Windows 95
an introductory overview
Windows 95 was the first kinda 32bit operating system for home users by Microsoft.
1.1 history > top of page
Up to 1995, Windows was still built up on 16bit tech that caused much waste of speed. As a consequence, Microsoft commenced work on Windows 95, internally known as Chicago.
Pic A: the new Windows 95 desktop (click to enlarge)
2.1 general > top of page
One of the primary goals was to free the OS from a strong dependency of DOS. Most parts were optimized for 32bit, but still many parts were built from updated 16bit code such as the GDI. Microsoft also developed the DirectX multimedia API.
Pic B: the centralized device manager (click to enlarge)
2.2 user interface > top of page
- sensible improved and user-friendly interface
- optical and technical upgrade (e.g. anti-aliased screen fonts)
- centralized management menu, similar to Mac OS
2.3 hardware control > top of page
- best hardware support available
- DirectX: offers high performance thru direct access to hardware
2.4 32bit core > top of page
- 32 bit width provides four times higher performance vs. Windows 3x
- but: many components still 16 bit for compatibility
2.5 compatibility > top of page
- high compatibility for DOS and older Windows applications via 16 bit modules
2.6 stability > top of page
- quite instable cos old mechanisms have been used
2.7 developer friendly > top of page
- the new Win32 API was much more handy, stable and powerful