Microsoft Windows needs no introduction. since this is the most popular Operating System for personal computers that powers roughly 90% of the world’s desktops and laptops. Today, Microsoft is an industry behemoth that literally defines how the computing world works with its Windows OS. In fact, it played a essential role in shaping the digital era that we live in.
This journey to greatness has taken them several decades. it all begun with the creation of the very first version of the Windows operating system. Back then, the race for the mainstreaming of personal computers was just starting and Microsoft quickly became the popular choice among people once it released the Windows OS.
The Beginning
Before Windows, Microsoft had MS-DOS for personal computers. It was an operating system without a graphical user interface (GUI). A GUI is a graphical interface that allows you to use an operating system with visual elements like icons, buttons, and windows. MS-DOS was a text-based interface and thus, it was really difficult for most people to use it.
In 1981, Xerox came up with the first-ever graphical interface for a computer. Apple quickly followed with its own graphical implementation in 1983 with the Lisa computer. Microsoft couldn’t ignore the increasing popularity of the graphical interfaces and so, in 1985, it released Windows 1.0 which was its first GUI-based OS and the very first version of the Windows operating system.
This kickstarted an incredible journey of incremental as well as revolutionary updates over more than two decades that have culminated in the Windows 10 that we know and love today. During this time, the world witnessed the domination of the Windows operating system in the personal computer market that led to the rise of Microsoft as a tech giant.
Windows 1.0 – The Start
The first version Windows that was launched in 1985. Even though it was a new launch on the surface (with a new name), it was actually just an extension of MS-DOS. It can be said that the brand new GUI was just placed on top of the existing MS-DOS. At the core, it was the basic disk operating system from before. Nonetheless, it gave Microsoft a new direction and helped them remain with the latest trend of graphical interfaces at the time.
It gave users a new way to experience computing by pointing and clicking at visual elements for the first time in Windows. One interesting part is that most of the graphical elements in Windows 1.0 were actually licensed from Apple. It caused lots of restrictions on what Microsoft could and couldn’t do in Windows 1.0. But there were a great number of applications that made up for it like – calendar, clock, file manager, notepad, and Reversi (a game).
Windows 2.0
Just two years later, Microsoft released the second version of Windows to the public. This iteration was more about incremental updates and making the first version better. Microsoft’s main focus was to improve the graphical user interface and the memory management system. There were a whole host of notable improvements along with some new features as well.
In this version, Microsoft introduced resizable and overlapping windows which made the interface much more manageable. It also introduced Microsoft Word and Excel, two of the most popular software ever made. This version also improved on the multi-tasking abilities by opening up expanded memory for software programs to use. With Windows 2.0, Microsoft was able to catch up to Apple’s lead and now the playing field was even.
Windows 3.0
Pretty much everybody agrees that Windows 3.0 released in 1990 was the turning point for Microsoft and it is what began its domination over the PC market. At the time, this release was regarded as a huge commercial success as it sold 2 million copies in first 6 months of its release. The computers and the operating systems that we know today were finally beginning to take shape with support for more colors and a more polished user interface.
This version was built from the ground up leveraging the Assembly language which made it much faster and lighter. It was also much better than before at multi-tasking which was definitely a factor for its success. Also of note was the introduction of the classic game Solitaire that everyone just fell in love with. This game still gives people nostalgic feels.
Over the next few years, Microsoft released Windows 3.1, and 3.11 with bug fixes and prominent features such as multimedia support, Truetype font support, drag and drop feature, etc.
Windows 95
Windows 95 was probably the first introduction to Windows (and computers in general) for most millennials. Released in 1995, it is widely regarded as the most iconic version of Windows. As it was the 10 year anniversary of the first version, Microsoft gave it a major redesign that has stuck around even today (in its most fundamental form).
It got the start menu and the taskbar that are still present in the latest version. Windows 95 also the first 32-bit version of Windows, allowing for greater capabilities. Microsoft also introduced the Internet Explorer browser as the internet was starting to get popular among regular people. This was a game-changer in terms of adoption.
Other notable additions were improvements to multi-tasking and stability, the introduction of plug-and-play feature for peripherals, long file names, direct boot without relying on MS-DOS, etc.
Over the next few years, Microsoft released Windows 98 and Windows ME, which brought in more incremental updates. Microsoft was increasingly building internet software programs like Outlook, Microsoft Chat, and the likes.
Windows XP
This OS is one of the most successful and long-lasting versions of Windows. If you are a long time user of Windows, you probably spent a lot of years using this system. Windows XP was released in 2001 and came with a plethora of changes and new features. One of the most iconic ones being the green Start menu button and the blue taskbar.
For the first time, a single version of Windows came with two variants – Windows XP Home and Windows XP Professional. Microsoft solved the stability issues of the preceding versions and made XP a really secure and stable platform over the succeeding years. It also had features like native CD burning, desktop search, customizable themes, and more.
This was probably the first version of Windows that was built to be really consumer-friendly. People loved it so much that it was supported by Microsoft until 2014.
Windows Vista
Windows Vista was released in 2007 and with it, Microsoft tried to go all out. It introduced a highly modern design language and tried to make it the most powerful system it can be. However, that backfired and thus, Vista became one of the most controversial releases by Microsoft. There was a slew of problems with this OS that made a lot of users switch back to XP (this was another reason why XP lasted so long).
The new design was too much to handle for most computers (due to the lack of hardware resources). As such, it made them slow. The new security measures became another point of headache for most regular users. However, there were some nice new features too like – Windows Defender, speech recognition, Direct X (for gaming), and so on.
Windows 7
Windows 7, released in 2009, was the start of the modern era of computing. With it, Microsoft tried to erase the mistakes of Windows Vista. It was a faster OS that came with both 32-bit and 64-bit versions. It received much faster boot times, removed some old features from Vista, introduced handwriting recognition, better power management on laptops, and was an overall much more stable release compared to the previous version.
Windows 8 and 8.1
With Windows 8, Microsoft again tried to do things differently in 2012. It built a tablet-inspired design by introducing a new Start screen instead of the traditional Start menu. It had live tiles that displayed real-time information. Even though the design was aesthetically pleasing, most users were confused by it. As such, Windows 8 received mixed reviews even though it brought in features like faster performance, support for USB 3.0, Xbox Live integration, etc.
With Windows 8.1 in 2013, Microsoft addressed the public’s concerns and reintroduced the Start Menu button in the taskbar, and also brought back the old desktop. It was released as a free update for Windows 8 users.
Windows 10
This is the most impressive Windows OS version that was released in 2015. It was launched as a free upgrade (for a limited time) for the users of Windows 7, 8, and 8.1. This is why it has the highest market share among different Windows versions. It came with a new Start menu that was bigger than before as it included the live tiles from Windows 8. However, this time, the new implementation was loved by the users.
Windows 10 gave everything that the users had been asking for. A desktop-first experience. It was the same experience that everyone had come to know and love over the past decade but came with a really beautiful new design. It also came with new features like Cortana (a digital assistant), a new browser called Microsoft Edge, support for universal apps, and so on.
One of the most major changes starting from Windows 10 was that Microsoft would no longer introduce numbered updates. So, there will never be a Windows 11 (at least according to what we know). Microsoft has switched to providing feature updates every six months to Windows 10 along with smaller updates in between. This will be the state of Windows for the foreseeable future.