Windows 1.0#Development history
{{short description|First major release of Microsoft Windows}}
{{Distinguish|Windows 10}}
{{good article}}
{{Use American English|date=February 2023}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2023}}
{{Infobox OS
| version of = Microsoft Windows
| name = Windows 1.0
| logo = Windows logo and wordmark - (1985-1989).svg
| logo_size = 200px
| logo alt = Logo of Microsoft Windows 1.0x versions
| screenshot = Windows1.0.png
| caption = Screenshot of Windows 1.01
| developer = Microsoft
| family = Microsoft Windows
| source_model = Closed source
| first release date = {{start date and age|1985|11|20}}
| latest release date = {{Start date and age|1987|4}}
| latest release version = 1.04
| license = Commercial software
| succeeded by = Windows 2.0 (1987)
| support status = Obsolete, unsupported as of December 31, 2001
}}
Windows 1.0 is the first major release of Microsoft Windows, a family of graphical operating systems for personal computers developed by Microsoft. It was first released to manufacturing in the United States on November 20, 1985, while the European version was released as Windows 1.02 in May 1986.
Its development began after the Microsoft co-founder and spearhead of Windows 1.0, Bill Gates, saw a demonstration of a similar software suite, Visi On, at COMDEX in 1982. The operating environment was showcased to the public in November 1983, although it ended up being released two years later. Windows 1.0 runs on MS-DOS, as a 16-bit shell program known as MS-DOS Executive, and it provides an environment which can run graphical programs designed for Windows, as well as existing MS-DOS software. It included multitasking and the use of the mouse, and various built-in programs such as Calculator, Paint, and Notepad. The operating environment does not allow its windows to overlap, and instead, the windows are tiled. Windows 1.0 received four releases numbered 1.01 through 1.04, mainly adding support for newer hardware or additional languages.
The system received lukewarm reviews; critics raised concerns about not fulfilling expectations, its compatibility with very little software, and its performance issues, while it has also received positive responses to Microsoft's early presentations and support from a number of hardware- and software-makers. Its last release was 1.04, and it was succeeded by Windows 2.0, which was released in December 1987. Microsoft ended its support for Windows 1.0 on December 31, 2001, making it the longest-supported out of all versions of Windows.
Development history
File:Microsoft Windows 1.0 page1.jpg
Microsoft showed its desire to develop a graphical user interface (GUI) as early as 1981.{{Cite journal |last=Alsop |first=Stewart II |date=January 18, 1988 |title=Microsoft Windows: Eclectism in UI |url=http://vintagecomputer.net/cisc367/PC-Letter_19880118.pdf |journal=P.C. Letter |volume=4 |issue=2 |pages=6–7 |access-date=November 23, 2017 |archive-date=March 8, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210308060223/http://vintagecomputer.net/cisc367/PC-Letter_19880118.pdf |url-status=live }} The development of Windows began after Bill Gates, co-founder of Microsoft and the lead developer of Windows, saw a demonstration at COMDEX 1982 of VisiCorp's Visi On, a GUI software suite for IBM PC compatible computers. A year later, Microsoft learned that Apple's own GUI software—also bit-mapped, and based in part on research from Xerox PARC—was much more advanced; Microsoft decided it needed to differentiate its own offering.{{r|alsop19880118}} In August 1983, Gates recruited Scott A. McGregor, one of the key developers behind PARC's original windowing system, to be the developer team lead for Windows 1.0.{{cite book|last1=Wallace|first1=James|title=Hard Drive: Bill Gates and the Making of the Microsoft Empire|last2=Erickson|first2=Jim|date=June 1, 1993|publisher=Harper Business|isbn=978-0-88730-629-7}}{{cite book|last1=Hey|first1=Tony|title=The Computing Universe: A Journey Through a Revolution|last2=Pápay|first2=Gyuri|date=December 8, 2014|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=978-1-316-12322-5|page=157}}{{cite magazine|last=Caruso|first=Denise|date=May 7, 1984|title=An Update on Windows: Developers to get package later this month|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ti4EAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA52|magazine=InfoWorld|volume=6|page=52|access-date=June 20, 2020|number=19|archive-date=September 18, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200918230555/https://books.google.com/books?id=ti4EAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA52|url-status=live}}
Microsoft first demonstrated a window manager to the press in September 1983. The demonstration featured a user interface similar to Multiplan and other contemporary Microsoft applications with a command bar at the bottom of the screen. It also showed multiple application windows in both overlapping and tiled arrangements.{{Cite news |last=Lemmons |first=Phil |date= |title=Microsoft Windows: A mouse with modest requirements |volume=8 |pages=48–54 |work=BYTE |publisher=McGraw-Hill |issue=12}} This user interface concept was soon reworked to only support tiled windows and to change the Multiplan-like command bar into a menu bar under each window's title bar. The redesigned environment ultimately had its public debut at Fall COMDEX 1983 in November 1983.{{cite journal |last=Markoff |first=John |date=November 21, 1983 |title=Microsoft Does Windows |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=uy8EAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA32 |journal=InfoWorld |location=Menlo Park, CA |publisher=Popular Computing |volume=5 |issue=47 |pages=32–36 |issn=0199-6649 |quote=On November 10, in New York, Microsoft announced Windows… Microsoft says it will ship Windows to dealers in April (although a product like Windows is difficult to predict and may take longer), priced between $100 and $250,}} Initially requiring 192 KB of RAM and two floppy disk drives, Microsoft described the software as a device driver for MS-DOS 2.0. By supporting cooperative multitasking in tiled windows when using well-behaved applications that only used DOS system calls and permitting non-well-behaved applications to run in a full screen, Windows differed from both Visi On and Apple Computer's Lisa by immediately offering many applications. Unlike Visi On, Windows developers did not need to use Unix to develop IBM PC applications; Microsoft planned to encourage other companies, including competitors, to develop programs for Windows by not requiring a Microsoft user interface in their applications.
Manufacturers of MS-DOS computers such as Compaq, Zenith, and DEC promised to provide support, as did software companies such as Ashton-Tate and Lotus.{{r|MS Windows 1983}} After previewing Windows, BYTE magazine stated in December 1983 that it "seems to offer remarkable openness, reconfigurability, and transportability as well as modest hardware requirements and pricing … Barring a surprise product introduction from another company, Microsoft Windows will be the first large-scale test of the desktop metaphor in the hands of its intended users."{{cite news |author=Lemmons |first=Phil |date=December 1983 |title=Microsoft Windows |page=48 |work=BYTE |publication-date=December 1983 |url=https://archive.org/stream/byte-magazine-1983-12/1983_12_BYTE_08-12_Easy_Software#page/n49/mode/2up |access-date=April 17, 2022}} From early in Windows's history, Gates viewed it as Microsoft's future. He told InfoWorld magazine in April 1984 that "our strategies and energies as a company are totally committed to Windows, in the same way that we're committed to operating-system kernels like MS-DOS and Xenix. We're also saying that only applications that take advantage of Windows will be competitive in the long run."{{cite news | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kC4EAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA80 | title=Company Strategies Boomerang | work=InfoWorld | date=April 2, 1984 | access-date=February 10, 2015 | author=Caruso, Denise | pages=80–83 | archive-date=March 16, 2015 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150316090408/https://books.google.com/books?id=kC4EAAAAMBAJ&lpg=PA80&pg=PA80 | url-status=live }} IBM was notably absent from Microsoft's announcement,{{r|MS Windows 1983}} and the corporation rejected Windows in favor of creating its own product called TopView.{{Cite web |last=Trower |first=Tandy |author-link=Tandy Trower |date=March 9, 2010 |title=The Secret Origin of Windows |url=https://www.technologizer.com/2010/03/08/the-secret-origin-of-windows/ |access-date=April 16, 2022 |website=Technologizer |language=en-US |archive-date=September 25, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190925182708/https://www.technologizer.com/2010/03/08/the-secret-origin-of-windows/ |url-status=live }} By late 1984, the press reported a "War of the Windows" between Windows, IBM's TopView, and Digital Research's Graphics Environment Manager (GEM).{{Cite news |last=Rosch |first=Winn L. |date=December 25, 1984 |title=The Curtain Rises On The War of the Windows |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=azbgSlPdJawC&pg=PA33 |work=PC Magazine |page=33 |access-date=October 25, 2013 |archive-date=July 4, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210704050450/https://books.google.com/books?id=azbgSlPdJawC&pg=PA33 |url-status=live }} Steve Ballmer replaced McGregor after he left the team in January 1985.
Microsoft had promised in November 1983 to ship Windows by April 1984,{{r|MS Windows 1983}} although, due to various design modifications, its release date was delayed.{{Cite web |last=Hofer |first=Marc |date=December 16, 2004 |title=Windows to the world: a brief history of this popular user interface |url=http://www.medien.ifi.lmu.de/fileadmin/mimuc/mmi_ws0405/uebung/essays/Marc_Hofer_2/Marc_Hofer.html |access-date=April 15, 2022 |website=Media Informatics and Human-Computer Interaction Groups of the Department of Informatics of the University of Munich |archive-date=July 2, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220702111223/http://www.medien.ifi.lmu.de/fileadmin/mimuc/mmi_ws0405/uebung/essays/Marc_Hofer_2/Marc_Hofer.html |url-status=live }} During its development and before its windowing system was developed, it was briefly referred to by the codename "Interface Manager".{{cite web |last1=Hanson |first1=Rowland |title=Windows is named Windows: But Why? |url=https://thehmccompany.com/windows-is-named-windows-but-why/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190328043228/https://thehmccompany.com/windows-is-named-windows-but-why/ |archive-date=March 28, 2019 |access-date=April 7, 2019 |website=The HMC Company}}{{Cite web |date=August 3, 2009 |title=A Brief History of Microsoft Windows |url=https://www.informit.com/articles/article.aspx?p=1358665&seqNum=2 |access-date=April 15, 2022 |website=Informit |page=2 |archive-date=March 19, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220319201811/https://www.informit.com/articles/article.aspx?p=1358665&seqNum=2 |url-status=live }} De-emphasizing multitasking, the company stated that Windows' purpose, unlike that of TopView, was to "turn the computer into a graphics-rich environment" while using less memory.{{r|rosch19841225}} After Microsoft persuaded IBM that the latter needed a GUI,{{r|alsop19880118}} the two companies announced in April 1987 the introduction of OS/2 and its graphical OS/2 Presentation Manager, which were supposed to ultimately replace both MS-DOS and Windows.{{cite web |year=2012 |title=A history of Windows |url=http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows/history |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121117023025/http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows/history |archive-date=November 17, 2012 |website=Microsoft Windows Support |publisher=Microsoft |quote=On November 20, 1985, two years after the initial announcement, Microsoft ships Windows 1.0.}}
= Release versions =
On {{start date and age|1985|11|20|paren=y}}, the first retail release, Windows 1.01, was released in the United States at a cost of US$99 (equivalent to about ${{Format price|{{Inflation|index=US|value=99|start_year=1985}}}} in {{Inflation/year|US}}).{{Cite web |last=Edwards |first=Benj |date=2021-08-24 |title=35 Years of Microsoft Windows: Remembering Windows 1.0 |url=https://www.howtogeek.com/700661/35-years-of-microsoft-windows-remembering-windows-1.0/ |access-date=2022-04-15 |website=How-To Geek |language=en-US |archive-date=2022-02-05 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220205015926/https://www.howtogeek.com/700661/35-years-of-microsoft-windows-remembering-windows-1.0/ |url-status=live }}{{Cite web |date=2015-11-19 |title=Windows 1.0 to 10: The changing face of Microsoft's landmark OS |url=https://www.zdnet.com/pictures/windows-1-0-to-10-the-changing-face-of-microsofts-landmark-os/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220416204027/https://www.zdnet.com/pictures/windows-1-0-to-10-the-changing-face-of-microsofts-landmark-os/ |archive-date=2022-04-16 |access-date=2022-04-16 |website=ZDNet |language=en}} In May 1986, the next release, 1.02, was published mainly for the European market, also introducing non-English versions of Windows 1.0.{{Cite web |last=Vaughan-Nichols |first=Steven J. |date=2021-06-29 |title=Should your business upgrade to Windows 11? |url=https://www.computerworld.com/article/3623288/should-your-business-upgrade-to-windows-11.html |access-date=2022-04-15 |website=Computerworld |language=en |archive-date=2022-04-08 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220408164707/https://www.computerworld.com/article/3623288/should-your-business-upgrade-to-windows-11.html |url-status=live }} The version 1.03, released in August 1986, included enhancements that made it consistent with the international release like drivers for non-U.S. keyboards and additional screen and printer drivers, and superseded both version 1.01 in the US and version 1.02 in Europe.{{Cite news |last=Petzold |first=Charles |author-link=Charles Petzold |date=May 26, 1987 |title=OS/2: Multitasking DOS Slated for '88 |volume=6 |pages=38 |work=PC Magazine |publisher=Ziff Davis, Inc. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=25_xnJJJmvgC |access-date=June 4, 2022 |issn=0888-8507 |archive-date=April 20, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220420175116/https://books.google.com/books?id=25_xnJJJmvgC&printsec=frontcover |url-status=live }}{{Cite web |last=Johnsen |first=Niels |date=November 25, 2019 |title=Microsoft Windows 1.0 frigives |url=https://go64.dk/microsoft-windows-1-0-frigives/ |access-date=June 4, 2022 |website=go64 |language=da-DK |quote=Frigivet i August 1986 og var den første version som indeholdt driver til andre keyboard en US modellerne [Released in August 1986 and was the first version which included drivers for other keyboards than the US models] |archive-date=January 25, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210125094118/https://go64.dk/microsoft-windows-1-0-frigives/ |url-status=live }} Version 1.04, released in April 1987, added support for the new IBM PS/2 computers, although no support for PS/2 mice or new VGA graphics modes was provided.{{cite web|url=http://www.winhistory.de/more/win1.htm|title=Windows 1|website=Winhistory.de|language=de|access-date=March 12, 2013|archive-date=February 14, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180214214802/http://www.winhistory.de/more/win1.htm|url-status=live}} However, on May 27, 1987, an OEM version was released by IBM, which added VGA support, PS/2 mouse support, MCGA support, and support for the 8514/A display driver.{{cite web|title=IBM PS2 OEM Microsoft Windows 1.04 - 720k|url=https://archive.org/details/IBMWindows104720k |website=archive.org|date=June 1987 |access-date=April 12, 2019}} IBM released this version on three 3.5-inch 720k floppies and offered it as part of their "Personal Publishing System" and "Collegiate Kit" bundles.{{Cite web |date=April 7, 1987 |title=IBM's SolutionPac personal publishing system a serious addition to desk-top publishing |url=https://techmonitor.ai/technology/ibms_solutionpac_personal_publishing_system_a_serious_addition_to_desk_top_publishing |access-date=April 15, 2022 |website=Tech Monitor |language=en-US |archive-date=May 19, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210519030720/https://techmonitor.ai/technology/ibms_solutionpac_personal_publishing_system_a_serious_addition_to_desk_top_publishing |url-status=live }} Microsoft ended its support for Windows 1.0 on December 31, 2001, making it the longest-supported version out of all versions of Windows.{{cite web|date=July 25, 2011|title=Obsolete Products|url=http://support.microsoft.com/gp/lifeobsoleteproducts|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050814234847/http://support.microsoft.com/gp/lifeobsoleteproducts|archive-date=August 14, 2005|work=Support|publisher=Microsoft}}{{Cite book |last=Cowart |first=Robert |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/56647752 |title=Special edition using Microsoft Windows XP home |date=2005 |publisher=Que |others=Brian Knittel |isbn=978-0-7897-3279-8 |edition=3 |location=Indianapolis, Ind. |pages=92 |oclc=56647752 |access-date=April 15, 2022 |archive-date=June 4, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220604163856/https://www.worldcat.org/title/special-edition-using-microsoft-windows-xp-home/oclc/56647752 |url-status=live }}
Features
File:MS-DOS Executive, Windows 1.04.png
Windows 1.0 was built on the MS-DOS kernel,{{Cite book |last=Shinder |first=Thomas W. |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/55664320 |title=MCSA/MCSE managing and maintaining a Windows server 2003 environment : exam 70-290 study guide and DVD training |date=2003 |publisher=Syngress |others=Debra Shinder Littlejohn, Jeffrey A. Martin |isbn=978-0-08-047925-5 |location=[Rockland, Mass.] |pages=8 |oclc=55664320 |access-date=April 23, 2022 |archive-date=June 4, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220604163857/https://www.worldcat.org/title/mcsamcse-managing-and-maintaining-a-windows-server-2003-environment-exam-70-290-study-guide-and-dvd-training/oclc/55664320 |url-status=live }}{{Cite web |last=Gibbs |first=Samuel |date=October 2, 2014 |title=From Windows 1 to Windows 10: 29 years of Windows evolution |url=http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2014/oct/02/from-windows-1-to-windows-10-29-years-of-windows-evolution |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220414091918/https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2014/oct/02/from-windows-1-to-windows-10-29-years-of-windows-evolution |archive-date=April 14, 2022 |access-date=April 16, 2022 |website=The Guardian |language=en}} while it runs as a 16-bit shell program known as the MS-DOS Executive,{{Cite web |last=Warren |first=Tom |date=November 19, 2015 |title=Windows turns 35: a visual history |url=https://www.theverge.com/2015/11/19/9759874/microsoft-windows-35-years-old-visual-history |access-date=February 24, 2023 |website=The Verge |language=en-US}} and it offers limited multitasking of existing MS-DOS programs and concentrates on creating an interaction paradigm (cf. message loop), an execution model and a stable API for native programs for the future.{{Cite web |title=Definition of Windows 1.0 |url=https://www.pcmag.com/encyclopedia/term/windows-10-2 |access-date=April 16, 2022 |website=PC Magazine |language=en |archive-date=April 16, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220416153859/https://www.pcmag.com/encyclopedia/term/windows-10-2 |url-status=live }}{{Cite book |last=O'Regan |first=Gerard |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/953036113 |title=Introduction to the history of computing: a computing history primer |date=2016 |isbn=978-3-319-33138-6 |location=Switzerland |pages=220 |oclc=953036113 |access-date=April 16, 2022 |archive-date=June 4, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220604163903/https://www.worldcat.org/title/introduction-to-the-history-of-computing-a-computing-history-primer/oclc/953036113 |url-status=live }}{{Failed verification|date=February 2025}} The operating environment supports the use of a mouse, which allows users to perform click-and-drag operations.{{Cite web |last=Nonis |first=Susith |date=August 30, 2021 |title=Different versions of Windows |url=https://monovm.com/blog/different-windows-versions/ |access-date=April 16, 2022 |website=MonoVM |language=en |archive-date=June 4, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220604163904/https://monovm.com/blog/different-windows-versions/ |url-status=live }} Contrary to modern Windows operating systems, the mouse button had to be kept pressed to display the selected menu.
Opening .exe files in the MS-DOS Executive would open an application window. Windows 1.0 also includes programs such as the Calculator, Paint (then known as Paintbrush), Notepad, Write, Terminal, and Clock.{{Cite book |last1=Bangia |first1=Ramesh |title=Operating Systems and Software Diagnostics |last2=Singh |first2=Balvir |publisher=Firewall Media |year=2007 |isbn=978-81-318-0225-0 |pages=17}} Paint only supports monochrome graphics. The operating environment also has the Cardfile manager, a Clipboard, and a Print Spooler program.{{Cite book |last=Das |first=Sudipto |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/913009741 |title=A complete guide to computer fundamentals |date=2010 |isbn=978-81-318-0550-3 |edition=1 |location=New Delhi, India |pages=68 |oclc=913009741}} Initially, Puzzle and Chess were supposed to appear as playable video games, although Microsoft scrapped the idea; instead, it introduced Reversi as a commercially published video game. It was included in Windows 1.0 as a built-in application, and it relies on mouse control.{{Cite web |date=September 17, 2021 |title=PC Games Introduced with each Windows Release |url=https://www.wizardit.com/microsoft/games-included-with-windows-over-the-years/ |access-date=April 16, 2022 |website=Wizard IT |language=en-GB |archive-date=June 4, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220604163906/https://www.wizardit.com/microsoft/games-included-with-windows-over-the-years/ |url-status=live }} The operating environment also introduced the Control Panel, which was used to configure the features of Windows 1.0. The operating environment does not allow overlapping windows, and instead, the windows are tiled. When a program gets minimized, its icon would appear on a horizontal line at the bottom of the screen, which resembles the modern-day Windows taskbar.
It also consists of three dynamic-link libraries, which are located as files in the system under the names KERNEL.EXE, USER.EXE, and GDI.EXE.{{Cite web |last=Petzold |first=Charles |author-link=Charles Petzold |date=November 7, 2005 |title=Windows 1.0 and the Applications of Tomorrow |url=http://www.charlespetzold.com/etc/Windows1/index.html |access-date=April 24, 2022 |website=Charles Petzold |archive-date=November 24, 2005 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051124065742/http://www.charlespetzold.com/etc/Windows1/index.html |url-status=live }} The Windows 1.0 SDK contains debugging versions of these files, which can be used to replace the corresponding files on the setup disks.{{Cite book |title=Microsoft Windows Software Development Kit: Programmer's Utility Guide Version 1.03 |publisher=Microsoft Corporation |year=1986}}{{Rp|page=|pages=13,200}} The setup program combines multiple system files into one, so that Windows boots faster. Using the debugging KERNEL.EXE provided by the Windows 1.0 SDK one can create a "slow boot" version of Windows, where the files are separate.{{Citation|title=Microsoft Windows Software Development Kit Version 1.03|at=README.TXT |publisher=Microsoft Corporation |year=1986}} Windows 1.0 includes a kernel, which performs functions such as task handling, memory management, and input and output of files, while the two other dynamic-link libraries are the user interface and Graphics Device Interface.{{Cite book |last=Petzold |first=Charles |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/33947413 |title=Programming Windows 95 |date=1996 |publisher=Microsoft Press |others=Charles Petzold |isbn=978-1-55615-676-2 |edition=4 |location=Redmond, Wash. |pages=87 |oclc=33947413 |access-date=April 23, 2022 |archive-date=June 4, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220604163904/https://www.worldcat.org/title/programming-windows-95/oclc/33947413 |url-status=live }}{{Cite book |last=McFedries |first=Paul |title=Microsoft Windows Vista Unveiled |publisher=Sams Publishing |year=2006 |isbn=978-0-13-271536-2 |pages=66}} The operating environment could also move the program code and data segments in memory, to allow programs to share code and data that are located in dynamic-link libraries.{{Cite news |last=Petzold |first=Charles |date=December 12, 1989 |title=Windows and PM: Friendly Companions or Deadly Competitors? |volume=8 |pages=330 |work=PC Magazine |publisher=Ziff Davis, Inc. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5CmkZ3THZtwC |access-date=April 23, 2022 |issn=0888-8507}} Windows 1.0 implemented the use of code segment swapping.{{cite web |last=Chen |first=Raymond |date=March 16, 2011 |title=What's up with the mysterious inc bp in function prologues of 16-bit code? |url=https://devblogs.microsoft.com/oldnewthing/20110316-00/?p=11203 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201026110234/https://devblogs.microsoft.com/oldnewthing/20110316-00/?p=11203 |archive-date=October 26, 2020 |access-date=May 5, 2022 |website=The Old New Thing}}
Version 1.02 introduced drivers for European keyboards, as well as screen and print drivers. The last Windows 1.0 release, 1.04, introduced support for IBM PS/2 computers.{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-ze4AAAAIAAJ |title=TIMS/ORSA Bulletin |publisher=Institute of Management Sciences |year=1988 |location=University of Michigan |pages=276 |issue=25–26 |access-date=June 21, 2022 |archive-date=July 2, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220702111221/https://books.google.com/books?id=-ze4AAAAIAAJ |url-status=live }} Due to Microsoft's extensive support for backward compatibility, it is not only possible to execute Windows 1.0 binary programs on current versions of Windows to a large extent but also to recompile their source code into an equally functional "modern" application with limited modifications.{{Cite news |date=May 16, 1995 |title=Getting ready for Windows 95 |volume=14 |pages=150 |work=PC Magazine |publisher=Ziff Davis, Inc. |issue=9 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=D4gTpBgpFgUC |access-date=April 16, 2022 |issn=0888-8507 |archive-date=June 4, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220604163912/https://books.google.com/books?id=D4gTpBgpFgUC |url-status=live }}
In March 2022, it was discovered that the operating environment also includes an easter egg that lists the developers who worked on the operating environment along with a message that says "Congrats!".{{Cite web |last=Nield |first=David |date=March 19, 2022 |title=Almost 37 years after its launch, someone found an Easter egg in Windows 1.0 |url=https://www.techradar.com/news/almost-37-years-after-its-launch-someone-found-an-easter-egg-in-windows-10 |access-date=March 21, 2022 |website=TechRadar |language=en |archive-date=March 21, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220321042249/https://www.techradar.com/news/almost-37-years-after-its-launch-someone-found-an-easter-egg-in-windows-10 |url-status=live }}{{Cite news |last=Litchfield |first=Ted |date=March 24, 2022 |title=This Windows 1.0 easter egg managed to stay hidden for nearly 37 years |language=en |work=PC Gamer |url=https://www.pcgamer.com/this-windows-10-easter-egg-managed-to-stay-hidden-for-nearly-37-years/ |access-date=April 16, 2022 |archive-date=April 16, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220416153859/https://www.pcgamer.com/this-windows-10-easter-egg-managed-to-stay-hidden-for-nearly-37-years/ |url-status=live }}
System requirements
The official system requirements for Windows 1.0 include the following.
Besides the minimum system requirements, Microsoft has also published a note in which it recommended additional memory when using multiple applications or DOS 3.3.
Reception
Windows 1.0 was released to lukewarm and mixed reviews.{{Cite web |last=Langshaw |first=Mark |date=November 20, 2015 |title=Microsoft Windows turns 30 years old today |url=http://www.digitalspy.com/tech/operating-systems/a774703/microsoft-windows-turns-30-years-old-today/ |access-date=April 17, 2022 |website=Digital Spy |language=en-GB |archive-date=April 17, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220417151723/https://www.digitalspy.com/tech/operating-systems/a774703/microsoft-windows-turns-30-years-old-today/ |url-status=live }} Critics considered the platform to have future potential but felt that Windows 1.0 had not fulfilled expectations and that it could not compete with Apple's GUI operating system. It was also criticized for its slowness and compatibility with very little software.{{Cite book |last=Loguidice |first=Bill |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/874011835 |title=Vintage game consoles: an inside look at Apple, Atari, Commodore, Nintendo, and the greatest gaming platforms of all time |date=2014 |publisher=Focal Press |others=Matt Barton |isbn=978-1-135-00651-8 |location=Burlington, MA |pages=227 |chapter=PC Windows Computers |oclc=874011835 |access-date=April 17, 2022 |archive-date=June 4, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220604163911/https://www.worldcat.org/title/vintage-game-consoles-an-inside-look-at-apple-atari-commodore-nintendo-and-the-greatest-gaming-platforms-of-all-time/oclc/874011835 |url-status=live }} Reviews criticized its demanding system requirements, especially noting the poor performance experienced when running multiple applications at once, and that Windows encouraged the use of a mouse for navigation, a relatively new concept at the time.{{cite web|title=Revisiting Windows 1.0: how Microsoft's first desktop gracefully failed|url=https://www.theverge.com/2012/11/20/3671922/windows-1-0-microsoft-history-desktop-gracefully-failed|work=The Verge|publisher=Vox Media|date=November 20, 2012|access-date=January 21, 2017|first=Sean|last=Hollister|archive-date=December 1, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191201054623/https://www.theverge.com/2012/11/20/3671922/windows-1-0-microsoft-history-desktop-gracefully-failed|url-status=live}} The New York Times compared the performance of Windows on a system with 512 KB of RAM to "pouring molasses in the Arctic" and that its design was inflexible for keyboard users due to its dependency on a mouse-oriented interface. In conclusion, the Times felt that the poor performance, lack of dedicated software, uncertain compatibility with DOS programs, and the lack of tutorials for new users made DOS-based software such as Borland Sidekick (which could provide a similar assortment of accessories and multitasking functionality) more desirable for most PC users.{{cite web|title=Personal Computers; Windows Are Open At Last|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1986/02/25/science/personal-computers-windows-are-open-at-last.html|work=The New York Times|access-date=November 11, 2013|first=Erik|last=Sandberg-Diment|date=February 25, 1986|archive-date=July 4, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210704050518/https://www.nytimes.com/1986/02/25/science/personal-computers-windows-are-open-at-last.html|url-status=live}}
According to Computerworld magazine, Windows 1.0 received 500,000 sales from its release in 1985 up to April 1987.{{Cite magazine |last=McCracken |first=Harry |date=May 7, 2013 |title=A Brief History of Windows Sales Figures, 1985-Present |language=en-US |magazine=Time |url=https://techland.time.com/2013/05/07/a-brief-history-of-windows-sales-figures-1985-present/#:~:text=Windows%201.0%20sales%20from%20its,less%20than%202%20million%20(InfoWorld) |access-date=April 17, 2022 |issn=0040-781X |archive-date=April 18, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220418124401/https://techland.time.com/2013/05/07/a-brief-history-of-windows-sales-figures-1985-present/#:~:text=Windows%201.0%20sales%20from%20its,less%20than%202%20million%20(InfoWorld) |url-status=live }}{{Cite news |date=April 13, 1987 |title=Computerworld: Few doing Windows |volume=21 |pages=42 |work=Computerworld |issue=15 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=T8NUpKtWx4QC |access-date=April 17, 2022 |issn=0010-4841 |archive-date=June 4, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220604163817/https://books.google.com/books?id=T8NUpKtWx4QC |url-status=live }} In retrospect, Windows 1.0 was regarded as a flop by contemporary technology publications, who, however, still acknowledged its overall importance to the history of the Windows line.{{cite web|title = Windows 1.0: The flop that created an empire|url = http://news.cnet.com/8301-10805_3-57613051-75/windows-1.0-the-flop-that-created-an-empire/|work = CNET|publisher = CBS Interactive|first = Charles|last = Cooper|date = November 20, 2013|access-date = March 18, 2014|archive-date = February 12, 2014|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140212234225/http://news.cnet.com/8301-10805_3-57613051-75/windows-1.0-the-flop-that-created-an-empire/|url-status = live}}{{Cite magazine |last=Calore |first=Michael |date=December 10, 2008 |title=A History of Microsoft Windows |language=en-US |magazine=Wired |url=https://www.wired.com/2008/12/wiredphotos31/ |access-date=April 17, 2022 |issn=1059-1028 |archive-date=June 24, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210624072746/https://www.wired.com/2008/12/wiredphotos31/ |url-status=live }} Nathaniel Borenstein (who went on to develop the MIME standards) and his IT team at Carnegie Mellon University were also critical of Windows when it was first presented to them by a group of Microsoft representatives. Underestimating the future impact of the platform, he believed that in comparison to an in-house window manager, "these guys came in with this pathetic and naïve system. We just knew they were never going to accomplish anything."{{cite web|title=Windows 1.0 turning 25: First experiences recalled|url=http://www.networkworld.com/news/2010/110810-windows-turns-25.html|work=NetworkWorld|access-date=November 11, 2013|first=Jon|last=Brodkin|date=November 8, 2010|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101110190232/http://www.networkworld.com/news/2010/110810-windows-turns-25.html|archive-date=November 10, 2010}} The Verge considered the poor reception towards the release of Windows 8 in 2012 as a parallel to Microsoft's struggles with early versions of Windows. In a similar fashion to Windows 1.0 running atop MS-DOS as a layer, Windows 8 offered a new type of interface and software geared towards an emerging form of human interface device on PCs, in this case, a touchscreen, running atop the legacy Windows shell used by previous versions.
A mock version of Windows 1.0 was created by Microsoft as an app for Windows 10 as part of a tie-in with the Netflix show Stranger Things, aligned with the release of the show's third season, which takes place during 1985.{{cite web | url = https://www.theverge.com/2019/7/8/20685881/microsoft-windows-1-11-app-stranger-things-3-1985 | title = Microsoft's new Windows 1.11 app is a Stranger Things trip back to 1985 | first = Tom | last = Warren | date = July 8, 2019 | access-date = July 8, 2019 | work = The Verge | archive-date = July 8, 2019 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20190708164027/https://www.theverge.com/2019/7/8/20685881/microsoft-windows-1-11-app-stranger-things-3-1985 | url-status = live }}
See also
References
{{reflist}}
External links
{{Spoken Wikipedia|date=2024-05-04|Windows_1.0_Recording.ogg}}
{{Commons category|Microsoft Windows 1.0}}
- [https://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=ItuymzxNUYM Demo of Windows 1.04] running on an original IBM PC/XT, on YouTube archived at [http://ghostarchive.org/varchive/ItuymzxNUYM Ghostarchive.org]
- [https://www.pcjs.org/disks/pcx86/windows/1.01/ Windows 1.01 emulator]
{{Microsoft Windows family}}