Operating Systems – Foundations of Modern Computing - OS Wars: Windows initials vs OS/2

💻 OS/2 and Early Microsoft Windows History Excerpts from Wikipedia articles detailing the early history of OS/2 and the initial versions of Microsoft Windows, specifically Windows 1.0, Windows 2.0, and Windows 2.1. The material on OS/2 explains its joint development by IBM and Microsoft, the subsequent breakup of that partnership around 1990, and its continuing evolution and eventual discontinuation by IBM, followed by third-party maintenance. The articles on the early Windows versions, which ran as shells on MS-DOS, trace their development from the debut of Windows 1.0 in 1985, which received lukewarm reviews, through Windows 2.0 and Windows 2.1, which introduced features like overlapping windows and improved memory management. Notably, Windows 2.0 led to a copyright lawsuit filed by Apple, and the later Windows versions, particularly Windows 2.1, were recognized as improving performance and increasing sales, setting the stage for Microsoft's future success.