History of the Windows Operating

System

Origins and framework

Microsoft founded by Bill Gates

and Paul Allen in 1975

They realized that there was a

huge potential market for home
computers for the everyday user

Almost all computers of the time

were not simple to use and had a
high learning curve

The Dawn of MS-DOS

MicroSoft Disk Operating System

MS-DOS was the basis from what

Windows was later built upon

Created in collaboration with

Steve Ballmer, a friend of Gates
and Allen who would later become
CEO

Bridged the gap between

hardware and programs into a
single interface

Windows 1.0

MS-DOS, while useful, was still lacking especially in the interface

and usability for the common user

Microsoft releases Windows 1.0 on November 20, 1985

Was revolutionary for its time

Introduced the windows concept different screens you could

click between instead of typing commands through MS-DOS

Comes with many built in programs, such as Notepad, Paint, a

Calender, Clock, and Games

Windows 2.0 and 3.0

Improved on the shortcomings from 1.0, and refined and cleaned

up the user interface

Introduced the concept of desktop icons for quickly launching

programs

Optimized the operating system so that it ran faster and

smoother

Improved visual graphics and support for 16 colors

Both OSes were a huge success

Microsoft becomes the largest PC software company in the world

Windows begins its domination of the OS market, and becomes the

most used OS in the world

Windows 95

Released on August 24th, 1995

With 7 million copies sold in the first month, it becomes an

instant success

Adds many new features to Windows, and was a huge

improvement in almost every way

With the increasing growth of the internet, support and dial-up

networking drivers are built in

32-bit operation allows the OS and programs to run more

efficiently

Most revolutionary features are the new Start Menu,

Min/Maximize/Close buttons on each window, and the Taskbar

Set the standard for all future releases to come

Windows 98 and Windows ME

Windows ME Millennium Edition

Released September 14th, 2000

Highly controversial

Very buggy and prone to crashes

Added a few new features, but didnt

convince many to upgrade

Quickly fell out of favor upon the

release of XP

Windows 98 was released on June

25th 1998

General improvements over 95

Streamlined OS

Added increased driver support and

networking improvements

Windows XP

Released October 25th, 2001

Huge success the most popular OS of all time, with over 1 billion
copies sold

Still used by some consumers to this day

Had some criticism over security issues at first, but fears were
alleviated with the releases of Service Packs over the course of the
lifetime

Very lightweight OS Ran smoothly and efficiently, with minimal

bloat

User interface greatly improved and cleaned up

Resonated with users who were unfamiliar with PCs due to its ease of
use

Bundled with programs such as IE 6, Outlook, Messenger, and MSN

IE6 was highly controversial due to its poor security

Windows XP continued

Released in several different version to appeal to different

consumer bases

Windows Home Edition for the general user

Windows Professional for the business environment

Most basic version, has features such as Media Player, Movie Maker, etc

Features tailored for business use Remote Desktop, File Encryption,

Improved Networking

Windows XP 64 Bit

64 Bit enabled PCs to run faster and more efficiently Great for users who
create movies or animations

Windows Vista

Released November 8th, 2006

Another highly controversial OS

Introduced a very clean new look known as Aero, with transparent

window frames

Microsofts main focus was to create a very secure OS

Despite being a new OS, it ran many programs slower than XP on the
same hardware

Many drivers and hardware components wouldnt work properly

Microsofts over emphasis on security led to a very bloated OS

Games ran worse, programs ran slower, file copying and moving took
longer

MS responds with releases of Service Packs, which help slightly, but

many users continue to stick with XP

Windows 7

Released October 22nd 2009

Praised greatly by critics

Huge success the most used

operating system today

Reinvented the taskbar and

cleaned the general interface

All the blunders of Vista had been

fixed or removed

User Account Control was less

obtrusive

Performance greatly increased

Faster bootup time

Works Cited

"A History of Windows - Microsoft Windows."

Windows.microsoft.com. Web. 13 Apr. 2015.

<http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/history#T1=era0>.

"Microsoft Windows History." Microsoft Windows History. Web. 13

Apr. 2015. <http://www.computerhope.com/history/windows.htm
>.
"The History of Microsoft Operating Systems." The History of
Microsoft Windows Operating Systems. Web. 13 Apr. 2015.
<http://www.webopedia.com/DidYouKnow/Hardware_Software/hi
story_of_microsoft_windows_operating_system.html>.