{"id":427391,"date":"2022-04-06T14:00:05","date_gmt":"2022-04-06T11:00:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/heres-how-it-made-windows-essential\/"},"modified":"2022-04-06T14:00:05","modified_gmt":"2022-04-06T11:00:05","slug":"heres-how-it-made-windows-essential","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/heres-how-it-made-windows-essential\/","title":{"rendered":"#Here\u2019s How It Made Windows Essential"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_84 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a2e0bd2c1f84\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a2e0bd2c1f84\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-1'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/heres-how-it-made-windows-essential\/#%E2%80%9CHeres_How_It_Made_Windows_Essential%E2%80%9D\" >&#8220;Here\u2019s How It Made Windows Essential&#8221;<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-2' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/heres-how-it-made-windows-essential\/#The_Mouse_and_Microsoft\" >The Mouse and Microsoft<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/heres-how-it-made-windows-essential\/#Windows_on_Every_New_PC\" >Windows on Every New PC<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/heres-how-it-made-windows-essential\/#Easier_Desktop_Publishing_with_TrueType_Fonts\" >Easier Desktop Publishing with TrueType Fonts<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/heres-how-it-made-windows-essential\/#Multimedia_Mania\" >Multimedia Mania<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/heres-how-it-made-windows-essential\/#Minesweeper_Hits_the_Big_Time\" >Minesweeper Hits the Big Time<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/heres-how-it-made-windows-essential\/#The_Birth_of_CtrlC_CtrlX_CtrlV\" >The Birth of Ctrl+C, Ctrl+X, Ctrl+V<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-8\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/heres-how-it-made-windows-essential\/#Other_Windows_31_Improvements\" >Other Windows 3.1 Improvements<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-9\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/heres-how-it-made-windows-essential\/#The_Legacy_of_Windows_31\" >The Legacy of Windows 3.1<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h1><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"%E2%80%9CHeres_How_It_Made_Windows_Essential%E2%80%9D\"><\/span>&#8220;Here\u2019s How It Made Windows Essential&#8221;<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h1>\n<div>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"type:primaryImage alignnone size-full wp-image-795875\" data-pagespeed-lazy-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/win31_hero_12.jpg?width=398&amp;trim=1,1&amp;bg-color=000&amp;pad=1,1 400w, https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/win31_hero_12.jpg?width=1198&amp;trim=1,1&amp;bg-color=000&amp;pad=1,1 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, 400w, 1200w\" data-pagespeed-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/win31_hero_12.jpg?width=1198&amp;trim=1,1&amp;bg-color=000&amp;pad=1,1\" alt=\"\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\" src=\"\/pagespeed_static\/1.JiBnMqyl6S.gif\" onload=\"pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\" onerror=\"this.onerror=null;pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\"\/><\/p>\n<p>30 years ago\u2014on April 6, 1992\u2014Microsoft released Windows 3.1, which brought the company to a new level of success, kept the PC platform competitive with Macs, and set the stage for Windows PC domination. Here\u2019s what was special about it.<\/p>\n<h2 role=\"heading\" aria-level=\"2\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_Mouse_and_Microsoft\"><\/span>The Mouse and Microsoft<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>How important was a mouse for computing in 1992? Almost a decade prior, <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">App<\/a>le had made computers dramatically easier to use with the Apple Lisa and Macintosh computers. Graphical interfaces also gave birth to brand new killer apps, such as desktop publishing and digital image editing. Soon, the graphical Web would build on that as well. Meanwhile, IBM-compatible PCs were usually command-line based machines, and Microsoft knew it had to catch up.<\/p>\n<p>In 1990, Microsoft made major strides with Windows 3.0\u2014which had arguably made Windows PCs graphically competitive with Macs for the first time\u2014but there were still some pieces missing: It had plenty of bugs, a clunky driver system, bitmapped fonts, and it shipped as an add-on to MS-DOS. And yet it was still a huge success.<\/p>\n<figure style=\"width: 650px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-795838 size-full\" data-pagespeed-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/program_manager_1.jpg?trim=1,1&amp;bg-color=000&amp;pad=1,1\" alt=\"The Windows 3.1 Program Manager\" width=\"650\" height=\"469\" src=\"\/pagespeed_static\/1.JiBnMqyl6S.gif\" onload=\"pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\" onerror=\"this.onerror=null;pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Windows 3.1 Program Manager<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cWin 3.0 took us somewhat by surprise how well it was doing and the level of interest,\u201d says Brad Silverberg, the Microsoft VP in charge of both Windows 3.0 and 3.1. \u201cIt was a breakthrough, and people started to take Windows seriously. The focus of Win 3.1 was to improve upon Win 3.0 to make it better for large scale adoption.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Two years after Windows 3.0, Microsoft shipped Windows 3.1. As with previous versions of Windows, it still ran on top of MS-DOS (the big transition away from the command line would come with Windows 95 a few years later). But for now, Windows 3.1\u2019s improvements in text rendering and multi<a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/social-mediaa\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"1\" title=\"Social Media\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">media<\/a>\u2014and the increased availability of Windows applications from the industry\u2014made <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/trip-and-travel\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"10\" title=\"Trip &amp; Travel\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">trip<\/a>s to the DOS command line less necessary. And that was enough, because Windows 3.1 made Windows more popular than ever before.<\/p>\n<h2 role=\"heading\" aria-level=\"2\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Windows_on_Every_New_PC\"><\/span>Windows on Every New PC<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Since the public announcement of Windows almost a decade prior, Microsoft had worked aggressively to gain industry support behind its GUI-based operating environment. With Windows 3.1, the firm took another step and pushed extra hard to have Windows ship on new OEM PCs instead of relying on users to purchase and install Windows after the fact.<\/p>\n<figure style=\"width: 650px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-795978 size-full\" data-pagespeed-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/tandy_Sensation_1993.jpg?trim=1,1&amp;bg-color=000&amp;pad=1,1\" alt=\"An ad for the Tandy Sensation PC from 1993\" width=\"650\" height=\"456\" data-credittext=\"Radio Shack\" data-crediturl=\"https:\/\/www.vintagecomputing.com\/index.php\/archives\/3073\/retro-scan-the-tandy-sensation\" src=\"\/pagespeed_static\/1.JiBnMqyl6S.gif\" onload=\"pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\" onerror=\"this.onerror=null;pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">PCs such as the Tandy Sensation (1993) shipped with Windows 3.1 included. <span class=\"imagecredit\"><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.vintagecomputing.com\/index.php\/archives\/3073\/retro-scan-the-tandy-sensation\">Radio Shack<\/a><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Silverberg remembers it well. \u201cWe needed to create overwhelming demand by PC buyers\u2014both end users and IT\u2014to have Win 3.1 preinstalled,\u201d he says. \u201cOEMs would have much preferred to just ship DOS and have Windows purchased and installed by the PC buyers.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>With 3.1, Microsoft built on momentum gained with each previous Windows release. By fixing major bugs in 3.0 and adding attractive new features, previously nervous OEMs and individual customers came aboard. \u201c3.1 was the green light for major adoption by end users and companies,\u201d says Silverberg. \u201cA ton of bugs were fixed, and 3.1 was much more stable and had better tools.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Let\u2019s take a look at some of those new (or improved) features and tools below.<\/p>\n<h2 role=\"heading\" aria-level=\"2\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Easier_Desktop_Publishing_with_TrueType_Fonts\"><\/span>Easier Desktop Publishing with TrueType Fonts<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>In 1990, Windows 3.0 had brought plenty of improvements to Windows, but a particular weak spot was its reliance on bitmap fonts that couldn\u2019t scale smoothly. That left an opportunity for products like <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Adobe_Type_Manager\">Adobe Type Manager<\/a> to furnish scalable PostScript fonts for desktop publishing in Windows.<\/p>\n<p>To loosen Adobe\u2019s potential stranglehold on computer fonts, Apple developed the <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/TrueType\">TrueType<\/a> scalable font system, and Microsoft licensed and adopted it in Windows 3.1. With a stable of built-in high-quality fonts and without the need to license fonts from Adobe, TrueType opened the door for easier desktop publishing in Windows\u2014and also made Windows more competitive with Macs.<\/p>\n<figure style=\"width: 650px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-795836 size-full\" data-pagespeed-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/win31_truetype_fonts_2.jpg?trim=1,1&amp;bg-color=000&amp;pad=1,1\" alt=\"TrueType fonts in Windows 3.1\" width=\"650\" height=\"431\" src=\"\/pagespeed_static\/1.JiBnMqyl6S.gif\" onload=\"pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\" onerror=\"this.onerror=null;pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">TrueType brought scalable fonts to Windows for the first time.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>At that time, printing was also an essential component of desktop publishing, so printer support also got a big boost in Windows 3.1. \u201cWe developed a new printer driver architecture called UniDrive,\u201d recalls Silverberg,\u00a0 \u201cWhich made it very easy to support a new printer, rather than having to write a lot of code. Indeed, it was so successful it\u2019s possible elements of Unidrive are still in use.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2 role=\"heading\" aria-level=\"2\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Multimedia_Mania\"><\/span>Multimedia Mania<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Windows 3.1 brought graphical flair and multimedia support to mainline Windows in a significant way, shipping with screensavers, the Media Player application (which could play MIDI music files and AVI video files), and Sound Recorder, which let you record and play back digitized audio if your PC had the proper sound hardware.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-795843\" data-pagespeed-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/win31_multimedia_1.jpg?trim=1,1&amp;bg-color=000&amp;pad=1,1\" alt=\"\" width=\"650\" height=\"404\" src=\"\/pagespeed_static\/1.JiBnMqyl6S.gif\" onload=\"pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\" onerror=\"this.onerror=null;pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\"\/><\/p>\n<p>These features had originally shipped in <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/search?client=firefox-b-1-d&amp;q=Windows+3.0+with+Multimedia+Extensions\">Windows 3.0 with Multimedia Extensions<\/a> in 1991, but that release had only been available on OEM installs with new PCs. With Windows 3.1, anyone buying a copy of Windows at retail could take advantage of the ever-improving array of sound and video upgrade cards available at the time.<\/p>\n<p>In particular, the inclusion of Media Player in Windows 3.1 led to a memorable moment for Brad Silverberg, who recalls the story: \u201cMy favorite moment was during the development of AVI support. One of the first videos we got working during development was <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Smells_Like_Teen_Spirit\"><em>Smells Like Teen Spirit<\/em><\/a> by Nirvana. This was when Nirvana and the Seattle Grunge music scene was exploding. Listening to <em>Smells Like Teen Spirit<\/em> blasting in the hallways of Building 3 was a big highlight for me.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>RELATED:<\/strong> <strong><em>Multimedia Mania: Windows Media Player Turns 30<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<h2 role=\"heading\" aria-level=\"2\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Minesweeper_Hits_the_Big_Time\"><\/span>Minesweeper Hits the Big Time<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Windows 3.1 shipped with two <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/game\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"7\" title=\"Game\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">game<\/a>s as part of the default installation package: <em>Solitaire<\/em> and <em>Minesweeper<\/em>. <em>Solitaire<\/em> held on from Windows 3.0, but the other 3.0 game, <em>Reversi,<\/em> got the boot in favor of <em>Minesweeper<\/em>, which originally debuted as part of Microsoft Entertainment Pack in 1990.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-795837\" data-pagespeed-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/win31_games2.jpg?trim=1,1&amp;bg-color=000&amp;pad=1,1\" alt=\"Minesweeper and Solitaire in Windows 3.1\" width=\"650\" height=\"409\" src=\"\/pagespeed_static\/1.JiBnMqyl6S.gif\" onload=\"pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\" onerror=\"this.onerror=null;pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\"\/><\/p>\n<p>The wide distribution of Windows 3.1 took <em>Minesweeper<\/em> mania to a whole new level, and it also introduced the sublime, addictive simplicity of Microsoft Solitaire to millions of new players around the world.<\/p>\n<p><strong>RELATED:<\/strong> <strong><em>30 Years of &#8216;Minesweeper&#8217; (Sudoku with Explosions)<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<h2 role=\"heading\" aria-level=\"2\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_Birth_of_CtrlC_CtrlX_CtrlV\"><\/span>The Birth of Ctrl+C, Ctrl+X, Ctrl+V<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Believe it or not, the Ctrl+C, Ctrl+X, Ctrl+V shortcuts for copy, cut, and paste first debuted in Windows with version 3.1. In April 1992, PC Magazine <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/books.google.com\/books?id=HERlo0BgpGYC&amp;printsec=frontcover&amp;source=gbs_ge_summary_r&amp;cad=0#v=onepage&amp;q&amp;f=false\">pointed this out<\/a>, calling them \u201cMacintosh-compatible cut-and-paste keys,\u201d due to their origins as Command+C, Command+X, and Command+V on the Apple Mac in 1984, and even further with the Apple Lisa in 1983.<\/p>\n<p><strong>RELATED:<\/strong> <strong><em>How to Copy, Cut, and Paste on Windows 10 and 11<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<h2 role=\"heading\" aria-level=\"2\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Other_Windows_31_Improvements\"><\/span>Other Windows 3.1 Improvements<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-795878\" data-pagespeed-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/win31_control_panel.jpg?trim=1,1&amp;bg-color=000&amp;pad=1,1\" alt=\"The Windows 3.1 Control Panel\" width=\"650\" height=\"489\" src=\"\/pagespeed_static\/1.JiBnMqyl6S.gif\" onload=\"pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\" onerror=\"this.onerror=null;pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\"\/><\/p>\n<p>What we\u2019ve covered above is just the tip of the iceberg in terms of improvements and new features in Windows 3.1. Microsoft packed dozens more features into the release, and we\u2019ll cover a few other notable ones below:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>OLE:<\/strong> Object Linking and Embedding (<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/docs.microsoft.com\/en-us\/cpp\/mfc\/ole-background?view=msvc-170\">OLE<\/a>) in Windows 3.1 allowed drag-and-drop embedding of elements like formatted text, sound files, images, and more between Windows applications for the first time. For example, you could embed an image in a MS Write file. And what\u2019s more, if the object you pasted was \u201clinked,\u201d changes to the original file would show up in the document where you pasted the object.<\/li>\n<li><strong>The Windows Registry:<\/strong> Windows 3.1 marked the first introduction of the Windows Registry, which is a centralized hidden database for Windows preferences and settings. 30 years later, the Registry is still a key part of Windows 11.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Modular Control Panel:<\/strong> In Windows 3.1, third-party developers could add new Control Panel elements to Windows for the first time by adding special CPL files to the Windows system folder. This came in handy when configuring add-on peripherals.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Dr. Watson:<\/strong> To help diagnose bugs and crashes, Microsoft included a tool in Windows 3.1 called Dr. Watson, which would trap error states and write them to a log file for later debugging. Dr. Watson carried forward into future versions of Windows for years.<strong><br \/><\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Universal Open\/Save Dialogs:<\/strong> Before Windows 3.1, each application had to provide its own open and save dialog interfaces. Windows 3.1 dramatically improved user-friendliness by providing uniform open\/save dialog boxes that would be the same in every app.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 role=\"heading\" aria-level=\"2\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_Legacy_of_Windows_31\"><\/span>The Legacy of Windows 3.1<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Windows 3.1 was an astounding success for Microsoft, selling over <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/techland.time.com\/2013\/05\/07\/a-brief-history-of-windows-sales-figures-1985-present\/\">3 million copies<\/a> in its first three months on the market. Many new PCs shipped with Windows for the first time thanks to Windows 3.1 as well, making Windows more commonly used than ever before.<\/p>\n<figure style=\"width: 650px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-795885 size-full\" data-pagespeed-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/win31_games_crt.jpg?trim=1,1&amp;bg-color=000&amp;pad=1,1\" alt=\"Windows 3.1 games on a real CRT\" width=\"650\" height=\"475\" data-crediturl=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/benjedwards\/status\/1170139978946502656?s=20&amp;t=sZfiGRm0kWtFuDASy0Fy2w\" data-credittext=\"Benj Edwards\" src=\"\/pagespeed_static\/1.JiBnMqyl6S.gif\" onload=\"pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\" onerror=\"this.onerror=null;pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><span class=\"imagecredit\"><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/benjedwards\/status\/1170139978946502656?s=20&amp;t=sZfiGRm0kWtFuDASy0Fy2w\">Benj Edwards<\/a><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>It\u2019s worth noting that Windows 3.1 wasn\u2019t the only PC GUI in town at the time of its launch. It competed with IBM\u2019s OS\/2 2.0, which launched just a month earlier in March 1992. PC Magazine <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/books.google.com\/books?id=HERlo0BgpGYC&amp;lpg=PP1&amp;pg=PT124#v=onepage&amp;q&amp;f=false\">pitted<\/a> the two OSes against each other in their <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/books.google.com\/books?id=HERlo0BgpGYC&amp;lpg=PP1&amp;pg=PT124#v=onepage&amp;q&amp;f=false\">April 28, 1992 issue<\/a>. Ultimately, consumers and OEMs largely picked Windows over OS\/2, but IBM\u2019s graphical OS held on as a contender for at least several more years.<\/p>\n<p>In October of 1992, Microsoft released Windows for Workgroups, which extended Windows 3.1 with built-in networking features aimed mostly at businesses. And Microsoft released Windows 3.11 in November 1993, which put the previous year\u2019s worth of patches and updates in a single release. That same month, Windows released Windows 3.2 in China, which was a version of 3.1 that supported <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Simplified_Chinese_characters\">Simplified Chinese<\/a>. And of course, Windows 3.1\u2019s success set the stage for Windows 95 three years later.<\/p>\n<p>While official Microsoft support for Windows 3.1 <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/microsoft.fandom.com\/wiki\/Windows_3.1\">ended<\/a> in 2001, our nostalgic love for the operating environment lives on in retro file managers, in emulators, and even on the iPad. Heck, some people are still making new games for it. Happy birthday, Windows 3.1!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p><script>\n setTimeout(function(){\n  !function(f,b,e,v,n,t,s)\n  {if(f.fbq)return;n=f.fbq=function(){n.callMethod?\n  n.callMethod.apply(n,arguments):n.queue.push(arguments)};\n  if(!f._fbq)f._fbq=n;n.push=n;n.loaded=!0;n.version='2.0';\n  n.queue=[];t=b.createElement(e);t.async=!0;\n  t.src=v;s=b.getElementsByTagName(e)[0];\n  s.parentNode.insertBefore(t,s) } (window, document,'script',\n  'https:\/\/connect.facebook.net\/en_US\/fbevents.js');\n   fbq('init', '335401813750447');\n   fbq('track', 'PageView');\n  },3000);\n<\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMLG0nwswvr63Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">For forums sites go to <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/forum.buradabiliyorum.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Forum.BuradaBiliyorum.Com<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more like this article, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/technology\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Technology category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/795478\/windows-31-30-years-later\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;Here\u2019s How It Made Windows Essential&#8221; 30 years ago\u2014on April 6, 1992\u2014Microsoft released Windows 3.1, which brought the company to a new level of success, kept the PC platform competitive with Macs, and set the stage for Windows PC domination. Here\u2019s what was special about it. The Mouse and Microsoft How important was a mouse&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":427392,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/win31_hero_12.jpg?height=200p&trim=2,2,2,2","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-427391","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-technology"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/427391","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=427391"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/427391\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/427392"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=427391"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=427391"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=427391"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}