Windows is 40 years old

[maflynn]

Wow here has the time gone. I will say that each version of windows as an improvement with a few notable exceptions \

Microsoft Windows hits 40 years old: A visual walk down memory lane

Windows 1.0 — November 20, 1985
Windows 2.0 — December 9, 1987
Windows 3.0 — May 22, 1990
Windows 3.1 — April 6, 1992
Windows 95 — August 24, 1995
Windows 98 — June 25, 1998
Windows Me — September 14, 2000
Windows NT 3.1 — July 27, 1993
Windows 2000 — February 17, 2000
Windows XP — October 25, 2001
Windows Vista — January 30, 2007
Windows 7 — October 22, 2009
Windows 8 — October 26, 2012
Windows 10 — July 29, 2015
Windows 11 — October 5, 2021

 

[Queen6]

Was but a few seconds ago, but such is time...

Q-6

 

[maflynn]

Was but a few seconds ago, but such is time...

Q-6

I remember having a Dec pc at work where windows 1.0 was running. Me and a coworker would play with it, and was amazed

 

[Queen6]

I remember having a Dec pc at work where windows 1.0 was running. Me and a coworker would play with it, and was amazed

While there's a lot wrong with both Microsoft & Windows there's no denying the impact on business & society...

Q-6

 

[maflynn]

Microsoft & Windows there's no denying the impact on business & society

I worked in computer stores at the release of windows 3 and 3.1, windows 95 and I can tell you how big those releases were. They truely shaped and reshaped the computing industry.

Up until windows 8, Microsoft largely produced excellent upgrades. While Vista was much maligned and initially the criticisms were valid but the OS aged nicely, and it largely transformed into what we know of the beloved windows 7

I don't know what changed but they ignored/forgotten about desktop computing with windows 8 and it bombed. We're seeing history repeat itself with executives telling us that we'll no longer need keyboads and mice, or that windows will be an "agentic OS"

The other issue I see is the mind set of collecting data and using the operating system to show advertisements. I think in many respects and in many ways Microsoft has lost its way. At least when it comes to operating systems and also gaming

 

[Cape Dave]

I worked in computer stores at the release of windows 3 and 3.1, windows 95 and I can tell you how big those releases were. They truely shaped and reshaped the computing industry.

Up until windows 8, Microsoft largely produced excellent upgrades. While Vista was much maligned and initially the criticisms were valid but the OS aged nicely, and it largely transformed into what we know of the beloved windows 7

I don't know what changed but they ignored/forgotten about desktop computing with windows 8 and it bombed. We're seeing history repeat itself with executives telling us that we'll no longer need keyboads and mice, or that windows will be an "agentic OS"

The other issue I see is the mind set of collecting data and using the operating system to show advertisements. I think in many respects and in many ways Microsoft has lost its way. At least when it comes to operating systems and also gaming

Same here. I worked at Egghead. We sold a SERIOUS amount of Win 3.1.

 

[maflynn]

Same here. I worked at Egghead. We sold a SERIOUS amount of Win 3.1.

I had worked there as well - not for windows 3.1 time, but afterwards.

 

[Cape Dave]

I had worked there as well - not for windows 3.1 time, but afterwards.

It was a pretty good gig I left in 94, but was still in touch and in early Summer of 95, I was insanely happy to get an advance copy of Win 95 from my former manager.

 

[LeeW]

I remember a time when all I used was DOS on a PC. Windows was installed, but you only started it for a game of Solitaire or Minesweeper.

 

[JamesMay82]

I used 3.1 as a kid but only massively got into pcs when 95 came out and I was 13..

Was anyone else obsessed with the weezer buddy holly music video that was included?

It blew my mind… there was another video but I can’t remember that one…

 

[Cape Dave]

I used 3.1 as a kid but only massively got into pcs when 95 came out and I was 13..

Was anyone else obsessed with the weezer buddy holly music video that was included?

It blew my mind… there was another video but I can’t remember that one…

Yes! Loved that song! Win 3.1 changed everything, and Win 95 changed everything again.

 

[Abydos]

I quit the windows habit when it booted into windows rather than dos (i believe that was windows 3.1), can't say I miss it, but macro assembler and what seemed to be original k&r c was fun. played mines (or whatever it was called) for laughs

 

[cjsuk]

I was in considerably better shape when I was 40. I bet it doesn't make 60.

 

[tkermit]

I used 3.1 as a kid but only massively got into pcs when 95 came out and I was 13..

Was anyone else obsessed with the weezer buddy holly music video that was included?

It blew my mind… there was another video but I can’t remember that one…

 

[JamesMay82]

Hahaha yes! Wow not heard that in prob over 20 + years and I remember it when she started singing

 

[LeeW]

I quit the windows habit when it booted into windows rather than dos (i believe that was windows 3.1)

Was it? I can't even remember now. I thought it was 95 before DOS stopped being the default.

 

[SnowPenguin]

I was in considerably better shape when I was 40. I bet it doesn't make 60.

Yeah, with Microsoft being so unfriendly to users, I hope it won't last that long.

 

[edubfromktown]

I quit the windows habit when it booted into windows rather than dos (i believe that was windows 3.1), can't say I miss it, but macro assembler and what seemed to be original k&r c was fun. played mines (or whatever it was called) for laughs

Yeh MASM was decent... Borland Assembler and C were far better (as was Paradox compared to dBase ][).

I nuked Windows use at home ~2000. Still use it at work (and even in Win 11, I explore.exe is still lurking under the hood and crashes sometimes ).

 

[maflynn]

Yeh MASM was decent

I used that and basic, mostly because of how much Microsoft was charging for c back then (and being a poor teenager)

 

[winxmac]

Windows Vista was ahead of its time. The hardware during its release was only good for running Windows XP at best.

Even though Windows Vista was planned as a minor release between Windows XP and Windows 7, what actually happened was Windows Vista was the major release while Windows 7 was essentially Windows Vista Service Pack 3 with a few visual changes.

Microsoft should have just kept the look of Windows 7 and re-released it with the under the hood improvements from Windows 8 and later. At least three things come to mind: 4K resolution support, USB 3.0 native support, File copy/move dialog box from Windows 8 and later.

If Microsoft really wanted the flat design, they should have kept the Windows 7 look and made everything flat but use the Windows RT 8.1 Start menu instead of what actually happened with Windows 8 and backtracking some of the changes with Windows 8.1 [removal of Start button from Windows 8 and reinstating it in Windows 8.1]

They should have just provided the option to choose between Start menu or Start screen instead of being forced like how it was in Windows 8.

Unlike previous releases, Windows 10 received feature updates throughout the 10 years of support. Windows 11 seems to follow the same path as Windows 10. Will we see a successor to Windows 11 or will it outlast the lifetime of Windows XP?

I wish Microsoft would release an updated take on Windows 2000, one of the best Windows releases I have ever used.

 

[diggy33]

Windows Vista was ahead of its time. The hardware during its release was only good for running Windows XP at best.

Even though Windows Vista was planned as a minor release between Windows XP and Windows 7, what actually happened was Windows Vista was the major release while Windows 7 was essentially Windows Vista Service Pack 3 with a few visual changes.

Microsoft should have just kept the look of Windows 7 and re-released it with the under the hood improvements from Windows 8 and later. At least three things come to mind: 4K resolution support, USB 3.0 native support, File copy/move dialog box from Windows 8 and later.

If Microsoft really wanted the flat design, they should have kept the Windows 7 look and made everything flat but use the Windows RT 8.1 Start menu instead of what actually happened with Windows 8 and backtracking some of the changes with Windows 8.1 [removal of Start button from Windows 8 and reinstating it in Windows 8.1]

They should have just provided the option to choose between Start menu or Start screen instead of being forced like how it was in Windows 8.

Unlike previous releases, Windows 10 received feature updates throughout the 10 years of support. Windows 11 seems to follow the same path as Windows 10. Will we see a successor to Windows 11 or will it outlast the lifetime of Windows XP?

I wish Microsoft would release an updated take on Windows 2000, one of the best Windows releases I have ever used.

I remember Windows 2000 quite fondly

 

[maflynn]

Windows Vista was ahead of its time. The hardware during its release was only good for running Windows XP at best.

The beloved windows 7 is basically a re-badged, streamlined vista. What the issue with Vista was that Microsoft made a number of huge promises to what was code named longhorn, but failed to deliver on most of the promises. Even the Aero UI that was bringing machines to its knees was a scaled back version that was in Longhorn

 

[Cape Dave]

The beloved windows 7 is basically a re-badged, streamlined vista. What the issue with Vista was that Microsoft made a number of huge promises to what was code named longhorn, but failed to deliver on most of the promises. Even the Aero UI that was bringing machines to its knees was a scaled back version that was in Longhorn

Truth. If they had given us 7.5 version, we would have had the perfect OS

 

[Sippincider]

Up until windows 8, Microsoft largely produced excellent upgrades.

Will never forget getting called to a friend's place, to help their family with their bottom-spec Windows ME machine. Basically had enough power to boot and tell them the bundled antivirus was expired.

 

[JaydenA]

Even the Aero UI that was bringing machines to its knees

The herald of change in kernal was when Windows NT 3.1 arrived in 1993, well before Vista in 2007 - Vista being the failed Liquid Glass rebranding of popular XP. So many floppies with NT, still in it's box on my bookshelf.

Luckily, they saw the error of their ways, removed Aero (their Liquid Glass), vastly improved performance, increased compatibility, removed so many bugs, and came up with the wildly popular WIndows 7, replicating their success with XP.