Why not starting by the most shocking question as an advertiser?!
But do people look at ads when they are on social networking sites?
Online communities continue to grow. 72% of American adults go online with the intent of connecting in online communities. Facebook users averaged over 3 billion minutes a day in February 2009. Total U.S. time spent on Facebook increased to 700% in 2009. Search queries are up on Facebook, showing a 5% increase in May 2009; Google search queries are down 2%.
Lessons Learned: Shared Knowledge, Community Choice The habits of social network users need not be an obstacle. Gaze paths and eye fixations are proving to be one of the most relevant and robust metrics for understanding online behavior.
Theories on information foraging behavior suggest that users will adapt their search behavior and interaction with search results within unique online environments, like social networking sites.
People value results related to their personal interests. The forecast for growth in online communities looks promising.
And as this online population grows, more people are increasingly more likely to be influenced by the opinions—and connections—of those in their online social networks. A recent survey of online behavior found that people are most likely to take a product recommendation from a friend or relative.
Our survey results suggest that Twitter will take on a bigger role in the consumer decision making process.
Eye Tracking research rolls the power of analytics, usability and psychology all into one robust marketing tool. There is going to be an increased demand for more in-depth studies as the behavior of users adapts within the structures of online social environments. There is an open door for marketers to learn how to navigate this new terrain with the guidance of Eye Tracking research.
We know search is changing— it’s going social. Keep watching.
Welcome to the world of books! The 10 Days in Google Books game consists of 5 questions per day, each day with a different theme. Find the answers using Google Books! Is there anyway to sheet or find Cheating forums? nope since its all about searching using books.Google.com Daily Prizes
Play the 10 Days in Google Books game For a chance to win a Sony Reader, enter your email address and a creative thought in 50 words or less on what the experience of reading will be like in 100 years. Entries will be judged on originality, creativity, and clarity.
Every day is a new chance to win. Here’s how: after you answer today’s questions, write a brief creative entry on the topic of books. Each day, the top 3 submissions will win Sony Readers. The first 20,000 people to play the game will also get Google Books laptop stickers.
Play Google books Game Share it on Facebook twitter in a smart way.
* How do I play the 10 Days in Google Books game? * When does the game run until? * Who is the game open to? * What are the prizes? * How do I enter to win a Sony Reader? * How will contest entries be judged? * I got a question wrong (or skipped a question). Can I still enter the contest? * I played the game yesterday and entered the contest. Can I enter the contest again today? Do I need to write a new essay? * What is a Sony Reader? * How will I know if I won a Sony Reader? * How will I know if I won a sticker? * Why can’t I view this book? * I’m not in the United States, can I still play? * Can I play previous days’ questions?
How do I play the 10 Days in Google Books game?
The 10 Days in Google Books game consists of 5 questions per day, each day with a different theme. Find the answers using Google Books! After you answer today’s questions, write a brief creative entry on the topic of books. Each day, the top 3 submissions will win Sony Readers. The first 20,000 people to play the game will also get Google Books laptop stickers. When does the game run until?
The Contest begins at 12:00:00 A.M. Pacific Time (PT) Zone in the United States on July 27, 2009 and ends at 11:59:59 P.M. PT on August 5, 2009. Who is the game open to?
While anyone can play the game, the contest to win a Sony Reader is only open to legal residents of the 50 United States and the District of Columbia. See the full rules here. What are the prizes?
Each day, the top 3 submissions will each win a Sony Reader. The first 20,000 people to play the game will also get Google Books laptop stickers. How do I enter to win a Sony Reader?
After you answer today’s questions, click the “Enter the contest” button. To win a Sony Reader, submit a creative entry in 50 words or less on what the experience of reading will be like in 100 years. Entries will be judged on correct grammar and punctuation, originality, creativity and humor, expression of theme, and clarity and conciseness. How will contest entries be judged?
Contest entries will be judged on correct grammar and punctuation, originality, creativity and humor, expression of theme, and clarity and conciseness. Each day’s entries will be judged separately, resulting in 3 winners per day of the contest period. I got a question wrong (or skipped a question). Can I still enter the contest?
Yes! Your contest entry is the essay you enter on the form at the end of the quiz. The number of questions you got wrong (or skipped) has no impact on your ability to enter the contest or your odds of winning. I played the game yesterday and entered the contest. Can I enter the contest again today? Do I need to write a new essay?
Yes! There is a limit of one entry per person per day. You can submit a new entry each day, but you do need to submit a new essay with each entry. What is a Sony Reader?
The Sony Reader Digital Book holds about 160 eBooks or hundreds more with optional removable memory cards. With thousands of eBook titles available on the Sony eBook Store (including over 500,000 free public domain books from Google), you can download new releases, classics and popular book titles for the Sony Reader. For more information on the Sony Reader, visit http://www.sonystyle.com/reader. How will I know if I won a Sony Reader?
We will contact individual winners in the 2-3 months after the contest ends, and by November 5th, 2009 at the latest. How will I know if I won a sticker?
If you are among the first 20,000 people to play the game, you will receive a commemorative Google Books laptop sticker shipped to your home by October 5, 2009. Why can’t I view this book?
Many of the books in Google Books come from authors and publishers who participate in our Partner Program. For these books, partners decide how much of the book is viewable — anywhere from a few sample pages to the whole book. For other books, what you see depends on the book’s copyright status. If the book is in the public domain and therefore out of copyright, you can page through the entire book. But if the book is under copyright, and the publisher or author is not part of the Partner Program, we only show basic information about the book and, in some cases, a few snippets — sentences of your search terms in context. I’m not in the United States, can I still play?
While anyone can play the game, the contest to win a Sony Reader is only open to legal residents of the 50 United States and the District of Columbia. See the full rules here.
Note: As copyright laws are different in each country, some books and images may not be available in full view to users outside of the United States. Can I play previous days’ questions?
Sure thing! Click the links below to play questions from previous days. Note: You can only submit a contest entry for today — you won’t be able to submit a contest entry after playing previous days’ questions.
Day 1: Music – Can you hit the right note?
(There are still more days ahead. Come back tomorrow.)
NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED. VALID IN THE 50 UNITED STATES AND THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA ONLY.
ENTRY IN THIS CONTEST CONSTITUTES YOUR ACCEPTANCE OF THESE OFFICIAL RULES.
The 10 Days in Google Books Contest (the “Contest”) is an essay contest where participants, after answering 5 online questions, submit an essay that best describes what the experience of reading will be like in 100 years. For each day of the Contest Period, the essays will be evaluated by judges, who will choose three daily winning entries in accordance with these Official Rules. The daily prize(s) will be awarded to participant(s) whose essay is evaluated as having one of the three highest scores in the judging criteria for that day. See below for the complete details.
1. BINDING AGREEMENT: In order to enter the Contest, you must agree to these Official Rules (“Rules”). Therefore, please read these Rules prior to entry to ensure you understand and agree. You agree that submission of an entry in the Contest constitutes agreement to these Rules. You may not submit an entry to the Contest and are not eligible to receive the prizes described in these Rules unless you agree to these Rules. These Rules form a binding legal agreement between you and Google with respect to the Contest.
2. ELIGIBILITY: To be eligible to enter the Contest, you must be: (1) a legal resident of and physically located in the 50 United States or the District of Columbia; and (2) have access to the Internet as of July 27, 2009. Minors who enter must have the written consent of a parent or legal guardian in order to be eligible to receive any prizes, as described in Section 7 of these Rules. Contest is void in Puerto Rico, U.S. territories and possessions, outside of the U.S., and where prohibited by law. Employees, interns, contractors, and official office-holders of Google, and its parent companies, subsidiaries, affiliates, and their respective directors, officers, employees, advertising and promotion agencies, representatives, and agents (“Contest Entities”), and members of the Contest Entities’ and their immediate families (parents, siblings, children, spouses, and life partners of each, regardless of where they live) and members of the households (whether related or not) of such employees, officers and directors are ineligible to participate in this Contest. Sponsor reserves the right to verify eligibility and to adjudicate on any dispute at any time.
If you are entering as part of a company or on behalf of your employer, these rules are binding on you, individually, and/or your employer. If you are acting within the scope of your employment, as an employee, contractor, or agent of another party, you warrant that such party has full knowledge of your actions and has consented thereto, including your potential receipt of a prize. You further warrant that your actions do not violate your employers or company’s policies and procedures.
3. SPONSOR: The Contest is sponsored by Google Inc. (“Google” or “Sponsor”), a Delaware corporation with principal place of business at 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA, 94043, USA.
4. CONTEST PERIOD: The Contest begins at 12:00:00 A.M. Pacific Time (PT) Zone in the United States on July 27, 2009 and ends at 11:59:59 P.M. PT on August 5, 2009 (“Contest Period”).
5. HOW TO ENTER: NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN. To enter the Contest, visit the Contest website located at http://books.google.com/game (“Contest Site”) during the Contest Period and follow the instructions for answering the online questions, entering your name and address, and submitting an essay that best describes what the experience of reading will be like in 100 years (“Essay”). The Essay must meet the “Essay Requirements,” described below.
LIMIT ONE (1) ENTRY PER PERSON PER DAY. Subsequent entries will be disqualified. All entries for a particular day of the Contest Period must be received by 11:59 p.m. (PT) on such day of the Contest Period. Entries are void if they are in whole or part illegible, incomplete, damaged, altered, counterfeit, obtained through fraud, or late. All entries will be deemed made by the authorized account holder of the email address submitted at the time of entry, and the potential winner may be required to show proof of being the authorized account holder for that email address. The “authorized account holder” is the natural person assigned to an email address by an Internet service provider, online service provider, or other organization responsible for assigning email address for the domain.
If you are the one of the first 20,000 people who submit their name and address online on the Contest Site during the Contest Period, Google will send you a commemorative Google Books laptop sticker.
6. ESSAY REQUIREMENTS: The Essay must not be longer than 50 words and must meet the following criteria:
(a) It must not be derogatory, offensive, threatening, defamatory, disparaging, libelous or contain any content that is inappropriate, indecent, sexual, profane, indecent, tortuous, slanderous, discriminatory in any way, or that promotes hatred or harm against any group or person, or otherwise does not comply with the theme and spirit of the Contest.
(b) It must not contain content, material or any element that is unlawful, or otherwise in violation of or contrary to all applicable federal, state, or local laws and regulations the laws or regulations in any state where the Essay is created.
(c) It must not contain any content, material or element that displays any third party advertising, slogan, logo, trademark or otherwise indicates a sponsorship or endorsement by a third party, commercial entity or that is not within the spirit of the Contest, as determined by Sponsor, in its sole discretion.
(d) It must be an original, unpublished work that does not contain, incorporate or otherwise use any content, material or element that is owned by a third party or entity.
(e) It cannot contain any content, element, or material that violates a third party’s publicity, privacy or intellectual property rights.
(f) It cannot be longer than 50 words. If it is longer than this, only the first 50 words will be evaluated.
During the Contest Period, the Sponsor, its agents and/or the Judges (defined below) will be evaluating each Essay to ensure that it meets the Essay Requirements. The Sponsor reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to disqualify any entrant who submits an Essay that does not meet the Essay Requirements.
7. JUDGING: Each entry will be judged by a panel of experts who are employees of Sponsor (“Judges”). Each Essay submitted on a particular day of the Contest Period will be evaluated by the Judges based on the following criteria:
1) correct grammar and punctuation
2) originality
3) creativity and humor
4) expression of theme
5) clarity and conciseness
The judges will evaluate and attribute a score to each Essay submitted on a particular day of the Contest Period made up of scores based upon the above-listed criteria. In addition, the judges will rank all the Essays submitted on a particular day of the Contest Period against the other Essays submitted on that day. The 3 entries that receive the three highest overall scores for a particular day of the Contest Period will be selected as the 3 potential winner(s) for that day of the Contest Period. In the event of a tie, the Essay that received the higher score from the Judges in the category of “originality” will be selected as one of the potential winner(s) for that day of the Contest Period. In the event a potential winner is disqualified for any reason, the Essay that received the next highest total score will be chosen as one of the 3 potential winners for that day of the Contest Period.
On or about November 5, 2009, the potential winner(s) for each day of the Contest Period will be selected and notified by telephone and/or email, at Sponsor’s discretion. If a potential winner does not respond to the notification attempt within 10 days from the first notification attempt, then such potential winner will be disqualified and an alternate potential winner will be selected from among all eligible entries received on that day of the Contest Period based on the judging criteria described herein. With respect to notification by telephone, such notification will be deemed given when the potential winner engages in a live conversation with Sponsor or when a message is left on the potential winner’s voicemail service or answering machine by the Sponsor, whichever occurs first. Except where prohibited by law, each potential winner may be required to sign and return a Declaration of Eligibility and Liability and Publicity Release and provide any additional information that may be required by Sponsor. If required, potential winners must return all such required documents within 10 days following attempted notification or such potential winner will be deemed to have forfeited the prize and another potential winner will be selected based on the judging criteria described herein. In the event a potential winner is a minor, his or her parent or legal guardian must sign the documents and return them as described herein. All notification requirements, as well as other requirements within these Rules, will be strictly enforced.
In the event that no Essays are received, no prize will be awarded. Determinations of judges are final and binding.
8. DAILY GRAND PRIZES: For each day of the Contest Period, the 3 daily prize winners will each win a Sony Reader (cash value worth $290 (USD)).
Odds of winning any prize depends on the number of eligible entries received during the Contest Period and the skill of the entrants. The prizes will be awarded within approximately 4 weeks of receipt by Sponsor of final prize acceptance documents. No transfer, substitution or cash equivalent for prizes is allowed, except at Sponsor’s sole discretion. Sponsor reserves the right to substitute a prize, in whole or in part, of equal or greater monetary value if a prize cannot be awarded, in whole or in part, as described for any reason. Value is subject to market conditions, which can fluctuate and any difference between actual market value and ARV will not be awarded. The prize(s) may be subject to restrictions and/or licenses and may require additional hardware, software, service, or maintenance to use. The winner shall bear all responsibility for use of the prize(s) in compliance with any conditions imposed by such manufacturer(s), and any additional costs associated with its use, service, or maintenance. Contest Entities have not made and Contest Entities are not responsible in any manner for any warranties, representations, or guarantees, express or implied, in fact or law, relating to the prize(s), regarding the use, value or enjoyment of the prize(s), including, without limitation, its quality, mechanical condition, merchantability, or fitness for a particular purpose, with the exception of any standard manufacturer’s warranty that may apply to the prize or any components thereto. Contest Entities are not responsible for shipping prizes to any location outside of the 50 United States or the District of Columbia.
9. TAXES: PAYMENTS TO POTENTIAL WINNERS ARE SUBJECT TO THE EXPRESS REQUIREMENT THAT THEY SUBMIT TO GOOGLE ALL DOCUMENTATION REQUESTED BY GOOGLE TO PERMIT IT TO COMPLY WITH ALL APPLICABLE STATE, FEDERAL AND LOCAL TAX REPORTING AND WITHHOLDING REQUIREMENTS. ALL PRIZES WILL BE NET OF ANY TAXES GOOGLE IS REQUIRED BY LAW TO WITHHOLD. ALL TAXES IMPOSED ON PRIZES ARE THE SOLE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE WINNERS. In order to receive a prize, potential winners must submit the tax documentation requested by Google or otherwise required by applicable law, to Google or the relevant tax authority, all as determined by applicable law, including, where relevant, the law of the potential winner’s country of residence. The potential winners and their parent or legal guardian are responsible for ensuring that they comply with all the applicable tax laws and filing requirements. If a potential winner fails to provide such documentation or comply with such laws, the prize may be forfeited and Google may, in its sole discretion, select an alternative potential winner.
10. GENERAL CONDITIONS: All federal, state and local laws and regulations apply. Google reserves the right to disqualify any entrant from the Contest if, in Google’s sole discretion, it reasonably believes that the entrant has attempted to undermine the legitimate operation of the Contest by cheating, deception, or other unfair playing practices or annoys, abuses, threatens or harasses any other entrants, Google, or the Judges.
11. INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS: As between Google and the entrant, the entrant retains ownership of all intellectual and industrial property rights (including moral rights) in and to the Essay. As a condition of entry, entrant grants Google, its subsidiaries, agents and partner companies, a perpetual, irrevocable, worldwide, royalty-free, and non-exclusive license to use, reproduce, adapt, modify, publish, distribute, publicly perform, create a derivative work from, and publicly display the Essay (1) for the purposes of allowing Google and the Judges to evaluate the Essay for purposes of the Contest, and (2) in connection with advertising and promotion via communication to the public or other groups, including, but not limited to, the right to make screenshots, animations and Essay clips available for promotional purposes.
12. PRIVACY: Participants agree that personal data including, but not limited to, name, mailing address, phone number, and email address may be collected, processed, stored and otherwise used for the purposes of conducting and administering the Contest. This data may also be used by Google to verify an entrant’s identity, postal address and telephone number in the event an entrant qualifies for any applicable prize as well as to deliver the applicable prize(s). Entrants have the right to access, review, rectify or cancel any personal data held by Google in connection with the Contest by writing to Google (Attention: Jessica Ng) at the address listed below. Otherwise, all personal information that is collected from the entrant is subject to Google’s Privacy Policy, located at http://books.google.com/privacy.html.
13. PUBLICITY: By accepting a prize, entrant agrees to Sponsor and its agencies use of his or her name and/or likeness and Essay for advertising and promotional purposes without additional compensation, unless prohibited by law.
14. WARRANTY AND INDEMNITY: Participants warrant that their Essays are their own original work and, as such, they are the sole and exclusive owner and rights holder of the submitted Essay and that they have the right to submit the Essay in the Contest and grant all required licenses. Each entrant agrees not to submit any Essay that (1) infringes any third party proprietary rights, intellectual property rights, industrial property rights, personal or moral rights or any other rights, including without limitation, copyright, trademark, patent, trade secret, privacy, publicity or confidentiality obligations; or (2) otherwise violates the applicable state or federal law.
To the maximum extent permitted by law, each entrant indemnifies and agrees to keep indemnified Contest Entities at all times from and against any liability, claims, demands, losses, damages, costs and expenses resulting from any act, default or omission of the entrant and/or a breach of any warranty set forth herein. To the maximum extent permitted by law, each entrant agrees to defend, indemnify and hold harmless the Contest Entities from and against any and all claims, actions, suits or proceedings, as well as any and all losses, liabilities, damages, costs and expenses (including reasonable attorneys fees) arising out of or accruing from (a) any Essay or other material uploaded or otherwise provided by the entrant that infringes any copyright, trademark, trade secret, trade dress, patent or other intellectual property right of any person or defames any person or violates their rights of publicity or privacy, (b) any misrepresentation made by the entrant in connection with the Contest; (c) any non-compliance by the entrant with these Rules; (d) claims brought by persons or entities other than the parties to these Rules arising from or related to the entrant’s involvement with the Contest; (e) acceptance, possession, misuse or use of any prize or participation in any Contest-related activity or participation in this Contest; (f) any malfunction or other problem with the Contest Site; (g) any error in the collection, processing, or retention of entry information; or (h) any typographical or other error in the printing, offering or announcement of any prize or winners.
15. ELIMINATION: Any false information provided within the context of the Contest by any entrant concerning identity, mailing address, telephone number, email address, ownership of right or non-compliance with these Rules or the like may result in the immediate elimination of the entrant from the Contest.
16. INTERNET: Contest Entities are not responsible for any malfunction of the entire Contest Site or any late, lost, damaged, misdirected, incomplete, illegible, undeliverable, or destroyed Essays due to system errors, failed, incomplete or garbled computer or other telecommunication transmission malfunctions, hardware or software failures of any kind, lost or unavailable network connections, typographical or system/human errors and failures, technical malfunction(s) of any telephone network or lines, cable connections, satellite transmissions, servers or providers, or computer equipment, traffic congestion on the Internet or at the Contest Site, or any combination thereof, including other telecommunication, cable, digital or satellite malfunctions which may limit an entrant’s ability to participate.
17. RIGHT TO CANCEL, MODIFY OR DISQUALIFY: If for any reason the Contest is not capable of running as planned, including infection by computer virus, bugs, tampering, unauthorized intervention, fraud, technical failures, or any other causes which corrupt or affect the administration, security, fairness, integrity, or proper conduct of the Contest, Google reserves the right at its sole discretion to cancel, terminate, modify or suspend the Contest. Google further reserves the right to disqualify any entrant who tampers with the submission process or any other part of the Contest or Contest Site. Any attempt by an entrant to deliberately damage any web site, including the Contest Site, or undermine the legitimate operation of the Contest is a violation of criminal and civil laws and should such an attempt be made, Google reserves the right to seek damages from any such entrant to the fullest extent of the applicable law.
18. NOT AN OFFER OR CONTRACT OF EMPLOYMENT: Under no circumstances shall the submission of an Essay into the Contest, the awarding of a prize, or anything in these Rules be construed as an offer or contract of employment with either Google, or the Contest Entities. You acknowledge that you have submitted your Essay voluntarily and not in confidence or in trust. You acknowledge that no confidential, fiduciary, agency or other relationship or implied-in-fact contract now exists between you and Google or the Contest Entities and that no such relationship is established by your submission of a Essay under these Rules.
19. FORUM AND RECOURSE TO JUDICIAL PROCEDURES: These Rules shall be governed by, subject to, and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of California, United States of America, excluding all conflict of law rules. If any provision(s) of these Rules are held to be invalid or unenforceable, all remaining provisions hereof will remain in full force and effect. To the extent permitted by law, the rights to litigate, seek injunctive relief or make any other recourse to judicial or any other procedure in case of disputes or claims resulting from or in connection with this Contest are hereby excluded, and all Participants expressly waive any and all such rights.
20. ARBITRATION: By entering the Contest, you agree that exclusive jurisdiction for any dispute, claim, or demand related in any way to the Contest will be decided by binding arbitration. All disputes between you and Google of whatsoever kind or nature arising out of these Rules, shall be submitted to Judicial Arbitration and Mediation Services, Inc. (“JAMS”) for binding arbitration under its rules then in effect in the San Jose, California, USA area, before one arbitrator to be mutually agreed upon by both parties. The parties agree to share equally in the arbitration costs incurred.
21. WINNER’S LIST: You may request a list of winners after November 5, 2009 but before May 5, 2009 by send a self addressed stamped envelope to:
Google Inc. 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway Mountain View, CA 94043 USA
Thirty-four years ago, a nineteen year old kid and his twenty-two year old business partner sold their first program to a little computer company in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The program was called BASIC, and it was the start of this company we call Microsoft.
Today, we’re beginning a brand new series called The History of Microsoft. Travel with us back in time as we discover the roots of one of the world’s most important technology companies. Using rare video and photos we bring you the heart of Microsoft’s struggles and successes. Year by Year. Every Thursday we will air a brand new episode beginning with 1975 where “The History of Microsoft” all began.
Bill Gates and Paul Allen complete Altair BASIC and sell it to Microsoft’s first customer, MITS of Albuquerque, New Mexico. This is the first computer language program for a personal computer.
March 1, 1975
Paul Allen joins MITS as director of software.
April 7, 1975
“Altair BASIC – Up and Running,” declares the headline of the first edition of MITS Computer Notes.
July 1, 1975
Bill Gates’ and Paul Allen’s BASIC officially ships as version 2.0 in both 4K and 8K editions.
July 22, 1975
Paul Allen and Bill Gates sign a licensing agreement with MITS regarding the Basic Interpreter. The name Microsoft has not yet been chosen, and Microsoft is not yet an official partnership.
July 29, 1975
In a letter to Paul Allen, Bill Gates uses the name “Micro-soft” to refer to their partnership. This is the earliest known written reference.
December 31, 1975
The 1975 year-end sales total equals 16,005 dollars, as detailed on Form 1065 U.S. Partnership Return of Income.
In 1983 Microsoft announced the development of Windows, a graphical user interface (GUI) for its own operating system (MS-DOS), which had shipped for IBM PC and compatible computers since 1981. Since then, Microsoft has shipped many versions of Windows, and the product line has changed from a GUI product to a modern operating system. Contents [The history of Microsoft]
* 1 Early history: an expansion of MS-DOS * 2 Success with Windows 3.0 * 3 A step sideways: OS/2 * 4 Windows 3.1 and NT * 5 Windows 95 * 6 Windows NT 4.0 * 7 Windows 98 * 8 Windows 2000 * 9 Windows Millennium Microsoft History Seriesion (Me) * 10 Windows XP * 11 Windows Server 2003 * 12 Thin client: Windows Fundamentals for Legacy PCs * 13 Windows Home Server * 14 Windows Vista * 15 Windows Server 2008 * 16 Windows 7 * 17 Windows 8 * 18 Product progression o 18.1 MS-DOS o 18.2 Windows (MS-DOS Based) o 18.3 Windows NT * 19 Other * 20 See also * 21 References * 22 External links
[Microsoft History Series] Early history: an expansion of MS-DOS Main articles: Windows 1.0, Windows 2.0, and Windows 2.1x Early Windows logo
The first independent version of Microsoft Windows, version 1.0, released on 20 November 1985, achieved little popularity. It was originally going to be called “Interface Manager” but Rowland Hanson, the head of marketing at Microsoft, convinced the company that the name would be more appealing to consumers. Windows 1.0 was not a complete operating system, but rather an “operating environment” that extended MS-DOS, and shared the latter’s inherent flaws and problems. The first version of Microsoft Windows included a simple graphics painting program called Windows Paint, Windows Write, a simple word processor, an appointment “calendar”, a “cardfiler”, a “Microsoft notepad”, a “clock”, a “control panel”, a “computer terminal”, “Clipboard”, and RAM driver. It also included the MS-DOS Executive and a game called Reversi.
Microsoft had worked with Apple Computer to develop several Desk Accessories and other minor pieces of software that were included with early Macintosh system software. As part of the related business negotiations, Microsoft had licensed certain aspects of the Macintosh user interface from Apple; in later litigation, a district court summarized these aspects as “screen displays”. In the development of Windows 1.0, Microsoft intentionally limited its borrowing of certain GUI elements from the Macintosh user interface, in order to comply with its license.
For example, windows were only displayed “tiled” on the screen; that is, they could not overlap or overlie one another. There was no trash can icon with which to delete files, since Apple claimed ownership of the rights to that paradigm.
Microsoft Windows version 2 came out on 9 December 1987, and proved slightly more popular than its predecessor. Much of the popularity for Windows 2.0 came by way of its inclusion as a “run-time version” with Microsoft’s new graphical applications, Excel and Word for Windows. They could be run from MS-DOS, executing Windows for the duration of their activity, and closing down Windows upon exit.
Microsoft Windows received a major boost around this time when Aldus PageMaker appeared in a Windows version, having previously run only on Macintosh. Some computer historians date this, the first appearance of a significant and non-Microsoft application for Windows, as the beginning of the success of Windows.
Versions 2.0x used the real-mode memory model, which confined it to a maximum of 1 megabyte of memory. In such a configuration, it could run under another multitasker like DESQview, which used the 286 Protected Mode.
Later, two new versions were released: Windows/286 2.1 and Windows/386 2.1. Like previous versions of Windows, Windows/286 2.1 used the real-mode memory model, but was the first version to support the “High Memory Area|HMA”. Windows/386 2.1 had a protected mode kernel with LIM-standard EMS emulation, the predecessor to XMS which would finally change the topology of IBM PC computing. All Windows and DOS-based applications at the time were real mode, running over the protected mode kernel by using the virtual 8086 mode, which was new with the 80386 processor.
Version 2.03, and later 3.0, faced challenges from Apple over its overlapping windows and other features Apple charged mimicked the ostensibly copyrighted “look and feel” of its operating system and “embodie[d] and generated a copy of the Macintosh” in its OS. Judge William Schwarzer dropped all but 10 of Apple’s 189 claims of copyright infringement, and ruled that most of the remaining 10 were over uncopyrightable ideas.
[Microsoft History Series] Success with Windows 3.0 Windows 3.0 screenshot. Main article: Windows 3.0
Microsoft Windows scored a significant success with Windows 3.0, released in 1990. In addition to improved capabilities given to native applications, Windows also allowed users to better multitask older MS-DOS based software compared to Windows/386, thanks to the introduction of virtual memory.
Windows 3.0’s user interface was finally a serious competitor to the user interface of the Macintosh computer. PCs had improved graphics by this time, due to VGA video cards, and the Protected/Enhanced mode allowed Windows applications to use more memory in a more painless manner than their DOS counterparts could. Windows 3.0 could run in Real, Standard, or 386 Enhanced modes, and was compatible with any Intel processor from the 8086/8088 up to the 80286 and 80386. This was the first version to run Windows programs in protected mode, although the 386 enhanced mode kernel was an enhanced version of the protected mode kernel in Windows/386.
A “multimedia” version, Windows 3.0 with Multimedia Extensions 1.0, was released several months later. This was bundled with “multimedia upgrade kits”, comprising a CD-ROM drive and a sound card, such as the Creative Labs Sound Blaster Pro. This version was the precursor to the multimedia features available in Windows 3.1 and later, and was part of Microsoft’s specification for the Multimedia PC.
The features listed above and growing market support from application software developers made Windows 3.0 wildly successful, selling around 10 million copies in the two years before the release of version 3.1. Windows 3.0 became a major source of income for Microsoft, and led the company to revise some of its earlier plans.
[Microsoft History Series] A step sideways: OS/2 OS/2 logo Main article: OS/2
During the mid to late 1980s, Microsoft and IBM had cooperatively been developing OS/2 as a successor to DOS. OS/2 would take full advantage of the aforementioned Protected Mode of the Intel 80286 processor and up to 16MB of memory. OS/2 1.0, released in 1987, supported swapping and multitasking and allowed running of DOS executables.
A GUI, called the Presentation Manager (PM), was not available with OS/2 until version 1.1, released in 1988. Its API was incompatible with Windows. (Among other things, Presentation Manager placed X,Y coordinate 0,0 at the bottom left of the screen like Cartesian coordinates, while Windows put 0,0 at the top left of the screen like most other computer window systems.) Version 1.2, released in 1989, introduced a new file system, HPFS, to replace the FAT file system.
By the early 1990s, conflicts developed in the Microsoft/IBM relationship. They cooperated with each other in developing their PC operating systems, and had access to each others’ code. Microsoft wanted to further develop Windows, while IBM desired for future work to be based on OS/2. In an attempt to resolve this tension, IBM and Microsoft agreed that IBM would develop OS/2 2.0, to replace OS/2 1.3 and Windows 3.0, while Microsoft would develop a new operating system, OS/2 3.0, to later succeed OS/2 2.0.
This agreement soon however fell apart, and the Microsoft/IBM relationship was terminated. IBM continued to develop OS/2, while Microsoft changed the name of its (as yet unreleased) OS/2 3.0 to Windows NT. Both retained the rights to use OS/2 and Windows technology developed up to the termination of the agreement; Windows NT, however, was to be written anew, mostly independently (see below).
After an interim 1.3 version to fix up many remaining problems with the 1.x series, IBM released OS/2 version 2.0 in 1992. This was a major improvement: it featured a new, object-oriented GUI, the Workplace Shell (WPS), that included a desktop and was considered by many to be OS/2’s best feature. Microsoft would later imitate much of it in Windows 95. Version 2.0 also provided a full 32-bit API, offered smooth multitasking and could take advantage of the 4 gigabytes of address space provided by the Intel 80386. Still, much of the system still had 16-bit code internally which required, among other things, device drivers to be 16-bit code as well. This was one of the reasons for the chronic shortage of OS/2 drivers for the latest devices. Version 2.0 could also run DOS and Windows 3.0 programs, since IBM had retained the right to use the DOS and Windows code as a result of the breakup.
[Microsoft History Series] Windows 3.1 and NT Microsoft Windows logo (1992-2000) Windows 3.11 screenshot. Main articles: Windows 3.1x, Windows NT, and Windows NT 3.1
In response to the impending release of OS/2 2.0, Microsoft developed Windows 3.1, which includes several minor improvements to Windows 3.0 (such as display of TrueType scalable fonts, developed jointly with Apple), but primarily consists of bugfixes and multimedia support. It also excludes support for Real mode, and only runs on an 80286 or better processor. Later Microsoft also released Windows 3.11, a touch-up to Windows 3.1 which includes all of the patches and updates that followed the release of Windows 3.1 in 1992. Around the same time, Microsoft released Windows for Workgroups (WfW), available both as an add-on for existing Windows 3.1 installations and in a version that included the base Windows environment and the networking extensions all in one package. Windows for Workgroups includes improved network drivers and protocol stacks, and support for peer-to-peer networking. One optional download for WfW was the “Wolverine” TCP/IP protocol stack, which allowed for easy access to the Internet through corporate networks. There are two versions of Windows for Workgroups, WfW 3.1 and WfW 3.11. Unlike the previous versions, Windows for Workgroups 3.11 only runs in 386 Enhanced mode, and requires at least an 80386SX processor.
All these versions continued version 3.0’s impressive sales pace. Even though the 3.1x series still lacked most of the important features of OS/2, such as long file names, a desktop, or protection of the system against misbehaving applications, Microsoft quickly took over the OS and GUI markets for the IBM PC. The Windows API became the de-facto standard for consumer software.
Meanwhile Microsoft continued to develop Windows NT. The main architect of the system was Dave Cutler, one of the chief architects of VMS at Digital Equipment Corporation (later purchased by Compaq, now part of Hewlett-Packard).[1] Microsoft hired him in August 1988 to create a successor to OS/2, but Cutler created a completely new system instead. Cutler had been developing a follow-on to VMS at DEC called Mica, and when DEC dropped the project he brought the expertise and around 20 engineers with him to Microsoft. DEC also believed he brought Mica’s code to Microsoft and sued.[2] Microsoft eventually paid US$150 million and agreed to support DEC’s Alpha CPU chip in NT.
Windows NT 3.1 (Microsoft marketing wanted Windows NT to appear to be a continuation of Windows 3.1) arrived in Beta form to developers at the July 1992 Professional Developers Conference in San Francisco.[3] Microsoft announced at the conference its intentions to develop a successor to both Windows NT and Windows 3.1’s replacement (Windows 95, code-named Chicago), which would unify the two into one operating system. This successor was codenamed Cairo. In hindsight, Cairo was a much more difficult project than Microsoft had anticipated and, as a result, NT and Chicago would not be unified until Windows XP—albeit Windows 2000, oriented to business, had already unified most of the system’s bolts and gears, it was XP that was sold to home consumers like Windows 95 and came to be viewed as the final unified OS. Parts of Cairo have still not made it into Windows as of 2009 – specifically, the WinFS file system, which was the much touted Object File System of Cairo. Microsoft announced that they have discontinued the separate release of WinFS for Windows XP and Windows Vista[4] and will gradually incorporate the technologies developed for WinFS in other products and technologies, notably Microsoft SQL Server.
Driver support was lacking due to the increased programming difficulty in dealing with NT’s superior hardware abstraction model. This problem plagued the NT line all the way through Windows 2000. Programmers complained that it was too hard to write drivers for NT, and hardware developers were not going to go through the trouble of developing drivers for a small segment of the market. Additionally, although allowing for good performance and fuller exploitation of system resources, it was also resource-intensive on limited hardware, and thus was only suitable for larger, more expensive machines.
However, these same features made Windows NT perfect for the LAN server market (which in 1993 was experiencing a rapid boom, as office networking was becoming common). NT also had advanced network connectivity options and the efficient NTFS file system. Windows NT version 3.51 was Microsoft’s entry into this field, and took away market share from Novell (the dominant player) in the following years.
One of Microsoft’s biggest advances initially developed for Windows NT was a new 32-bit API, to replace the legacy 16-bit Windows API. This API was called Win32, and from then on Microsoft referred to the older 16-bit API as Win16. The Win32 API had three main implementations: one for Windows NT, one for Win32s (which was a subset of Win32 which could be used on Windows 3.1 systems), and one for Chicago. Thus Microsoft sought to ensure some degree of compatibility between the Chicago design and Windows NT, even though the two systems had radically different internal architectures. Windows NT was the first Windows operating system based on a hybrid kernel[citation needed].
[Microsoft History Series] Windows 95 Windows 95 Logo Windows 95 screenshot. Main article: Windows 95
After Windows 3.11, Microsoft began to develop a new consumer oriented version of the operating system code-named Chicago. Chicago was designed to have support for 32-bit preemptive multitasking like OS/2 and Windows NT, although a 16-bit kernel would remain for the sake of backward compatibility. The Win32 API first introduced with Windows NT was adopted as the standard 32-bit programming interface, with Win16 compatibility being preserved through a technique known as “thunking”. A new GUI was not originally planned as part of the release, although elements of the Cairo user interface were borrowed and added as other aspects of the release (notably Plug and Play) slipped.
Microsoft did not change all of the Windows code to 32-bit; parts of it remained 16-bit (albeit not directly using real mode) for reasons of compatibility, performance, and development time. Additionally it was necessary to carry over design decisions from earlier versions of Windows for reasons of backwards compatibility, even if these design decisions no longer matched a more modern computing environment. These factors eventually began to impact the operating system’s efficiency and stability.
Microsoft marketing adopted Windows 95 as the product name for Chicago when it was released on August 24, 1995. Microsoft had a double gain from its release: first it made it impossible for consumers to run Windows 95 on a cheaper, non-Microsoft DOS; secondly, although traces of DOS were never completely removed from the system, and a version of DOS would be loaded briefly as a part of the booting process, Windows 95 applications ran solely in 386 Enhanced Mode, with a flat 32-bit address space and virtual memory. These features make it possible for Win32 applications to address up to 2 gigabytes of virtual RAM (with another 2GB reserved for the operating system), and in theory prevented them from inadvertently corrupting the memory space of other Win32 applications. In this respect the functionality of Windows 95 moved closer to Windows NT, although Windows 95/98/ME did not support more than 512 megabytes of physical RAM without obscure system tweaks.
IBM continued to market OS/2, producing later versions in OS/2 3.0 and 4.0 (also called Warp). Responding to complaints about OS/2 2.0’s high demands on computer hardware, version 3.0 was significantly optimized both for speed and size. Before Windows 95 was released, OS/2 Warp 3.0 was even shipped preinstalled with several large German hardware vendor chains. However, with the release of Windows 95, OS/2 began to lose market share.
It is probably impossible to choose one specific reason why OS/2 failed to gain much market share. While OS/2 continued to run Windows 3.1 applications, it lacked support for anything but the Win32s subset of Win32 API (see above). Unlike with Windows 3.1, IBM did not have access to the source code for Windows 95 and was unwilling to commit the time and resources to emulate the moving target of the Win32 API. IBM also introduced OS/2 into the United States v. Microsoft case, blaming unfair marketing tactics on Microsoft’s part, but many people[who?] would probably agree that IBM’s own marketing problems and lack of support for developers contributed at least as much to the failure.[original research?]
Microsoft went on to release five different versions of Windows 95:
* Windows 95 – original release * Windows 95 A – included Windows 95 OSR1 slipstreamed into the installation. * Windows 95 B – (OSR2) included several major enhancements, Internet Explorer (IE) 3.0 and full FAT32 file system support. * Windows 95 B USB – (OSR2.1) included basic USB support. * Windows 95 C – (OSR2.5) included all the above features, plus IE 4.0. This was the last 95 version produced.
OSR2, OSR2.1, and OSR2.5 were not released to the general public, rather, they were available only to OEMs that would preload the OS onto computers. Some companies sold new hard drives with OSR2 preinstalled (officially justifying this as needed due to the hard drive’s capacity).
The first Microsoft Plus! add-on pack was sold for Windows 95.
[Microsoft History Series] Windows NT 4.0 Windows NT logo Main article: Windows NT 4.0
Microsoft released Windows NT 4.0, which features the new Windows 95 interface on top of the Windows NT kernel (a patch was available for developers to make NT 3.51 use the new UI, but it was quite buggy[citation needed]).
Windows NT 4.0 came in four versions:
* Windows NT 4.0 Workstation * Windows NT 4.0 Server * Windows NT 4.0 Server, Enterprise Microsoft History Seriesion (includes support for 8-way SMP and clustering) * Windows NT 4.0 Terminal Server
[Microsoft History Series] Windows 98 Windows 98 logo Windows 98 screenshot. Main article: Windows 98
On 25 June 1998, Microsoft released Windows 98, which was widely regarded as a minor revision of Windows 95[citation needed], but generally found to be more stable and reliable than its 1995 predecessor. It included new hardware drivers and better support for the FAT32 file system which allows support for disk partitions larger than the 2 GB maximum accepted by Windows 95. The USB support in Windows 98 is far superior to the token, unreliable support provided by the OEM Microsoft History Seriesions of Windows 95. It also controversially integrated the Internet Explorer browser into the Windows GUI and Windows Explorer file manager, prompting the opening of the United States v. Microsoft case, dealing with the question of whether Microsoft was abusing its hold on the PC operating system market to unfairly compete with companies such as Netscape.
In 1999, Microsoft released Windows 98 Second Microsoft History Seriesion, an interim release whose most notable feature was the addition of Internet Connection Sharing, which was a form of network address translation, allowing several machines on a LAN (Local Area Network) to share a single Internet connection. Hardware support through device drivers was increased. Many minor problems present in the original Windows 98 were found and fixed which make it, according to many[who?], the most stable release of Windows 9x family—to the extend that commentators use to say that Windows 98’s beta version was more stable than Windows 95’s final (gamma) version.[5]
[Microsoft History Series] Windows 2000 Windows 2000 logo Windows 2000 screenshot. Main article: Windows 2000
Microsoft released Windows 2000, known during its development cycle as Windows NT 5.0, in February 2000. It was successfully deployed both on the server and the workstation markets. Amongst Windows 2000’s most significant new features was Active Directory, a near-complete replacement of the NT 4.0 Windows Server domain model, which built on industry-standard technologies like DNS, LDAP, and Kerberos to connect machines to one another. Terminal Services, previously only available as a separate Microsoft History Seriesion of NT 4, was expanded to all server versions. A number of features from Windows 98 were incorporated as well, such as an improved Device Manager, Windows Media Player, and a revised DirectX that made it possible for the first time for many modern games to work on the NT kernel. Windows 2000 is also the last NT-kernel Windows operating system to lack Product Activation.
While Windows 2000 upgrades were available for Windows 95 and Windows 98, it was not intended for home users[6]— for example, it lacked device drivers for many common consumer devices, such as scanners and printers[citation needed].
Windows 2000 was available in six Microsoft History Seriesions:
* Windows 2000 Professional * Windows 2000 Server * Windows 2000 Advanced Server * Windows 2000 Datacenter Server * Windows 2000 Advanced Server Limited Microsoft History Seriesion * Windows 2000 Datacenter Server Limited Microsoft History Seriesion
[Microsoft History Series] Windows Millennium Microsoft History Seriesion (Me) Windows Me logo Main article: Windows Me
In September 2000, Microsoft introduced Windows Me (Millennium Microsoft History Seriesion), which upgraded Windows 98 with enhanced multimedia and Internet features. It also introduced the first version of System Restore, which allowed users to revert their system state to a previous “known-good” point in the case of system failure. System Restore was a notable feature that made its way into Windows XP. The first version of Windows Movie Maker was introduced as well.
Windows Me was conceived as a quick one-year project that served as a stopgap release between Windows 98 and Windows XP. Many of the new features were available from the Windows Update site as updates for older Windows versions, (System Restore and Windows Movie Maker were exceptions). As a result, Windows Me was not acknowledged as a unique Operating System along the lines of 95 or 98. Windows Me was widely criticised[who?] for serious stability issues, and for lacking real mode DOS support, to the point of being referred to as the “Mistake Microsoft History Seriesion” or Me meaning “Many Errors”. Windows Me was the last operating system to be based on the Windows 9x (monolithic) kernel and MS-DOS. It is also the last 32-bit release of Microsoft Windows which does not include Product Activation.
[Microsoft History Series] Windows XP The Windows logo, redesigned with the release of Windows XP, used until 4 December 2006. Windows XP screenshot – showing the Sample Pictures folder, Sample Music folder, and Control Panel, with the blue Luna scheme and Bliss desktop. Main article: Windows XP See also: Features new to Windows XP
In 2001, Microsoft released Windows XP (code named “Whistler”). The merging of the Windows NT/2000 and Windows 95/98/Me lines was finally achieved with Windows XP. Windows XP uses the Windows NT 5.1 kernel, marking the entrance of the Windows NT core to the consumer market, to replace the aging 16/32-bit branch. The initial release met with considerable criticism, particularly in the area of security, leading to the release of three major Service Packs. Windows XP SP1 was released in September 2002, SP2 came out in August 2004 and SP3 came out in April 2008. Service Pack 2 provided significant improvements and encouraged widespread adoption of XP among both home and business users. Windows XP lasted longer than any other version of Windows, from 2001 to January 30, 2007, when the Windows XP line of operating systems was succeeded by Windows Vista.
Windows XP is available in a number of versions:
* Windows XP Home Microsoft History Seriesion, for home desktops and laptops o Windows XP Home Microsoft History Seriesion N, as above, but without a default installation of Windows Media Player, as mandated by a European Union ruling * Windows XP Professional, for business and power users o Windows XP Professional N, as above, but without a default installation of Windows Media Player, as mandated by a European Union ruling * Windows XP Media Center Microsoft History Seriesion (MCE), released in November 2002 for desktops and notebooks with an emphasis on home entertainment o Windows XP Media Center Microsoft History Seriesion 2003 o Windows XP Media Center Microsoft History Seriesion 2004 o Windows XP Media Center Microsoft History Seriesion 2005, released on October 12, 2004. * Windows XP Tablet PC Microsoft History Seriesion, for tablet PCs o Windows XP Tablet PC Microsoft History Seriesion 2005 * Windows XP Embedded, for embedded systems * Windows XP Starter Microsoft History Seriesion, for new computer users in developing countries * Windows XP Professional x64 Microsoft History Seriesion, released on 25 April 2005 for home and workstation systems utilizing 64-bit processors based on the x86-64 instruction set developed by AMD as AMD64; Intel calls their version Intel 64 * Windows XP 64-bit Microsoft History Seriesion, is a version for Intel’s Itanium line of processors; maintains 32-bit compatibility solely through a software emulator. It is roughly analogous to Windows XP Professional in features. It was discontinued in September 2005 when the last vendor of Itanium workstations stopped shipping Itanium systems marketed as “Workstations”. o Windows XP 64-bit Microsoft History Seriesion 2003, based on the Windows NT 5.2 codebase.
[Microsoft History Series] Windows Server 2003 Main article: Windows Server 2003
On April 24, 2003 Microsoft launched Windows Server 2003, a notable update to Windows 2000 Server encompassing many new security features, a new “Manage Your Server” wizard that simplifies configuring a machine for specific roles, and improved performance. It has the version number NT 5.2. A few services not essential for server environments are disabled by default for stability reasons, most noticeable are the “Windows Audio” and “Themes” services; Users have to enable them manually to get sound or the “Luna” look as per Windows XP. The hardware acceleration for display is also turned off by default, users have to turn the acceleration level up themselves if they trust the display card driver.
December 2005, Microsoft released Windows Server 2003 R2, which is actually Windows Server 2003 with SP1 (Service Pack 1) plus an add-on package. Among the new features are a number of management features for branch offices, file serving, printing and company-wide identity integration.
Windows Server 2003 is available in six Microsoft History Seriesions:
* Web Microsoft History Seriesion (32-bit) * Standard Microsoft History Seriesion (32 and 64-bit) * Enterprise Microsoft History Seriesion (32 and 64-bit) * Datacenter Microsoft History Seriesion (32 and 64-bit) * Small Business Server (32 and 64-bit) * Storage Server (OEM channel only)
[Microsoft History Series] Thin client: Windows Fundamentals for Legacy PCs Main article: Windows Fundamentals for Legacy PCs
In July 2006, Microsoft released a thin-client version of Windows XP Service Pack 2, called Windows Fundamentals for Legacy PCs (WinFLP). It is only available to Software Assurance customers. The aim of WinFLP is to give companies a viable upgrade option for older PCs that are running Windows 95, 98, and Me that will be supported with patches and updates for the next several years. Most user applications will typically be run on a remote machine using Terminal Services or Citrix.
[Microsoft History Series] Windows Home Server Main article: Windows Home Server
Windows Home Server (codenamed Q, Quattro) is a server product based on Windows Server 2003, designed for consumer use. The system was announced on January 7, 2007 by Bill Gates. Windows Home Server can be configured and monitored using a console program that can be installed on a client PC. Such features as Media Sharing, local and remote drive backup and file duplication are all listed as features.
[Microsoft History Series] Windows Vista Windows Vista logo Windows Vista, showing its new Aero Glass interface, Welcome Center and Start menu. Main article: Windows Vista See also: Features new to Windows Vista and Development of Windows Vista
The current client version of Windows, Windows Vista (codenamed Longhorn) was released on November 30, 2006[1] to business customers, with consumer versions following on January 30, 2007. Windows Vista intended to have enhanced security by introducing a new restricted user mode called User Account Control, replacing the “administrator-by-default” philosophy of Windows XP. Vista also features new graphics features, the Windows Aero GUI, new applications (such as Windows Calendar, Windows DVD Maker and some new games including Chess, Mahjong, and Purble Place)[7], a revised and more secure version of Internet Explorer, a new version of Windows Media Player, and a large number of underlying architectural changes.
Windows Vista ships in several Microsoft History Seriesions:[8]
* Starter (only available in developing countries) * Home Basic * Home Premium * Business * Enterprise (only available to large businesses and enterprises) * Ultimate (combines both Home Premium and Enterprise)
All Microsoft History Seriesions (except Starter Microsoft History Seriesion) are currently available in both 32-bit and 64-bit versions. The biggest advantage of the 64-bit version is breaking the 4 gigabyte memory barrier, which 32-bit computers cannot fully access. In the first year after Vista’s release, most installations were still 32-bit, due to poor driver support of the 64-bit version.
[Microsoft History Series] Windows Server 2008
Windows Server 2008, released on February 27, 2008, was originally known as Windows Server Codename “Longhorn”. Windows Server 2008 builds on the technological and security advances first introduced with Windows Vista, and is significantly more modular than its predecessor, Windows Server 2003. At the Professional Developers Conference (PDC) 2008, Microsoft announced Windows Server 2008 R2, as the server variant of Windows 7. Windows Server 2008 R2 will ship in 64-bit (x64 and Itanium) only.
Windows Server 2008 is available in ten Microsoft History Seriesions:
* Windows Server 2008 Standard Microsoft History Seriesion (32-bit and 64-bit) * Windows Server 2008 Enterprise Microsoft History Seriesion (32-bit and 64-bit) * Windows Server 2008 Datacenter Microsoft History Seriesion (32-bit and 64-bit) * Windows HPC Server 2008 * Windows Web Server 2008 (32-bit and 64-bit) * Windows Storage Server 2008 (32-bit and 64-bit) * Windows Small Business Server 2008 (32-bit and 64-bit) * Windows Essential Business Server 2008 (32-bit and 64-bit) * Windows Server 2008 for Itanium-based Systems * Windows Server 2008 Foundation Server
[Microsoft History Series] Windows 7 Windows 7 logo Main article: Windows 7 See also: Features new to Windows 7
Windows 7 is the next major release after Windows Vista and is planned for a three-year development timeframe.[9] It was previously known by the code-names Blackcomb and Vienna.
Some features of Windows 7 are faster boot-up, Device Stage, Windows PowerShell, less obtrusive User Account Control, multi-touch, improved window management, homegroup networking, multiple thumbnails for combined taskbar buttons, and better power management for notebooks. Features included with Windows Vista and not in the Windows 7 include the sidebar (although gadgets remain) and several programs that were removed in favor of downloading their Windows Live counterparts.
On February 3, 2009, Microsoft announced that Windows 7 would ship in six Microsoft History Seriesions: [10]
* Starter (available worldwide with new PCs only) * Home Basic (only available to emerging markets) * Home Premium * Professional * Enterprise (available to volume-license business customers only) * Ultimate (available to retail market with limited availability to OEMs)
Microsoft will focus on selling Windows 7 Home Premium and Professional. All Microsoft History Seriesions, except the Starter Microsoft History Seriesion, will be available in both 32-bit and 64-bit versions. On June 2, 2009, Microsoft announced that it plans to release Windows 7 on October 22, 2009.[11] Pre-orders of Windows 7 are available from online retailers starting June 26, 2009 with discounted prices until July 11 , 2009.
[Microsoft History Series] Windows 8 This article or section contains information about scheduled or expected future software. Information about it may change as the software release approaches and more information becomes available.
Windows 8 is scarcely detailed in public, although job listings have mentioned improved functionality for file access in branch offices.[12]
[Microsoft History Series] Product progression
[Microsoft History Series] MS-DOS
* MS-DOS 1.x through 6.22 * Windows 95 (MS-DOS 7.0) * Windows 95 OEM Service Release 2.x and Windows 98 (MS-DOS 7.1) * Windows Millennium Microsoft History Seriesion (MS-DOS 8.0)
[Microsoft History Series] Windows (MS-DOS Based)
* Windows 1.0 * Windows 2.0 * Windows/286 and Windows/386 (Windows 2.1) * Windows 3.0 * Windows 3.1, Windows 3.1 for Workgroups, Windows 3.11, and Windows 3.11 for Workgroups (WfW) * Windows 95 (Windows 4.0) * Windows 98 (Windows 4.1) * Windows Millennium Microsoft History Seriesion (Windows 4.9)
[Microsoft History Series] Windows NT
* Windows NT 3.1 * Windows NT 3.5 * Windows NT 3.51 * Windows NT 4.0 including up to Service Pack 6a * Windows 2000 (Windows NT 5.0) including up to Service Pack 4 * Windows XP (Windows NT 5.1) including up to Service Pack 3 * Windows Server 2003 (Windows NT 5.2) including up to Service Pack 2 * Windows XP Professional x64 Microsoft History Seriesion (Windows NT 5.2) including up to Service Pack 2 * Windows Fundamentals for Legacy PCs (Windows NT 5.1) including up to Service Pack 3 * Windows Home Server (Windows NT 5.2) * Windows Vista (Windows NT 6.0) including up to Service Pack 2 * Windows Server 2008 (Windows NT 6.0) including up to Service Pack 2 * Windows 7 (Windows NT 6.1) * Windows Server 2008 R2 (Windows NT 6.1)
[Microsoft History Series] Other
* Windows CE * Xenix
[Microsoft History Series] See also Microsoft portal
* Timeline of Microsoft Windows * Comparison of Microsoft Windows versions * Comparison of operating systems * History of operating systems * Operating system * Microsoft Version Number * Microsoft codenames
We need to admin that Evian’s roller skating babies ad got to me. It also got to more than 4 million people on YouTube.com in the 2 days, which is REALLY impressive.
The video was built by 96 computer-animated infants roller-skating to a remix of the Sugarhill Gang’s Rapper’s Delight mixing.
What if my Son Oliver Google Kai needs to drive this car now? Would he be able to do it in real life? Well not really but his passion to Wii Nintendo is driving all of us home to keep track on his driving skills.
Yes, from a Golf GTI to the fabulous Lamborghini where race car passionates from 3 years old to 80 years old can drive and feel the vibration and thrill of driving fast.
I am trying to find and fill Oliver of what he think is fun and exciting. It is this time of the year (probably not in my generation) where your son want to test everything.
I was also lately amazed when we attended a drifting show in Lebanon. Oliver Google Kai was there and did not want to leave the show for 4 consecutive hours.
