History+of+Microsoft


 * __History of Microsoft__**

Microsoft started in 1975 in New Mexico when Micro Instrumentation and Telemetry Systems, "announced the MITS Altair 8800 on the cover of the 1st January 1975 issue of Popular Electronics"(thocp.net). "The MITS Altair inspired a new generation of technology enthusiasts, including Bill Gates and Paul Allen, who were among the first of these early hobbyists to realize that the key to the future of personal computing lay in the unlimited potential of software"(thocp.net). Gates and Allen began working around the clock creating a program out of BASIC that would work as an operating system for the new Altair 8800. On January 2nd 1975 Gates and Allen finish the Microsoft BASIC,the first BASIC program written for a personal computer. On the way to New Mexico Allen realizes that they have no way to upload there freshly made software onto the Altair 8800, since they were using a mock computer to design the program the, DEC PDP-10. So Allen "assembled a loader program for BASIC at 30,000 feet in the air, on the flight to New Mexico. Even though it had never been tested on an actual machine, it ran perfectly on the very first try"(thocp.net). On July 22nd Allen and Gates sign a contract with MITS giving them rights to the BASIC intrepeter. Allen and Gates got 16,005 for this partnership. Microsoft now has three employees Allen, Gates, and Ric Weiland. With this new release of this BASIC intrepeter computer enthusiast are thrilled even though there isn't much you can actually do with this BASIC program.(Thocp.net)

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media type="youtube" key="y48rthTbrA8" height="344" width="425"This a youtube video demonstrating the Windows GUI from Windows 1.0 to Windows Vista. The author also gives a brief history of each Windows version. I put this in my thesis to give everyone a better understanding of how these operating systems worked. It is somewhat long but I believe that it is important to being able to understand how these programs really worked.

[] [] Price: $99 Hardware Requirements: 80386 CPU, 256KB RAM, 1MB Storage Media Size: five 360KB 5.25" floppy disks Microsoft first developed the Interface Manager in September 1981 and announced the technology as **Microsoft Windows**, their first graphical user interface (GUI) operating system, in November 1983. Windows 1.0 hit stores 2 years later in November 1985. The application selection was sparse, there were no icons, multi-tasking or program groups, and sales was modest.
 * Microsoft Windows 1.0 (1985) **

Included in Windows 3.1 were MS-DOS Executive, Calendar, Cardfile, Notepad, Terminal, Calculator, Clock, Reversi, Control Panel, PIF (Program Information File) Editor, Print Spooler, Clipboard, RAMDrive, Windows Write, Windows Paint -Released in May 1990 -price $99 -Hardware Requirements: a 80386 CPU, 2 MB RAM, and 8 MB of Hardrive space Used seven 3.5" floppy disk in order to install it
 * || ** Windows 3.0 **

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 * Windows 3.0 made mass improvements on on its user-ability. It did this by addressing many of the memory issues by making 3.0 ale to handle address memory beyond 640 kilobytes. It was with Windows 3.0 where many outside software developers started creating software.

Sold more than 10 million copies, making Windows 3.0 the best-selling graphical user interface. [] ||

[] good history of microsoft operating systems

-Released in August 1995 -Price $85 -Hardware Requirements a 386DX CPU, 4 MB of RAM, and 35 MB of storage in order to run -It used either a CD-rom or a 3.5" floppy disk in order to install
 * ** -Windows 95 **

|| Windows 95 is one of the most famous and universally liked Windows. Windows 95 was a 32-bit system. It also came with a full range of multi-tasking functions, as well as an improved file systems. It also revised its user interface; this revision made Windows much easier to use for the average user. Within four days of release Microsoft Windows '95 sold 110 million copies in 2 years. [|http://www.vistaultimate.com/windowsxp.htm] ||

-Hardware Requirements: 233Mhz CPU, 128 RAM, and 1.5GB of Hard Drive -Used CD-rom in order to load. -Released in October 2001. || -Windows XP looked much better, it also managed memory more efficently, and a lot more security was introduced to account for the increase of cyber attacks. -Microsoft XP sold 17 million copies in two months, and around 200 million copies in two years. [] ||
 * Price $199
 * -Microsoft spent around a billion-dollars to market this software.

"According to Jim Allchin, the co-President at Microsoft responsible for Windows Vista, there are over one thousand new features and technologies being introduced." Vista aimed to be a huge improvement on Windows XP with improvements to security, it also aims to make a vast improvement on computer to computer communications as well as improved searching technologies. Windows Vista is thought to be the most costly and time consuming product in Microsofts history. It costs anywhere from 86.94$ to 145$. (Cnet)