops and laptops.

Users can now visualize images as thumbnails. Under Windows 2000, Microsoft’s main focus seemed to be making tasks simpler, more stable, and more attractive to users.

Windows ME (2000)

Windows Millennium Edition is the last MS-DOS based Windows. Released in September 2000, it was a consumer-focused operating system combined with the enterprise edition. Windows ME has introduced several key consumer concepts, including more automated system recovery tools.

Its key features include a new media player with removable skins and support for multiple file systems. In addition, the system icon has been expanded with new high colours. There aren’t many new improvements in Windows ME other than the system restore feature.

Windows XP (2001)

The first major change for Windows XP was the naming convention for sequential iterations of the user-centred Windows operating system. Perhaps it was one of the best versions of Windows at that time. After releasing in October 2001 Windows XP brings Microsoft’s corporate and consumer operating systems under one roof.

It is based on Windows NT and Windows 2000 but carries the user-friendly elements of Windows ME. The start menu and taskbar redesigned visually and include the familiar green start button, blue taskbar, a variety of shadows and other visual effects.

With a fresh visual design, Windows XP Professional offers advanced business and home computing capabilities. It also includes remote desktop support, file system encryption and system recovery, and advanced networking.

Windows Vista (2006)

Vista considered as a failure when compared to XP. This has been one of Microsoft’s most controversial operating systems. Initially available for businesses in 2006, the software released in public in early 2007 with a new user interface. Windows Vista comes with a new Aero user interface with a redesigned shell and security features. In spite of this, it got very harsh reviews in the end. In a survey that time, only 8% were satisfied with the Vista, while 41% were still wanted to with XP.

Windows 7 (2009)

Despite commercial problems with Windows Vista, Microsoft has not been able to launch a replacement for nearly three years. To meet consumer demand for a fast and secure operating system, Microsoft released Windows 7 in 2009 with a compatible Vista user interface. Even though it is a similar version to its predecessor, Windows 7 fulfils user needs. This takes Vista’s aero effects to the next level, making it transparent, cleaner, and faster.

Microsoft has removed many of the space-consuming Vista features in Windows 7, including Windows Movie Maker, Photo Gallery, and Windows Mail. This made Windows 7 a commercial successor. Meanwhile, you can say it is the most popular Microsoft operating system in use today as well.

Windows 8 & 8.1 (2012)

Windows 8 was released in October 2012 and is the most radical change to the Windows user interface. It rejects the start button and menu in favour of a more comfortable touch screen. Created with a new user interface system which confused and disappointed many. While many computers now have the touch, that may not be the case in 2012. This radical new transformation criticized by many. Like Vista, Windows 8 has also resulted in an unsuccessful attempt to surprise users.

Microsoft released Windows 8.1 in 2013. A free upgrade for Windows 8 users designed to fix many of the issues users were complaining about at the time. This includes changes to the user interface design – most importantly a return to the classic Start button. Now users can also upgrade directly to the Windows 8.1 desktop. Meanwhile, It is more suitable for users who use a desktop computer with a mouse and keyboard as a touch screen.

Windows 10 (2015)

Designed to integrate all Windows platforms across multiple devices, including Windows Phones and tablets, into a universal application that can be downloaded from the Windows Store and runs on all Windows devices. Windows 10 is the ninth version of its family and also an all-rounder. Released in July 2015, with fast processing and stability. Fingerprint support and face recognition have also been introduced, making tablet and mobile note-taking functions easier to use.

Windows 10 has a number of features such as Microsoft Edge (alternative to Internet Explorer), Cortana, Continuum, Windows Hello, and many more. This time, Microsoft did a rollback and added new features such as returning to the Start menu, virtual desktop, and universal apps for the Windows Store. Windows 10 can run in tablet mode or normal mode. However, after a long history of Windows, Microsoft announced that Windows 10 would be the last operating system in this Windows lineup.

You can more read about more details and future projects of Microsoft windows here.

Hope you have found this article useful. Thanks for reading.

Image Sources: Google Images