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Did you know...
- ...that Windows Server 2003 has been renamed four times during development, before settling on its final name?
- ...that the Gizmo theme that was present in Mac OS 8.5b6 originates from Copland as "Z Theme" and was intended for testing the theming service for both versions?
- ...that a terrorist attack caused a major sudden change to Windows XP's advertising campaign?
- ...that the Neptune project was a cancelled version of Windows that ought to bring a new user interface reminiscent of the Metro elements later introduced in Windows 8?
- ...that Windows 1.0 and Windows 2.x have a hidden easter egg with a list of members of the Windows team?
- ...that Paint was once on the second disk of Windows 1.0 Alpha Release but later deleted by either Microsoft or the owner for unknown reasons?
Featured article
Windows 95 (codenamed Chicago) is a consumer version of Microsoft Windows released by Microsoft in 1995. It is the first major release in the Windows 9x operating system line, and was designed to be the successor of Windows 3.1. It is the first consumer-oriented version of Windows to include Windows Explorer, a move which was followed by its NT equivalent Windows NT 4.0 in 1996. It would be replaced by Windows 98, and Microsoft ended support for Windows 95 on 31 December 2001.
Windows 95 merged Microsoft's formerly separate MS-DOS and Microsoft Windows products, and featured significant improvements over its predecessor, most notably in the graphical user interface (GUI) and in its simplified "plug-and-play" features. It improved upon 16-bit Windows by introducing a hybrid 16/32-bit kernel and eliminating the need for an existing installation of MS-DOS, making it a standalone operating system (running alongside MS-DOS). Microsoft focused on improving the usability of Windows with technologies such as Plug-and-Play, long file names (VFAT), the Start menu, an updated desktop, Internet Explorer, Mail, built-in networking, and virtual device drivers. Many of the paradigms introduced with Windows 95 remain in use today.
