November 10 – Windows Day

nPostednon November 10, 2016

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nScroll,npoint, click!

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nOnnthis date in 1983, Microsoft announced its newest product, Windows.

nBefore Windows, Personal Computers (PCs) had DOS:

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Apple, above

nWindowsnwas the PC answer to Apple – a way of allowing PC users to use anmouse or other pointer, to see pull-down menus and multiplenapplications, to have a computer-using experience that was morengraphic and less like programming.

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Windows 1.01

nActually,nthere were some delays before Windows finally made it into thenpublic’s hands, in 1985. That was Windows 1.0. And it wasn’t untilnWindows 3.0 (in 1990) that the operating system saw widespread use. n

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Windows 10

nNownwe’re up to Windows 10 – a system for tablets, smartphones, andn“embedded devices” (like music players, flight machinery, andnwatches), as well as for Personal Computers. I have to admit that,nalthough I had PCs – and Windows – for a few years between Applenproducts, I prefer Apples.

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nAsnimportant as computers are, I thought I would take the opportunity tonglance at the history of windows, lower case – as in openings in anwall, door, roof, or vehicle largely meant to allow light, air, andnsound to pass through. n

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nAsnyou can imagine, as long as there have been human-created structuresn– from way back in pre-history – there have been windows. But ifnwe are talking about windows covered with glass or other transparentn(or translucent) material, we have to go back to ancient history:

nThenRomans are the first known civilization to use glass in windows, waynback in the year 100 A.D. (B.C.):

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nWindowsncovered with translucent paper were common in ancient China, Korea,nand Japan.

nBynthe late 600s, stained glass windows (using various colors of glassnto make a pattern or picture) had been invented:

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nInnthe 1300s, people covered windows with flattened animal horn:

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nInnEngland, glass windows became common in the 1600s:

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nInnthe 1800s, in the American West, glass was hard to come by, so peoplenused greased paper windows. But eventually, even out there, many buildings had glass windows: