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| | Early versions of Windows (98 and earlier) were notoriously unreliable, despite (or maybe because of?) Microsoft's near-monopoly share of the operating system market. They crashed so often that the term "blue screen of death" entered the vocabulary. ''See also this satire: [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yX8yrOAjfKM&feature=related Matrix Runs on Windows XP]'' | | Early versions of Windows (98 and earlier) were notoriously unreliable, despite (or maybe because of?) Microsoft's near-monopoly share of the operating system market. They crashed so often that the term "blue screen of death" entered the vocabulary. ''See also this satire: [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yX8yrOAjfKM&feature=related Matrix Runs on Windows XP]'' |
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| − | Initially Windows was a text-based system ([[MS-DOS]]). Then a [[graphical user interface]] extension was added onto this [[MS-DOS]] core<ref>[http://www.microsoft.com/windows/WinHistoryProGraphic.mspx Windows History: Windows Desktop Timeline]. Microsoft Corporation. Retrieved 29 January, 2008.</ref> It became a full GUI operating system free of the MS-DOS core beginning with the release of Windows NT. | + | Initially Windows was a text-based system (MS-DOS). Then a [[graphical user interface]] extension was added onto this MS-DOS core<ref>[http://www.microsoft.com/windows/WinHistoryProGraphic.mspx Windows History: Windows Desktop Timeline]. Microsoft Corporation. Retrieved 29 January, 2008.</ref> It became a full GUI operating system free of the MS-DOS core beginning with the release of Windows NT. |
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| | ==Windows Major Release Versions== | | ==Windows Major Release Versions== |
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| | ! Name !! Version Number !! Public Release !! Notes !! Editions !! Minimum [[Random-access memory|RAM]] required !! Minimum [[Hard drive|drive]] space | | ! Name !! Version Number !! Public Release !! Notes !! Editions !! Minimum [[Random-access memory|RAM]] required !! Minimum [[Hard drive|drive]] space |
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| − | | '''Windows 1.0''' || 1.0 || November 20, 1985<ref>http://www.networkworld.com/article/2193906/windows/windows-1-0-turning-25--first-experiences-recalled.html</ref> || || || || | + | | '''Windows 1.0''' || 1.0 || November 20, 1985<ref>http://www.networkworld.com/article/2193906/windows/windows-1-0-turning-25--first-experiences-recalled.html</ref> || Sold 500,000 copies <ref>[http://techland.time.com/2013/05/07/a-brief-history-of-windows-sales-figures-1985-present/ A brief history of Windowss sales figures 1985-present, Time, May 7, 2013]</ref> || || || |
| | |- | | |- |
| | | Windows 1.02 || 1.02 || May 1986 || Multilingual (international) release of 1.0 || || || | | | Windows 1.02 || 1.02 || May 1986 || Multilingual (international) release of 1.0 || || || |
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| | | '''Windows 1.04''' || 1.04 || April 1987 || Further functionality additions, including support for IBM PS/2 computers || || || | | | '''Windows 1.04''' || 1.04 || April 1987 || Further functionality additions, including support for IBM PS/2 computers || || || |
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| − | | '''Windows 2.0''' || 2.11 || March 13, 1989 || Last Windows version to run a [[Graphic User Interface|GUI]] as a shell over a base of [[MS-DOS]]<ref name="HowToGeek">http://www.howtogeek.com/132488/does-windows-still-rely-on-ms-dos</ref> || || || | + | | '''Windows 2.0''' || 2.11 || March 13, 1989 || |
| | + | *Last Windows version to run a [[Graphic User Interface|GUI]] as a shell over a base of MS-DOS<ref name="HowToGeek">http://www.howtogeek.com/132488/does-windows-still-rely-on-ms-dos</ref><br> |
| | + | *Sold 1 million copies<br> |
| | + | || || || |
| | |- | | |- |
| − | | '''Windows 3.0''' || NT 3.0 || May 22, 1990 || First Windows version to run without an [[MS-DOS]] base<ref name="HowToGeek">http://www.howtogeek.com/132488/does-windows-still-rely-on-ms-dos</ref> || || || | + | | '''Windows 3.0''' || NT 3.0 || May 22, 1990 || |
| | + | *First Windows version to run without an [[MS-DOS]] base<ref name="HowToGeek">http://www.howtogeek.com/132488/does-windows-still-rely-on-ms-dos</ref> |
| | + | *Sold 4 million copies<br> |
| | + | || || || |
| | |- | | |- |
| − | | Windows 3.1 || 3.1 || April 1992 <!--or July 27, 1993--> || || | + | | Windows 3.1 || 3.1 || April 1992 <!--or July 27, 1993--> || || |
| | * Windows 3.1 | | * Windows 3.1 |
| | * Windows for Workgroups 3.1 (October 1992) | | * Windows for Workgroups 3.1 (October 1992) |
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| − | | '''Windows 95''' || NT 4.0.950 || August 24, 1995 || Uses the same skin as [[Windows 98|98]], [[Windows 2000|2000]], and [[Windows ME|ME]] || || 4MB<ref>https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/138349</ref> || 40.8-76.2MB<ref>https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/138349</ref> || | + | | '''Windows 95''' || NT 4.0.950 || August 24, 1995 || Uses the same skin as [[Windows 98|98]], [[Windows 2000|2000]], and [[Windows ME|ME]] || || 4MB<ref>https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/138349</ref> || 40.8-76.2MB<ref>https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/138349</ref> || |
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| | | Windows NT 4.0 || NT 4.0 || July 29, 1996 || || | | | Windows NT 4.0 || NT 4.0 || July 29, 1996 || || |
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| | | Windows CE Birch<ref name="ce6.0">https://blogs.msdn.microsoft.com/mikehall/2006/09/20/ce-6-0-why-the-codename-yamazaki</ref> || CE 2.0 || November 1997<ref name="ce6.0">https://blogs.msdn.microsoft.com/mikehall/2006/09/20/ce-6-0-why-the-codename-yamazaki</ref> || Auto PC platform introduced<ref>[http://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1224527 Auto PC: Windows CE hits the road, EETimes, July 14, 1999]</ref> || || || | | | Windows CE Birch<ref name="ce6.0">https://blogs.msdn.microsoft.com/mikehall/2006/09/20/ce-6-0-why-the-codename-yamazaki</ref> || CE 2.0 || November 1997<ref name="ce6.0">https://blogs.msdn.microsoft.com/mikehall/2006/09/20/ce-6-0-why-the-codename-yamazaki</ref> || Auto PC platform introduced<ref>[http://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1224527 Auto PC: Windows CE hits the road, EETimes, July 14, 1999]</ref> || || || |
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| − | | '''[[Windows 98]]''' || NT 4.1.1998 || June 25, 1998 || Uses the same skin as 95, 2000, and ME || || 16MB || 500MB | + | | '''[[Windows 98]]''' || NT 4.1.1998 || June 25, 1998 || Uses the same skin as 95, 2000, and ME |
| | + | || || 16MB || 500MB |
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| | | '''Windows 98 Second Edition''' || NT 4.1.2222 || April 23, 1999 || Uses the same skin as 95, 2000, and ME || || || | | | '''Windows 98 Second Edition''' || NT 4.1.2222 || April 23, 1999 || Uses the same skin as 95, 2000, and ME || || || |