Windows 2.0
| Windows 2.0 | |
|---|---|
| Part of the Microsoft Windows family | |
 |
|
 Screenshot of Windows 2.0 |
|
| Developer | |
| Microsoft | |
| Website | http://www.microsoft.com/ |
| Releases | |
| Initial release | December 9, 1987 [info] |
| Latest stable release |
2.03 (1988) [info] |
| Source model | Closed source |
| License | Commercial software |
| Preceded by | Windows 1.0 (1985) |
| Succeeded by | Windows 2.1x (1988) |
| Support status | |
Windows 2.0 is a 16-bit Microsoft Windows GUI-based operating environment that was released on December 9, 1987 [1] and is the successor to Windows 1.0. With Windows 2.1x in 1988, Windows 2.0 was supplemented by Windows/286 and Windows/386. Windows 2.0, Windows/286 and Windows/386 were superseded by Windows 3.0 in May 1990, but supported by Microsoft for fourteen years until December 31, 2001.
Contents |
Features[edit]
![[icon]](/wiki/File:Wiki_letter_w_cropped.svg){kind=small} |
This section requires expansion. (June 2011) |
Windows 2.0 allowed application windows to overlap each other unlike its predecessor Windows 1.0, which could display only tiled windows. Windows 2.0 also introduced more sophisticated keyboard-shortcuts and the terminology of "Minimize" and "Maximize", as opposed to "Iconize" and "Zoom" in Windows 1.0. The basic window setup introduced here would last through Windows 3.1. Like Windows 1.x, Windows 2.x applications cannot be run on Windows 3.1 or up without modifications since they weren't designed for protected mode. Windows 2.0 was also the first Windows version to integrate the control panel.
New features in Windows 2.0 included VGA graphics (although 16 colors only). It was also the last version of Windows that did not require a hard disk. The Windows 2.x EGA, VGA, and Tandy drivers notably provided a workaround in Windows 3.0 for users who wanted color graphics on 8086 machines (a feature that version normally did not support). EMS memory support also appeared for the first time.
Application support[edit]
The first Windows versions of Microsoft Word and Microsoft Excel ran on Windows 2.0. Third-party developer support for Windows increased substantially with this version (some shipped the Windows Runtime software with their applications, for customers who had not purchased the full version of Windows). However, most developers still maintained DOS versions of their applications, as Windows users were still a distinct minority of their market. Windows 2.0 was still very dependent on the DOS system and it still hadn't passed the 1 megabyte mark in terms of memory.
There were some applications that shipped with Windows 2.0. They are:
- CALC.EXE – a calculator
- CALENDAR.EXE – calendaring software
- CARDFILE.EXE – a personal information manager
- CLIPBRD.EXE – software for viewing the contents of the clipboard
- CLOCK.EXE – a clock
- CONTROL.EXE – the system utility responsible for configuring Windows 2.0
- CVTPAINT.EXE[further explanation needed]
- MSDOS.EXE – a simple file manager
- NOTEPAD.EXE – a text editor
- PAINT.EXE – a raster graphics editor that allows users to paint and edit pictures interactively on the computer screen
- PIFEDIT.EXE – a program information file editor that defines how a DOS program should behave inside Windows
- REVERSI.EXE – a computer game of reversi
- SPOOLER.EXE – the print spooler of Windows, a program that manages and maintains a queue of documents to printed, sending them printer as soon as possible
- TERMINAL.EXE – a terminal emulator
- WRITE.EXE – a simple word processor
Legal conflict with Apple[edit]
On March 17, 1988, Apple Inc. filed a lawsuit against Microsoft and Hewlett-Packard, accusing them of violating copyrights Apple held on the Macintosh System Software.[2] Apple claimed the "look and feel" of the Macintosh operating system, taken as a whole, was protected by copyright and that Windows 2.0 violated this copyright by having the same icons. The judge ruled in favor of Hewlett-Packard and Microsoft in all but ten of the 189 patents that Apple sued for. The exclusive ten could not be copyrighted, as ruled by the judge.
References[edit]
- ^ http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows/history
- ^ "1980 - 1989: An Industrial Milestone". The Apple Museum. Retrieved September 4, 2009.
External links[edit]
- GUIdebook: Windows 2.0 Gallery – A website dedicated to preserving and showcasing Graphical User Interfaces
- ComputerHope.com: Microsoft Windows history
- Microsoft article with details about the different versions of Windows
- http://download.chip.eu/en/History-of-Microsoft_163647110.html
- http://encyclopedia2.thefreedictionary.com/Windows+2.0
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