Tech Tips Now|Technology Tips

Microsoft released Windows 2.0 in 1987 to take advantage of the awesome processing power of the Intel 286 processor. It was released with the same, if not greater fanfare as Windows 1.0, and sported a much better look. It introduced the concept of maximizing and minimizing windows, and now that they had signed the agreement with Apple, Microsoft even introduced overlapping windows, which they couldn’t have before. They also made the [Alt] key bring up the main menu—something still present in all Windows programs.

Windows 2.0 also saw the introduction of the first versions of Microsoft Word and Excel. Other software developers were also sitting up and taking notice of this new OS and started developing applications for it. They didn’t pack up their DOS applications just yet, for Windows was still new on the scene and was used only by a minority. Windows 2.0 evolved to Windows/386, which was the same, only it used the 386 Microprocessor’s Enhanced Mode, giving Windows the ability to run each application as a Virtual Machine with access to most of the system’s memory rather than dividing up memory across applications.

The better look, though, looked too much like the Mac OS, and before they could blink, Apple came after Microsoft with accusations of violating their licensing agreement. A four-year court battle ensued, at the end of which Microsoft won its case.