14 versions have been released, this is the history of Windows from the beginning until now
Recently,
Microsoft Windows 11 was released and became a hot topic of conversation in the
community. With the latest features that are increasingly interesting, it might
make many people including you wonder about the history of Windows from the beginning
until now. Curious how the journey of Windows to Windows 11? Let's look at the
following summary of Windows history.
History of
Windows from the Beginning to the Present
To date,
Microsoft has released 14 versions of the Windows operating system since 1985.
Starting from Windows 1 to Windows 11. Below is a summary of each version of
Windows released by Microsoft.
Windows 1
Windows 1 is the
first operating system launched by Microsoft in November 1985. This operating
system is based on a GUI or Graphical User Interface. As the first GUI-based
operating system, many obstacles occurred during the development process of
this OS system. Thus, this version of the operating system is considered less
successful.
Windows 2
Windows 2 was
released on December 9, 1987 as a result of the lack of success of the previous
version of Windows, namely Windows 1. Just like Windows 1, Windows 2 was still
GUI based. As an improvement from the previous version, Windows 2 comes with
the advantage of already supporting the use of a VGA graphics card.
Windows 3
Released on May
22, 1990, Windows 3 is the third GUI-based Windows operating system released by
Microsoft. Windows 3 supports multitasking with the ability to open multiple
applications simultaneously.
Windows 3.1
After Windows 3,
then Microsoft launched Windows 3.1 by adding many new features. One of them is
the True Type Font system. Windows 3.1 or known by the code name
"Janus" during the development process, was released on April 6,
1992.
Windows 95
Microsoft
introduced Windows 95 as the first Windows operating system with a Start menu.
In addition, Microsoft added Windows Explorer as a replacement for File
Explorer and Microsoft Internet Explorer as an optional browser. Windows 95 was
officially released on August 14, 1995
Windows 98
Windows 98 comes
as a development of Windows 95. In this version of Windows, Internet Explorer
comes with the latest version, namely Internet Explorer 4.0. Windows 98 can be
used on computer devices starting from its release date, June 25, 1998, until
July 11, 2006.
Windows Me
Furthermore,
Windows Millennium Edition or better known as Windows Me is here to replace
Windows 98. This version of Windows is designed for home users and can support
16-32 bit programs. Windows Me was officially released on September 14, 2000.
Windows XP
Windows XP is a
graphics-based operating system designed for Personal Computers (PCs). The name
XP on the Windows version released on November 8, 2006 was taken from the word
"Experience". Windows XP was launched with a dominant consumer
orientation.
Windows Vista
During the
development process, Windows Vista was known by the code name “Longhorn”. Just
like Windows XP, Windows Vista is an operating system for personal computers
based on graphics. Windows Vista was released on November 8, 2006 for
businesses and January 30, 2007 for homes.
Windows 7
As a replacement
for Windows Vista, Microsoft launched Windows 7. Windows 7 also comes with a
Start menu like in Windows XP. On July 22, 2009, Windows 7 was released to
manufacturers and to the public it was launched on October 22, 2009. Instead of
adding many new features, Windows 7 is more focused on basic Windows
development.
Windows 8
When released on
October 26, 2012, Windows 8 also became a hot topic in the community. The most
prominent change in Windows 8 is in the user interface that supports touch
screen devices such as tablets.
Windows 8.1
The BETA version of Windows 8.1 was released
on June 26, 2013 and released to the public on August 27, 2013. Windows 8.1
comes with OneDrive integrated.
Windows 10
Windows 10 is the
operating system that is currently used by the majority of people. Known by the
code name “Threshold”, this operating system was released on July 29, 2015.
Windows 10 was launched to address complaints from Windows 8 that it is not
supported for non-touch screen devices.
Windows 11
After Windows 10, Microsoft released Windows 11 as the latest version of Windows on October 5, 2021. With innovations in the Start menu in the middle, Windows 11 is here to support multitasking activities. Windows 11 also allows users to access Android applications on PCs and laptops.
Thus a summary of the history of Windows from the beginning until now. It can be concluded that to present a sophisticated operating system like Windows 11 is certainly not easy. The development journey has started since Microsoft launched Windows 1 as its first operating system.