Windows 2.0 - 98


Most Impactful Changes 2.0

  • Overlapping Windows
  • Minimizing Windows
  • Mouse Friendly
  • Bundled with Word and Excel

Windows 2.0


The second major update to Windows was released in 1987. This update rose to fame because it came in a bundle with Microsoft’s Word and Excel applications. The update was an improvement of Windows 1.0 to the desktop. This version added overlapping windows and minimizing windows, and allowed the movement of minimized windows using the mouse around the desktop. Although of the success of Windows 2.0, it was stated that it stayed a work in progress because of the lawsuit that Apple filed against Microsoft just months after the release.


Most Impactful Changes 3.0

  • 32-bit disk
  • Increased RAM
  • Games

Windows 3.0


The third major update came out in the year 1990 and was a success for Windows. It took them three tries but the update got them to get a bunch of support from the community of software developers. The update offered older apps to be multitasked through the access of virtual memory. The 3.1 update released two years later, which included a 32-bit disk, some more icons to drag and drop, and increased RAM. This was also the creation of the famous games Minesweeper and Solitaire that were able to be played on computers.


Most Impactful Changes 95

  • New interface
  • Support for 32-bits
  • Ran so much faster
  • Start Button

Windows 95


Windows was the next major update to windows, which came out August 24th, 1995. This update for starts was an update for the overall user interface. However the most important thing about this update was the fact that it supported applications that had a requirement of 32-bits. This meant those applications would run a lot faster with Windows 95. The update lastly added the start button which was a more organized way of launching an application.


Most Impactful Changes 98

  • Internet Explorer
  • DVD
  • USB
  • Active Desktop

Windows 98


Windows 98 came out three years after Windows 95, on June 25th 1998. The goal of this update was to fix a bunch of the bugs and tweaks of the Windows 95 update. The most visible feature on Windows 98 was the Active Desktop, which was the first integration of the Web browser Internet explorer. The update also supported a bunch of the new technologies at the time, which included DVD and USB. This version of Windows was the last version that was based on MS-DOS.


Relevence of These Versions Today

As you can see in the above video, people are still interested in doing projects with these versions of Windows. These early versions of Windows had left a significan't mark on the lives of many people. Because of the impact these versions had, they are seen as a piece of history and an exciting look back at what modern operating systems evolved from.