Windows Overview
Windows is a product, which helps you to manage the way that you use your personal computer. It
is not like a word processing package, which allows you to write letters and memos, or a
spreadsheet package, which enables you to perform sophisticated calculations. Windows, when
used in conjunction with DOS, computer's operating system, provides an environment in which you
can better utilise your spreadsheet, database and word processing applications.
Upon completion of this session, you will be able to:
 Identify the various stages of Windows Development
 Identify the Advantages of Windows
 Identify the Disadvantages of Windows
The Development of Windows
To understand Windows as a product it is necessary to delve a little into the history of the IBM
personal computer.
IBM released the first IBM Personal Computer, or PC, as it became known, in August 1981. Due to
budget and time constraints the hardware was developed internally within IBM, while the
development of the operating system was sub-contracted to a relatively unknown company called
Microsoft headed by Bill Gates, a young and very proficient programmer.
Gates drew on earlier experiences, other contemporary operating systems, and advice from a
number of programmers to develop the Disk Operating System, or DOS, for the PC. DOS was
developed, as an operating system for a new computer that it was believed would only be used by
computer programmers and operators.
But no one could anticipate the run-away success of the PC. Even IBM expected a short life and
limited production phase. As the IBM PC and a range of compatible computers took hold in the
marketplace, computer users became locked into using the operating system developed by Gates
and Microsoft.
DOS is infamous for its lack of an intuitive interface. Until Version 5 it has had no help facility
whatsoever. Its greatest drawback is the fact that it is command driven, which means that you must
type valid commands from the keyboard to make it perform each of its many functions. Some
attempt has been made to place DOS commands on a menu using DOS shells or specialised
programs such as Xtree, but on the whole, the DOS environment requires a good understanding of
DOS commands and reasonable keyboard skills.
The other significant problem with DOS is that as an operating system it has failed to keep pace
with developments in hardware. Due to inherent design limitations DOS cannot take advantage of
the amount of memory built into many computers, nor can it handle more than one operation at a
time.
As other computers were developed in the eighties they seized on the limitations of DOS. Apple
produced the Lisa and then the Macintosh computers that had a much more intuitive user interface
and required much less keyboard interaction to perform even complex operations. The screen was
white instead of black, and the interface was based upon boxes or windows, pictures or icons, and
a device called a mouse, which was originally developed by Xerox, for moving an arrow around the
screen. The new operating environment proved extremely successful with new computer users.
Bill Gates saw the wisdom in developing an environment that made the computer friendlier to new
users. The Microsoft approach was not to scrap DOS and replace it with something new, but to
envelop DOS in an environment that would hide the user from some of the vagaries of the
operating system and short circuit some of the deficiencies of DOS. Popping boxes up on the
screen, pointing to pictures with an arrow controlled by a mouse, had worked well for Apple, so the
concept was adapted to the DOS environment.
In 1983 Microsoft announced a new product, Windows, but failed to deliver a workable version until
1985. The product was visually unappealing, failed to operate at an acceptable speed, and was a
dismal failure.
Undeterred, Windows Version 2 was released in 1987. A snappier look, performance
enhancements, especially on more modern and faster computers, some clever tricks with memory
management, and a number of other features, made the computer community take more interest in
this product. An enhanced version was also released for the newer 386 computers. This version
also allowed multi-tasking, the ability to run more than one application at a time. At last it was
possible to use your spreadsheet while printing your report from a word processor at the same
time.
In May 1990 Microsoft released a significant upgrade, Windows 3.0. A slick marketing campaign,
special graphical effects, and significant performance enhancements led to this version becoming
a runaway success. One year after the release of Windows 3.0, more than five million copies had
been sold worldwide. Moreover, other software development companies threw their weight behind
the revamped user environment. By October 1991 more than 1,500 applications from over 730
vendors were available for Windows, including offerings from WordPerfect and Lotus. Windows 3.1
was released early in 1992 with a number of enhancements to further consolidate the dominance
of this product in the computer marketplace.
The Advantages of Windows
Windows provides a number of benefits to computer users. First and foremost is a new user
interface that is based upon the graphical rather than textual representation of data. With text
screens, letters and numbers are placed upon a matrix of 25 lines and 80 columns on the screen.
With textual systems only letters of the alphabet, numbers and some special characters can be
placed on the screen. It is impossible to place drawings or pictures on such a screen.
Windows uses a graphical user interface, or GUI (pronounced gooey!) as it is called. With a
graphics screen, data is drawn using many dots. These dots can be used to form letters, numbers,
pictures and virtually anything else that you wish. As a result you can see the text generated by a
word processing package in a variety of fonts and styles. With this type of screen your printed
memos, newsletters, flyers, etc., appear on the screen as they do on print, and vice versa. This
has become known as WYSIWYG - what you see is what you get.
Graphics are used to communicate with the user with the GUI approach adopted by Windows. The
GUIs use WIMP methodology. WIMP is an acronym for windows, icons, menus and pointing
device and it is these elements that make up the Windows environment.
Windows are boxes, which contain data, information or text. Icons are the pictures that represent
different operations of applications that can be accessed. Menus are used to present options to the
user. The icons, windows and menus can be accessed using the keyboard or a mouse, the
pointing device. This method of working with the computer stands in marked contrast to earlier
command line systems where you were required to type a valid command onto a blank screen.
The second advantage of Windows is consistency of use. During the eighties few standards
prevailed with regard to the development of software. Virtually each major application had their
own way of retrieving and saving data, printing reports, changing styles, and the like. Windows
takes care of saving, retrieving (or opening, as it is now called), and printing, which means that all
applications that run under Windows will use the same commands and menus to perform these
common operations. This reduces learning time and training costs.
Another advantage of Windows is better utilisation of the hardware resources. As a consequence
of decisions made early in its development, DOS cannot address more than 640K of the
computer's conventional memory. Windows enables more than 640K of your computer's memory
to be addressed. Indeed, Windows, and the majority of applications that work within the Windows
environment, operate better with more memory installed in the computer.
Windows also allows data to be exchanged between applications. It has been possible in the past
to take data generated in a spreadsheet and incorporate it in a report written in a word processing
package. The method to do this however is usually convoluted and requires a significant degree of
expertise to achieve. Windows incorporates a new technique, Dynamic Data Exchange (DDE), to
take data in one application and link it to another so that changes are reflected in both applications
simultaneously.
The final advantage of Windows is multi-tasking. The thought of performing more than one
operation on a computer at a time is a little daunting for many users. However, there is nothing
more frustrating than waiting for a print job to finish before moving on to the next task, or having to
exit from a spreadsheet to use a word processing package when producing a monthly report. Multitasking allows you to have a number of applications running simultaneously and to switch easily
from one to the other with the click of a mouse.
The Disadvantages of Windows
There are also several disadvantages of the Windows environment. Windows overlays across
DOS and the application software, such as your word processor and spreadsheet, and therefore
adds another element of complexity. A computer functions correctly only when all components are
in total harmony. The more components there are, the less likely it is that total harmony will exist.
In the early days of Windows 3.0 users often reported Unrecoverable Application Errors, Windows'
euphemism for an error in the running of the program. As time progresses, these UAEs will be
resolved and more stable operating conditions will occur.
The other disadvantage of Windows is the fact that it requires more processing power than a textbased operating environment. Boxes, graphics, and lines need to be drawn correctly on the
screen. The computer must calculate how to form the object, where to place it, how to colour it,
and a myriad of other operations, before you see it on the screen. This takes much more
processing time and power than in the text-based systems. As a consequence Windows operates
best on computers that have an 80386 processor or better, and at least 2Mb of RAM. The more
memory (RAM) the computer has the better Windows and Windows-based applications will
perform.