Windows First Version ((full)) <Direct Link>

Windows 1.0 may seem primitive by today's standards, but it laid the foundation for the modern Windows operating system, which has become an integral part of daily life for millions of people around the world. The success of Windows 1.0 and subsequent versions of Windows has made Microsoft one of the largest and most influential technology companies in the world.

The user experience was, by modern standards, maddening. The mouse was supported but not required; every action had a keyboard equivalent. The interface was slow, graphics were limited to a chunky 640x350 resolution in 16 colors (on a good monitor), and the system relied heavily on the sluggish Intel 8088 processor. Moving a window was a stuttering, ghost-trailing affair. Critics savaged it. InfoWorld called it "the software version of a frozen ice cube," while PC Magazine wondered if anyone would actually use it. windows first version

The most shocking thing for a modern user firing up Windows 1.0 is the window management. There are no overlapping, floating windows that you can drag and stack on top of one another. Bill Gates famously argued that overlapping windows were confusing and inefficient, so Windows 1.0 used a "tiled" interface. Windows snapped to the sides of the screen and sat next to each other like puzzle pieces. Windows 1