![]() ![]() The rivalry with Apple sparked into life too, and so the race to provide computing to the masses began, and it’s safe to say we did alright out of it. Windows 1.0 needed a mouse to point, click and navigate, and with that the way people interacted with computers completely changed. With the invention of personal computers and the use of GUI, the mouse became the navigation tool of choice to go with it. Whether it be to spell out rude words on a friend’s computer at school or as a crude form of Photoshop, interacting with Microsoft Paint was a digital right of passage, just like playing Minesweeper and Solitaire or having a ridiculous Hotmail address. Microsoft Paint (Navarr Barnier/ Flickr)įor many of us, this was our first digital procrastination tool. Once predominately black screens where you ticked a couple of boxes, software updates now get fanfares and countdowns that rival NASA launches. Wonderfully summed up in the above video Windows pioneered the idea of the software update, and periodically evolving and adding to the software used by consumers. It was one of the first to incorporate the graphical user interface (GUI) of icons, boxes and menus that we use today, taking us away from the black screens and code inputs that characterised the first computers.īut Windows also introduced scrollbars and drop-down menus two features that still appear in desktop software today, and are staples of personal computer use. The interface of Windows was pivotal to making it more accessible. The open nature of the software made it very appealing to technology companies and developers, and meant that Windows quickly became the go-to desktop software of the early PC era. While Apple was doing this predominately through hardware at first, Microsoft was all about software Windows. ![]() PC revolution (Mike Fisher/AP)Īs already touched upon, the digital world we inhabit today would look very different if it weren’t for Microsoft being at the forefront of making computers far more accessible to the masses. There are plenty of stand out moments from its 30-year history here are some of our favourites. Making its debut in 1985, and along with the Apple Macintosh that had launched the previous year, Windows marked the beginning of the PC era when the technology began to move from labs to homes for the first time.ģ0 years later and the company as a whole, largely driven by Windows, is enjoying a renaissance worthy of the software that has reached well over a billion people down the years. The 1980s gave us many things, but one of the most prominent things for life today was the birth of the personal computer – which was spearheaded by Microsoft and their Windows software. Microsoft Windows turns 30: How one piece of software changed the world 3 months ago
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |