Its development began after Microsoft co-founderBill Gates saw a demonstration of a similar software suite,Visi On, atCOMDEX in 1982. Theoperating environment was showcased to the public in November 1983, although it ended up being released two years later. Windows 1.0 runs onMS-DOS, as a16-bitshell program known asMS-DOS Executive, and it provides an environment which can run graphicalprograms designed for Windows, as well as existing MS-DOS software. It included multitasking and the use of themouse, and various built-in programs such asCalculator,Paint, andNotepad. The operating environment does not allow its windows to overlap, and instead, the windows aretiled. 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, itscompatibility with very littlesoftware, and its performance issues, while it also received positive responses to Microsoft's early presentations and support from a number of hardware manufacturers and software developers. Its last release was 1.04, and it was succeeded byWindows 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
A Windows 1.0 brochure published in January 1986
Microsoft showed its desire to develop agraphical user interface (GUI) as early as 1981.[1] The development of Windows began afterBill Gates, co-founder of Microsoft and the lead developer of Windows, saw a demonstration atCOMDEX 1982 ofVisiCorp'sVisi On, a GUI software suite forIBM PC compatible computers.[2] A year later, Microsoft learned thatApple's own GUI software—also bit-mapped, and based in part on research fromXerox PARC—was much more advanced; Microsoft decided it needed to differentiate its own offering.[1] In August 1983, Gates recruitedScott A. McGregor, one of the key developers behind PARC's original windowing system, to be the developer team lead for Windows 1.0.[3][4][5]
Microsoft first demonstrated a window manager to the press in September 1983. The demonstration featured a user interface similar toMultiplan and other contemporary Microsoft applications with a command bar at the bottom of the screen. It also showed multiple application windows in bothoverlapping andtiled arrangements.[6] 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.[7] Initially requiring 192KB of RAM and twofloppy disk drives, Microsoft described the software as adevice driver forMS-DOS 2.0. By supportingcooperative multitasking intiled windows when using well-behaved applications that only used DOSsystem calls and permitting non-well-behaved applications to run in a full screen, Windows differed from both Visi On and Apple Computer'sLisa by immediately offering many applications. Unlike Visi On, Windows developers did not need to useUnix to develop IBM PC applications; Microsoft planned to encourage other companies, including competitors, to develop programs for Windows by not requiring a Microsoftuser interface in their applications.[6] Manufacturers of MS-DOS computers such asCompaq,Zenith, andDEC promised to provide support, as did software companies such asAshton-Tate andLotus.[7] 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 thedesktop metaphor in the hands of its intended users".[8]
IBM was notably absent from Microsoft's announcement,[7] and the corporation rejected Windows in favor of creatingIBM TopView.[9] By late 1984, the press reported a "War of the Windows" between Windows, TopView, andDigital Research'sGraphics Environment Manager (GEM).[10] Whether corporate customers wanted any graphical interface was unclear[11]—Jim Manzi of Lotus wondered during a 1987 joint interview with Gates, "why did it have to be so messy, the whole transition process that we're putting the world through?"[12]—but from early in Windows's history, Gates viewed Windows as Microsoft's future. He toldInfoWorld 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-systemkernels like MS-DOS andXenix. We're also saying that only applications that take advantage of Windows will be competitive in the long run".[13]Computerworld wrote in 1987 that "Gates has pushed [Windows] almost fanatically for years".[14]
Steve Ballmer replaced McGregor after he left the team in January 1985.[9] Microsoft had promised in November 1983 to ship Windows by April 1984,[7] although, due to various design modifications, its release date was delayed.[15] During its development and before its windowing system was developed, it was briefly referred to by the codename "Interface Manager".[16][17] De-emphasizing multitasking, the company stated that Windows' purpose, unlike that of TopView, was to "turn the computer into agraphics-rich environment" while using less memory.[10] After Microsoft persuaded IBM that the latter needed a GUI,[1] the two companies announced in April 1987 the introduction ofOS/2 and its graphical OS/2Presentation Manager, which were supposed to ultimately replace both MS-DOS and Windows.[18]
Release versions
On November 20, 1985 (40 years ago) (1985-11-20), the first retail release, Windows 1.01, was released in the United States at a cost of US$99 (equivalent to about $289.00 in 2024).[19][20] In May 1986, the next release, 1.02, was published mainly for the European market, also introducing non-English versions of Windows 1.0.[15][21] The version 1.03, released in August 1986, included enhancements that made it consistent with the international release likedrivers 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.[22][23] Version 1.04, released in April 1987, added support for the newIBM PS/2 computers, although no support for PS/2 mice or newVGA graphics modes was provided.[24] 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 the8514/A display driver.[25] 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.[26] Microsoft ended its support for Windows 1.0 on December 31, 2001, making it the longest-supported version out of all versions of Windows.[27][28]
Features
MS-DOS Executive file manager
Windows 1.0 was built on the MS-DOSkernel,[29][30] while it runs as a16-bitshell program known as theMS-DOS Executive,[31] and it offers limited multitasking of existing MS-DOS programs and concentrates on creating an interactionparadigm (cf.message loop), an execution model and a stableAPI fornative programs for the future.[17][19][32][33][failed verification] Theoperating environment supports the use of amouse, which allows users to perform click-and-drag operations.[19][34] Contrary to modern Windows operating systems, the mouse button had to be kept pressed to display the selected menu.[15]
Opening.exe files in theMS-DOS Executive would open an application window.[19] Windows 1.0 also includes programs such as theCalculator,Paint (then known as Paintbrush),Notepad,Write,Terminal, and Clock.[20][35] Paint only supportsmonochrome graphics.[19] The operating environment also has theCardfile manager, a Clipboard, and a Print Spooler program.[36] Initially,Puzzle andChess were supposed to appear as playablevideo games, although Microsoft scrapped the idea; instead, it introducedReversi as a commercially published video game. It was included in Windows 1.0 as a built-in application, and it relies on mouse control.[19][37] The operating environment also introduced theControl Panel, which was used to configure the features of Windows 1.0. The operating environment does not allowoverlapping windows, and instead, the windows are tiled.[17][19] When a program gets minimized, its icon would appear on a horizontal line at the bottom of the screen, which resembles themodern-day Windows taskbar.[15]
It also consists of threedynamic-link libraries, which are located as files in the system under the names KERNEL.EXE, USER.EXE, and GDI.EXE.[38] TheWindows 1.0 SDK contains debugging versions of these files, which can be used to replace the corresponding files on the setup disks.[39]: 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.[40] 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 theuser interface andGraphics Device Interface.[41][42] 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.[43] Windows 1.0 implemented the use of code segment swapping.[44]
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.[45] Due to Microsoft's extensive support forbackward compatibility, it is not only possible to execute Windows 1.0binary programs on current versions of Windows to a large extent but also to recompile theirsource code into an equally functional "modern" application with limited modifications.[46]
In March 2022, it was discovered that the operating environment also includes aneaster egg that lists the developers who worked on the operating environment along with a message that says "Congrats!".[47][48]
System requirements
The official system requirements for Windows 1.0 include the following.
A Microsoft-compatible pointing device is recommended, but not required
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.[53]
Reception
Windows 1.0 was released to lukewarm and mixed reviews.[19][54] 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.[34] It was also criticized for its slowness and compatibility with very little software.[55] 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.[2]The New York Times compared the performance of Windows on a system with 512 KB of RAM to "pouringmolasses in the Arctic" and that its design was inflexible for keyboard users due to its dependency on a mouse-oriented interface. In conclusion, theTimes 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 asBorland Sidekick (which could provide a similar assortment of accessories and multitasking functionality) more desirable for most PC users.[53]
According toComputerworld magazine, Windows 1.0 received 500,000 sales from its release in 1985 up to April 1987.[56][57] 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 theWindows line.[2][58][59] Describing Windows development in the early 1980s as "a joke in the industry", Chris Pratley of Microsoft wrote in 2004 that "Windows 1.0 ... was sort of a demo".[60]Nathaniel Borenstein (who went on to develop theMIME standards) and his IT team atCarnegie 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."[61]The Verge considered the poor reception towards the release ofWindows 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 ofhuman interface device on PCs, in this case, atouchscreen, running atop thelegacyWindows shell used by previous versions.[2]
A mock version of Windows 1.0 was created by Microsoft as an app forWindows 10 as part of a tie-in with theNetflix showStranger Things, aligned with the release of the show'sthird season, which takes place during 1985.[62]
^Wallace, James; Erickson, Jim (June 1, 1993).Hard Drive: Bill Gates and the Making of the Microsoft Empire. Harper Business.ISBN978-0-88730-629-7.
^Hey, Tony; Pápay, Gyuri (December 8, 2014).The Computing Universe: A Journey Through a Revolution. Cambridge University Press. p. 157.ISBN978-1-316-12322-5.
^abLemmons, Phil. "Microsoft Windows: A mouse with modest requirements".BYTE. Vol. 8, no. 12.McGraw-Hill. pp. 48–54.
^abcdMarkoff, John (November 21, 1983)."Microsoft Does Windows".InfoWorld.5 (47).Menlo Park, CA: Popular Computing:32–36.ISSN0199-6649.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,
^Gates, Bill; Manzi, Jim; Esber, Ed (November 2, 1987)."The great software debate".Computerworld (Interview). Vol. XXI, no. 44. Interviewed by Paul Gillin. p. SR7. RetrievedJune 8, 2025.
^Caruso, Denise (April 2, 1984)."Company Strategies Boomerang".InfoWorld. pp. 80–83.Archived from the original on March 16, 2015. RetrievedFebruary 10, 2015.
^"A history of Windows".Microsoft Windows Support.Microsoft. 2012. Archived fromthe original on November 17, 2012.On November 20, 1985, two years after the initial announcement, Microsoft ships Windows 1.0.
^Johnsen, Niels (November 25, 2019)."Microsoft Windows 1.0 frigives".go64 (in Danish).Archived from the original on January 25, 2021. RetrievedJune 4, 2022.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]
^"Windows 1".Winhistory.de (in German).Archived from the original on February 14, 2018. RetrievedMarch 12, 2013.
^Cowart, Robert (2005).Special edition using Microsoft Windows XP home. Brian Knittel (3 ed.). Indianapolis, Ind.: Que. p. 92.ISBN978-0-7897-3279-8.OCLC56647752.
^Shinder, Thomas W. (2003).MCSA/MCSE managing and maintaining a Windows server 2003 environment : exam 70-290 study guide and DVD training. Debra Shinder Littlejohn, Jeffrey A. Martin. [Rockland, Mass.]: Syngress. p. 8.ISBN978-0-08-047925-5.OCLC55664320.
^O'Regan, Gerard (2016).Introduction to the history of computing: a computing history primer. Switzerland. p. 220.ISBN978-3-319-33138-6.OCLC953036113.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
^TIMS/ORSA Bulletin. University of Michigan: Institute of Management Sciences. 1988. p. 276.Archived from the original on July 2, 2022. RetrievedJune 21, 2022.
^Loguidice, Bill (2014). "PC Windows Computers".Vintage game consoles: an inside look at Apple, Atari, Commodore, Nintendo, and the greatest gaming platforms of all time. Matt Barton. Burlington, MA: Focal Press. p. 227.ISBN978-1-135-00651-8.OCLC874011835.
.svg){kind=logo}
