Windows 95 was the first full-featured operating system sold by Microsoft
Corporation and each one since has been a financial success. Windows operating systems
are now available for computing environments of all sizes.
Windows Development
The first Windows product used a graphical user interface (GUI) as its primary
method of communication with the user and needed an underlying operating system
so it could translate the users’ requests into system commands.
Early Windows Products
Windows 1.0, introduced in 1985, ran on microcomputers with the MS-DOS operating
system. That is, the first Windows application was not a true operating system.
It was merely an interface between the actual MS-DOS operating system and the user.
Even though this was a simple product (when compared to the complex operating
systems of today), it was notable because it was the first menu-driven interface for
desktop computers that were compatible with the IBM personal computer (PC).
Windows 1.0 was followed by increasingly sophisticated GUIs designed to run increasingly
powerful desktop computers, as shown in Table 15.1. The first widely adopted
Windows product, Windows 3.1, featured a standardized look and feel, similar to the
one made popular by Apple’s Macintosh computer. Windows 3.1 became the entrylevel
product for single-user installations or small-business environments.