Encyclopedia > Windows 3.x
Windows 3.x
3.0 was released on May 22, 1994 and included a significantly revamped user interface as well as technical improvements to make use of the memory management capabilities of 80286 and 80386 processors. Text-mode programs written for MS-DOS could be run within a window, making the system usable as a crude multitasking base for legacy programs, though this was of limited use for the home market, where most games and entertainment programs continued to require raw DOS access.
The MS-DOS Executive[?] file manager/program launcher was replaced with an icon-based Program Manager and a list-based File Manager called Winfile, thereby simplifying the launching of applications. A Control Panel, modeled after the MacOS's, centralized system settings, including limited control over the color scheme of the interface. A number of light bundled applications were included, such as a simple text editor Notepad and word processor Write, a macro recorder, and a calculator.
Windows 3.1, released on March 18, 1992, added basic multimedia support for audio input and output and a CD audio player application, as well as TrueType fonts useful for desktop publishing.
TCP/IP networking under Windows 3.x relied on third-party packages, such as Trumpet Winsock[?]. Upgrading to Windows for Workgroups[?], an extended version of Windows 3.11, included SMB[?] file sharing support was another solution.
Limited compatibility with the new 32-bit Win32 API used by Windows NT was provided by an add-on package, Win32s.
Windows 3.2 was a Chinese-language released only.
Windows 3.x was eventually superseded by Windows 95, 98, and later versions which integrated the MS-DOS and Windows components into a single product.
See also History of Microsoft Windows.
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