Editing Microsoft Windows (section)

=== Early versions ===
{{Main|Windows 1.0|Windows 2.0|Windows 2.1}}

The history of Windows dates back to 1981 when Microsoft started work on a program called "Interface Manager". The name "Windows" comes from the fact that the system was one of the first to use graphical boxes to represent programs; in the industry, at the time, these were called "windows" and the underlying software was called "windowing software."<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last=Edwards |first=Benj |date=2022-02-07 |title=Why Is Windows Called Windows? |url=https://www.howtogeek.com/781573/why-is-windows-called-windows/ |access-date=2024-09-03 |website=How-To Geek |language=en}}</ref> It was announced in November 1983 (after the [[Apple Lisa]], but before the [[Macintosh 128K|Macintosh]]) under the name "Windows", but [[Windows 1.0]] was not released until November 1985.<ref>{{Cite web |title=A history of Windows |url=http://windows.microsoft.com/en-in/windows/history#T1=era0 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160611182917/http://windows.microsoft.com/en-in/windows/history#T1=era0 |archive-date=June 11, 2016 |access-date=2023-01-07 |website=Microsoft Windows |language=en-US}}</ref> Windows 1.0 was to compete with [[Apple Inc.|Apple]]'s operating system, but achieved little popularity. Windows 1.0 is not a complete operating system; rather, it extends [[MS-DOS]]. The shell of Windows 1.0 is a program known as the [[MS-DOS Executive]]. Components included [[Windows Calculator|Calculator]], Calendar, [[Cardfile]], [[ClipBook Viewer|Clipboard Viewer]], Clock, [[Control Panel (Windows)|Control Panel]], [[Windows Notepad|Notepad]], [[Microsoft Paint|Paint]], [[Reversi]], [[Terminal emulator|Terminal]] and [[Microsoft Write|Write]]. Windows 1.0 does not allow overlapping windows. Instead, all windows are [[tiling window manager|tiled]]. Only modal dialog boxes may appear over other windows. Microsoft sold as included Windows Development libraries with the C development environment, which included numerous windows samples.<ref>{{Cite book |title=Microsoft C 5.0: C Language Reference Guide |publisher=Microsoft |year=1987 |pages=250–267}}</ref>

[[Windows 2.0]] was released in December 1987, and was more popular than its predecessor. It features several improvements to the user interface and memory management.<ref>{{Cite news |title=A legacy of Windows, part 1: Windows 1-2-3 – TechRepublic |language=en |work=TechRepublic |url=http://www.techrepublic.com/article/a-legacy-of-windows-part-1-windows-1-2-3/ |url-status=live |access-date=March 26, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170327170048/http://www.techrepublic.com/article/a-legacy-of-windows-part-1-windows-1-2-3/ |archive-date=March 27, 2017}}</ref> Windows 2.03 changed the OS from tiled windows to overlapping windows. The result of this change led to [[Apple Computer, Inc. v. Microsoft Corp.|Apple Computer filing a suit against Microsoft]] alleging infringement on Apple's copyrights (eventually settled in court in Microsoft's favor in 1993).<ref>{{Cite web |year=2006 |title=The Apple vs. Microsoft GUI Lawsuit |url=http://lowendmac.com/orchard/06/apple-vs-microsoft.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080304145809/http://lowendmac.com/orchard/06/apple-vs-microsoft.html |archive-date=March 4, 2008 |access-date=March 12, 2008}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Apple Computer, Inc. v. MicroSoft Corp., 35 F.3d 1435 (9th Cir. 1994) |url=http://home.earthlink.net/~mjohnsen/Technology/Lawsuits/appvsms.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071214033452/http://home.earthlink.net/~mjohnsen/Technology/Lawsuits/appvsms.html |archive-date=December 14, 2007 |access-date=March 12, 2008}}</ref> Windows 2.0 also introduced more sophisticated [[keyboard shortcut]]s and could make use of [[expanded memory]].

[[Windows 2.1]] was released in two different versions: [[Windows/286]] and [[Windows/386]]. Windows/386 uses the [[virtual 8086 mode]] of the [[Intel 80386]] to multitask several DOS programs and the [[paging|paged memory model]] to emulate expanded memory using available [[extended memory]]. Windows/286, in spite of its name, runs on both [[Intel 8086]] and [[Intel 80286]] processors. It runs in [[real mode]] but can make use of the [[high memory area]].<ref name="infoworld-19880704">{{cite magazine |last1=Patton |first1=Carole |last2=Mace |first2=Scott |title=Windows Gets More Memory With Upgrade |magazine=[[InfoWorld]] |date=4 July 1988 |volume=10 |issue=27 |page=1 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4z4EAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA1 |access-date=9 January 2024 |issn=0199-6649 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240109100230/https://books.google.com/books?id=4z4EAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA1 |archive-date=9 January 2024 |url-status=live }}</ref>

In addition to full Windows packages, there were runtime-only versions that shipped with early Windows software from third parties and made it possible to run their Windows software on MS-DOS and without the full Windows feature set.

The early versions of Windows are often thought of as graphical shells, mostly because they ran on top of MS-DOS and used it for [[file system]] services.<ref name="Evolution">{{Cite web |title=Windows Evolution |url=http://news.soft32.com/windows-evolution_1629.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080208174626/http://news.soft32.com/windows-evolution_1629.html |archive-date=February 8, 2008 |publisher=Soft32.com News}}</ref> However, even the earliest Windows versions already assumed many typical operating system functions; notably, having their own [[executable file format]] and providing their own [[device driver]]s (timer, graphics, printer, mouse, keyboard and sound). Unlike MS-DOS, Windows allowed users to execute multiple graphical applications at the same time, through [[Nonpreemptive multitasking|cooperative multitasking]]. Windows implemented an elaborate, segment-based, software virtual memory scheme, which allows it to run applications larger than available memory: code segments and [[resource (Windows)|resources]] are swapped in and thrown away when memory became scarce; data segments moved in memory when a given application had relinquished processor control.