6 Windows has always had... windows! Notepad and flip chess applications are vertically tiled in Windows 1.0.

This may sound the most obvious fact, but from day one, Windows does have "windows". In Windows 1.0, different applications run in separate windows and can be executed simultaneously. However, the windows at that time could not overlap, they could only be arranged side by side (tiled). It was not until Windows 2.0 that with the increase in screen space and the advancement of graphics technology, windows began to support overlapping displays.

Interestingly, although the tiling function has existed from the beginning, it has really become practical thanks to the popularity of high-resolution displays and the introduction of user experience features such as window adsorption and fast tiling layout.

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Posts 5 Mouse as the main input device ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Windows 1.0 is one of the first operating systems to assume that users will connect to the mouse by default. Although many MS-DOS applications also support mouse operations, a mouse is almost required for Windows to function properly.

Of course, if you really need it, you can also operate Windows 1.0 and all subsequent versions without using a mouse. I had to use my Windows 95 computer at home without a mouse for one year because the original mouse broke and we couldn't afford the new one. That experience has made me still skillfully use various keyboard shortcuts.

Despite this, it is still very inconvenient to operate Windows by relying on the keyboard alone. The best way to do this today is to use mouse operations with some efficient keyboard shortcuts. Windows and its competitors have opened the "Rat Era" and the mouse will likely be with us for a long time.

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Posts 7 4 Menu Bar and drop-down menu ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

An important contribution of early graphics operating systems like Windows 1.0 is to establish unified operating standards for applications developed by different developers. In the DOS era, every software developer has its own design logic for how menus such as mouse-driven work. On Windows, the menu bar and drop-down menu operation methods of two word processing software from different manufacturers are basically the same.

Although we have experienced various interface experiments over the years, such as ribbons, sidebars, hamburger menus, the top-level menu structure of Windows applications is essentially consistent with the initial one.

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Posts 43 3 Minimize, maximize and close buttons ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

In Windows 1.0, you can minimize, maximize, and close windows, but these controls may be a little new to modern users. Starting with Windows 2.0, these buttons gradually evolved into the three-button combination we are familiar with and love today.

Although Microsoft later added more features and options to these controls, its core window management capabilities remain unchanged. I think any modern Windows user can get started with Windows 1.0 in a few minutes. After all, the biggest selling point of these new graphics operating systems is that you no longer need to remember a bunch of commands to use your computer.

The intuitive buttons on each window allow you to switch efficiently, but ironically, I now rely mainly on keyboard operations - using Alt Tab to switch windows and using virtual desktop shortcut keys to jump in different workspaces.

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Posts 81 2 Multitasking--------------------

Under MS-DOS, you must close one program to run the other. A major innovation and productivity leap in Windows 1.0 is supporting multiple applications running simultaneously. Of course, since the computer at that time had only one CPU core, "multi-task" was actually just an illusion. But the CPU switches between tasks very quickly, making you feel like these programs are actually running at the same time.

More importantly, you can quickly switch between programs, copy data, and keep multiple programs open and ready for use - provided you have enough memory, or don't mind the frequent call-in and out of the hard disk. Today, Windows 11 has become a monster of multitasking, with hundreds or even thousands of processes running in the background. Thanks to hyperthreading technology and multi-core CPUs, modern multitasking is no longer a "smart trick". My Windows laptop has 24 cores!

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Posts 1 Notepad, drawings and calculator -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

MS-DOS provides almost only basic tools needed to operate a computer and run software, such as CHKDSK or FORMAT. Windows 1.0 comes with a series of value-added software, the most famous of which are notepad, MS Paint and calculator.

Since then, every version of Windows has retained these applications, and despite the endless stream of third-party alternatives, they are still widely used by millions of people. Since Windows 1.0, I have been using MS Paint for basic image editing and to this day I still use it to process and annotate screenshots. As for the calculator? It has been evolving for a long time, and now the calculator that comes with Windows has included scientific computing and graphics drawing functions - you should know that a graphics calculator is still expensive!

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Posts I think we tend to underestimate the value these gadgets bring to Windows, especially MS Write, which was later replaced by WordPad in Windows 95. These basic word processing tools were enough to get me done with school assignments and projects without the extra costly office software suite of my family.

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Although the core experience of Windows has not changed much over the years, it is still unknown how it will develop in the future. Obviously, mainstream desktop operating systems are becoming similar in appearance and operation today. Windows borrows the design of macOS and vice versa. Today, Linux distributions and ChromeOS are also competing for the same market space. Will there be Windows in ten years? I'm not sure. But if there are indeed Windows 12, 13 or even 100 in the future, I bet it will retain MS Paint!

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