Being part of the software sector, one of the most representative elements here is the operating system that Microsoft offers us, we talk about Windows. Most of you have been working with this for decades and now we are going to remember what its beginnings were like.
Today this is software that is part of most desktop computers around the world. In fact, a good part of regular technology users are used to working with Windows. But from its beginnings to date this is a software component that has changed a lot, this is how it was born.
What was the launch of the first Windows like in 1983?
We have to go back to 1983 when Microsoft began to be what it is today. Little by little it became a well-known company related to the world of technology and desktop computers. Much of the blame at the time was on the launch of the MS-DOS operating system that it launched in 1981. But perhaps one of its greatest advances occurred 40 years ago, specifically on November 10 of the aforementioned year 1983.
It all started at a press event held in New York City, when the software giant first revealed its plans to launch a graphical interface-based PC operating system. This was going to mean a huge revolution in the technology sector and from the beginning the company called it Windows. In fact, Bill Gates became interested in all this after seeing other competing operating systems, as happened with Apple.
Thus, Gates began to plan the development of an operating system with a graphical interface that would be more affordable than its competitors. And if that were not enough, he also promised that Windows would have lower hardware requirements. Another notable section is that in this initial presentation they stated that Windows could also run any MS-DOS program.
Program window management, a key factor
Regarding the execution of applications, in the new graphical interface the windows themselves would change size to fit on the screen, but they would not overlap each other. Hence the so-called mosaic interface that is surely familiar to many. Although today the use of these windows is quite common, at that time it was quite a novelty. Hence the importance that Microsoft wanted to give to its operation.
The company included in this first Windows an automatic window distribution function. All in order to resize all of them when the size of one of them is modified so that they never overlap.
And not only that, since, at the same time in this presentation of the first Windows, Microsoft assured that it would be compatible with IBM PC-based equipment from companies such as HP, Compaq or Texas Instruments. As a curiosity, we will tell you that IBM itself decided not to support Windows at that time. He later launched an operating system called TopView that failed miserably.
Microsoft initially hoped to launch Windows in April 1984. But for various reasons the first version ended up being released on November 20, 1985. It should be noted that, at first, Windows was a complete failure. It wasn’t until the release of Windows 3.0 in 1990 that the system really began to take off to become what it is today.
Lotus and Paint, the protagonists of Windows 1.0
Right now it would be unthinkable for Microsoft to promote its operating system by indicating that it is compatible with an office suite other than Office, or that one of the main features of the system is painting with Paint. However, in the original 1986 announcement we can see the co-founder, Steve Ballmer, presenting the operating system highlighting the use of Paint and the compatibility of the Lotus suite.
Is this advertisement true? Was it published, or used as a parody within the company? It is not known with certainty. What is clear is that the presenter is Ballmer, since in that era AI did not exist, and that the price of Windows was $99 (a little less than what any “Home” edition costs now). Price to which, in addition, the price of MS-DOS had to be added.
