Fun Facts about Microsoft Windows
This article is sure to entertain that one geek gene in you. Some of these points may be information you already know, but do you know everything? Read below to find out!
Early Trivia
- Interface Manager - While the original project that later became Windows 1.0 was in development, the project was internally referred to as "Interface Manager". The final name, "Windows" was actually inspired by one of its main graphical elements, the little forms or boxes, which are referred to as 'windows'.
- Tiled Windows - The first ever version of Windows didnt allow for overlapping program forms. Programs would instead be stacked or tiled. This was to avoid legal tensions from Apple. Microsoft would later win a copyright lawsuit with Apple, with the court considering overlapping windows a fundemental component of graphical interfaces that could not be copyrighted.
- The Mouse - When Windows 1.0 was released in 1985, the computer mouse was a new and unfamiliar accessory for many computer users. Due to the heavy reliance Windows put on using a mouse, games such as Reversi and later, Solitaire, were introduced to help users adapt to using the new peripheral and the graphical interface.
- Graphical Shell - From Windows 1.0 to 3.x, Windows was not a full, standalone operating system, but a graphical shell that was installed on top of Microsoft's flagship OS of the time, MS-DOS.
Historical Trivia
- Solitaire - The classic virtual card game was first introduced in Windows 3.0 (1990). It's main focus wasn't for entertainment, but to help users practice "drag-and-drop" using the mouse.
- 'Bliss' - The default wallpaper in Windows XP, "Bliss" is said to be the most viewed photograph in the world, taken by late photographer Charles O'Rear, based in California. Microsoft reportedly paid over $100,000 to obtain full rights to the image for use in Windows XP.
- 'The Microsoft Sound' - The famous start-up sound used in Windows 95 was composed by musician Brian Eno (who worked with David Bowie and U2). Brian Eno has publicly stated he has never used a Windows PC in his life and wrote the 6-second jingle on an Apple Mac.
