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An open encyclopedia of software history
Did you know...
- ...that the WarpCenter shell included in OS/2 Warp 4 build 9.012 refers itself to as Lotus SmartCenter?
- ...that the Windows XP team created a decoy theme in order to prevent any leaks about Luna?
- ...that the supposed Longhorn sound scheme in fact wasn't included in any Windows build and actually originated from a Samsung OEM theme for Windows XP?
- ...that Apple has officially released several developer releases of what would later become Mac OS X for the x86 architecture as a part of its NeXT legacy, and secretly continued to maintain the port until Tiger?
- ...that Reversi in the Windows NT 3.1 April 1991 build displays square pieces, because the code for drawing circles wasn't implemented yet?
- ...that every Classic Mac OS version since Mac OS 7 renames the "Special" menu to a unique word beginning with S in beta builds for easy identification of such?
Featured article
Windows 95 (codenamed Chicago) is a consumer version of Microsoft Windows released by Microsoft in 1995. It is the first major release in the Windows 9x operating system line, and was designed to be the successor of Windows 3.1. It is the first consumer-oriented version of Windows to include Windows Explorer, a move which was followed by its NT equivalent Windows NT 4.0 in 1996. It would be replaced by Windows 98, and Microsoft ended support for Windows 95 on 31 December 2001.
Windows 95 merged Microsoft's formerly separate MS-DOS and Microsoft Windows products, and featured significant improvements over its predecessor, most notably in the graphical user interface (GUI) and in its simplified "plug-and-play" features. It improved upon 16-bit Windows by introducing a hybrid 16/32-bit kernel and eliminating the need for an existing installation of MS-DOS, making it a standalone operating system (running alongside MS-DOS). Microsoft focused on improving the usability of Windows with technologies such as Plug-and-Play, long file names (VFAT), the Start menu, an updated desktop, Internet Explorer, Mail, built-in networking, and virtual device drivers. Many of the paradigms introduced with Windows 95 remain in use today.
