Win8 reappeared yesterday Windows 1.0

Computer store news: Two years ago, when Win 1.0 ushered in its 25th birthday, we still don't know where Windows will go. Now Win8 has been launched, and it has been 27 years since the birth of Win 1.0. Although the face of the IT industry has changed in many ways, Win 8 and Win 1.0 have some striking similarities. Let's take a look at how long we have been since the birth of Win 1.0, and how Win8 is "reproduced yesterday".

On November 10, 1983, Microsoft announced the launch of Windows for $99 with a notepad, calendar, clock, file manager, Reversi board game, writing and drawing tools. Bill was included in the original press release. Gates's words: "Windows provides users with unprecedented capabilities and provides the cornerstone for hardware and software development in the coming years. Windows is a unique software designed for PC users who value productivity and value. “

Win 1.0 looks like this:

As BYTE magazine pointed out in the December 1983 issue, Windows is an attempt to make desktop operating systems relatively affordable. At the time, most computers were still text-based, and desktop operating systems were very expensive and expensive: Apple Lisa computers start at $10,000, and Visi On systems require you to have expensive hard drives, up to 2.2MB. Space and 512KB of memory, and Windows promises to provide you with the same features, you only need two cheap double-sided floppy drive, half of the memory.

Windows is only available for sale two years later. For the IT industry, this time is really long enough. Microsoft engineers even invented the “fogware” in the year before the release, (Vaporware, which refers to products that began to be promoted before the development was completed. These products may be This will not come out at all) this ironic term. Microsoft is good at self-deprecating. On November 20, 1985, Win 1.0 began shipping. On the evening of the 21st, Microsoft held a self-deprecating event at the Comdex Computer Dealer Expo in Las Vegas. At the time, InfoWorld edited Stewart. Stewart Alsop awarded Bill. Gates & ldquo; Gold Fog Awards & rdquo;, columnist John. John C. Dvorak also opened a famous joke: "When Microsoft announced the launch of Windows, Steve. Ballmer still has hair. ” Microsoft also tried to put dry ice in the bucket to make some real fog, but it may be because the weather in Las Vegas is too dry, this attempt failed.

However, shipping does not represent success. Microsoft wants corporate and personal customers to use Win 1.0's graphical user interface (GUI). At the time, it was still avant-garde, and only one company, Apple, really made progress in this area. Sounds familiar? Because now, Microsoft is also trying to enter the field of touch screen tablets with Win 8 and SurfaceRT, and everyone said that Apple iPad is already the hegemon of this field.

And this is not the only similarity between Win 1.0 and Win 8. Like Win 8, the original Windows version also tried to simplify the operation without abandoning the old-style application. Win 8 also provides a familiar desktop interface outside of the Metro UI, and Win 1.0 also runs on the popular MS-DOS at the time. In fact, you need to install MS-DOS 2.0 first and then install Win 1.0 on it. Microsoft had intended to call this operating system "Interface Manager" until November 1983. Renamed Windows.

And, like Win 8, Win 1.0 also needed to attract developers to develop software for graphical user interfaces. In November 1983, that is, Microsoft announced that it will launch Windows soon after, "Information World" John. John Markoff believes that there will be a lot of programs that will occupy the entire screen in window mode. In 1984, The New York Times also questioned the value of the Windows environment.

In February 1986, Information World asked whether the IT managers of some companies would adopt the Windows system. They found that they seemed to be satisfied with the status quo, and they worried that if the software manufacturers did not follow Windows Standards, Windows will bring a fragmented user experience. And critics say that in order to better use this operating system, users also need to add additional hardware (there was a mouse in the year, now need a touch screen). Today, 27 years later, in order to maintain its competitiveness, Win8 also needs to sell dynamic tiles and touch screens to those who do not necessarily need them. However, Microsoft said that Windows sales comparison "slow heat".

Interestingly, some elements of Win 8's new UI are reminiscent of Win 1.0. You may be familiar with dragging Widows programs and letting them overlap each other, but this feature was shipped before Win 1.0. It has been removed to allow the app to automatically resize based on available space. There are different reasons for Microsoft to do this. Some people say that Microsoft has decided to do so. Some people say that this is a secret agreement between Microsoft and Apple. However, this feature was added back in Win 2.0 and triggered an Apple lawsuit. Win 8 provides a WindowsSnap feature that allows applications to display side-by-side, but some applications can't run after being scaled to a smaller scale. It's no wonder that the Windows logo has become square.

The launch of Win 1.0 gained an optimistic but general rating, and it ultimately failed to fulfill its promise of "reasonable price and powerfulness". Popular Science likes the idea of ​​Win 1.0, but says it's slower, “It takes up to 15 seconds to switch from one program to another. & rdquo; Multitasking is also a problem: "My 640KB of computer memory is only enough to open two small and medium programs. "Creative Computing" said that it is hard to say whether there is value in upgrading from DOS to Windows. The headline of "Consultation World" is "Windows needs too much" and gave it 4.5 points (out of 10 points), saying "It has too much processing power for the computer, normal 8088 IBM PC or Compatible machines can't afford it, "The New York Times" said that running Windows on a 512K memory PC is not realistic. Users really need more memory, more expensive hard drives, to run Windows at a reasonable speed. Some people even suggest setting a "RAM disk".

As a result, the Windows operating system has been updated with two versions to become popular.

But we shouldn’t deceive ourselves: in the 1980s, the PC industry was still a wild land, but those days are gone forever, and the early problems that made Win 1.0 in trouble are not necessarily Will become a hindrance to Win 8's success, especially in the case of mainstream computer companies mass production of Win 8 compatible computers, and the attractiveness of the touch screen has been determined. In 1985, Win 1.0 faced a market that was about to become prosperous, and it was waiting for the right operating system to emerge to unify different computer hardware. There are several competitors in this market, and one of them may already have taken the lead. However, if Win 8 fails, there will still be a large number of computers waiting for Microsoft to launch the next Windows version — — unless everyone agrees that the PC itself will be wiped out by mobile devices.