Tom Merritt highlights 5 things you probably didn’t know about the first Windows operating system.
Windows still has more than 75% market share on the desktop, but that’s not necessarily the case. The first version of Windows did not immediately prevail when it was released on November 20, 1985.
So enthrall me as we go back in history and talk about 5 things you might not have known about Windows 1.0.
5 things you didn’t know about Windows 1.0
Windows is late to the game
Microsoft introduced Graphical User Interfaces as early as 1981, but Bill Gates saw an IBM Visi On demonstration at Comdex in 1982 and ripped up the playbook to start developing on Windows.
Microsoft is said to imitate Xerox more than Apple
In 1983, Microsoft got a head start on Apple’s windowing system, based on the Xerox PARC prototype. So, in August 1983, Microsoft hired Scott A. McGregor, one of the leading developers of the Xerox PARC windowing system, as lead developer for Windows.
Steve Ballmer is responsible for bringing Windows to market
McGregor left the team in January 1985 and was replaced by Ballmer. This was followed by design revisions and Windows de-emphasizing multitasking in favor of rich graphics that use less memory than competitors.
Windows 1.0 has a lot of familiar items
It includes Calculator, Paint, Notepad, Write, Terminal, Clock, Reversi and utilities like Clipboard and Print Spooler. But no Program Manager: That won’t come until Windows 3.0.
Critics have rated it
They called it slow, noted poor performance when running multiple applications – like a windows system – and didn’t like the fact that it relied on the mouse for keyboard navigation. The New York Times called its performance “like pouring molasses at the North Pole”.
It turns out that the first version of a product may not be a perfect predictor of its eventual success. Who knows?
And hey, if this trip back in time makes you nostalgic, you can try Windows 1.0 at pcjs.org, which runs emulations of both 1.01 and 1.0 Premiere Edition on its website.
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