Microsoft Interface Manager

Fun fact: If Bill Gates had his way, Windows OS would have been called 'Interface Manager'. Gates had planned to release it under the same name. However, 'Windows' name prevailed because it best describes the boxes or computing 'windows' that were fundamental to the new operating system.

Long before Windows became Windows, Microsoft was in a hot race to compete with Apple and other companies that embarrassed GUIs as their primary interface human machine, with the help of a new device called the mouse.

Before the Desktop :)

Microsoft, being a software company decided to give it a shot and in September of 1981, works on what would become Windows later on started. Named "Interface Manager", it was not an operating system per se but rather an add-on to Microsoft's cash cow and star product, MS-DOS, that graced every IBM PC and was compatible. Think of Interface Manager like a french paint job for an old Bettle.

Word processor in Interface Manager

As can be seen in the photograph, the design, and concept of Interface Manager is very different from that seen in the first versions of Windows. The screen is divided into two parts: the panel available at this time for teams, and the “working area” where windows are placed to open applications.

Shutting down Wi....heu Interface Manager

When you start a text editor set of commands on the toolbar at the bottom has changed, i.e. Apparently, there appear general commands or commands for the currently active window.

Interface Manager is an interesting piece of history as it helped the company to take the right direction in order to compete with IBM and Apple, although the Initial attempt had not drawn interest from users and developers, they would set the foundation for the future of the operating system. By the time Microsoft had done with Interface Manager, they renamed it to Windows. And the rest like they say, it's history.

Sofiane M. MEROUANI

Microsoft Legends: Tandy Trower

Everybody knows Bill Gates. But who are the tech wizards behind the scenes that created the software we use today? -- In Episode (#02) of Microsoft (MSFT) Legends, we are going to talk about a great mind who took all the risks and went headfirst to develop the very first version of Windows, as a part of Microsoft's efforts to migrate from arcane looking command-prompt-based operating system named DOS into "Interface Manager" based on early works done by Chase Bishop. This man is Tandy Trower.

Long before David Cutler came on board and changed the face of Windows by infusing all the knowledge he acquired as an engineer from DEC to create what would become an operating system known as Windows NT. Long before Jim Allchin would lead the troop into the Cairo Project that never came to fruition but some of his elements were implemented into Brad Silverberg's Windows "Chicago", there was a man who went right into a career's death path to create the first version of Windows that came out in 1985. A bold move to compete with Apple Macintosh and other OSes that embarrassed GUIs as their primary interface between humans and the machine.

Tandy Trower

That man is Tandy Trower.

Tandy Trower joined Microsoft in 1981 when the company counted only 90 employees. At that time Microsoft was in the midst of negotiations with IBM to license the DOS operating system and Steve Ballmer was the acting HR manager. Trower decided to give it a shot and was hired as part of a new product marketing team that included Jeff Raikes, Chris Larson, Carl Stork, Mark Deutsch, and Mark Ursino.

His first manager at Microsoft was Nigel Smith.

Trower's early years at Microsoft involved product management like marketing several fully-fledged GW-Basic which included a variety of BASIC interpreters for 6800, 6809, 6502, Z-80, 8080, and 8086 processors as well as BASIC compilers. He was also responsible for a few games, including Microsoft Decathlon and some educational products, and a couple of hardware products that were destined to be used by Apple II computers.

Later, Trower was asked by Steve Ballmer if he could manage Windows, which at that time was considered Microsoft's first attempt to "beautify" MS-DOS with GUI instead of an arcade-based command prompt. In fact, the first incarnation of Windows was not an operating system per se as we know it today, but a 'layer' that would sit on top of MS-DOS, hoping it would attract more and more people to Windows with ease of use, using the mouse as the primary pointing device instead of a keyboard.

What kept Trower's fear in check was that Windows was seen as vaporware. Many engineers at Microsoft feared that the Windows project would put their careers on the chopping block and tarnish their remusés. According to Trower: "...[Steve]Ballmer had just returned from what we internally referred to as the “mea culpa” tour to personally apologize to analysts and press for the product not having shipped on time and to reinforce Microsoft’s definite plans to complete it soon.

Yep, Windows was running behind schedule.

Furthermore, to make things even worse, IBM refused to license Windows for their PCs and Big Blue opted for their propriety operating windowing system TopView. And as a result, Microsoft found itself in a difficult situation trying to sell Windows directly to IBM's end users who were convinced that TopView was "good enough" for their technical needs and TopView was the de facto OS for the IBM machines.

1985: The Coming of Windows 1.0

The first version of Windows came out in November 1985 and had not gathered enough interest for users and developers alike but set the foundation for GUI, drivers, and multitasking for the future of Windows. It would then culminate in a successful release of Windows 3.0 that saw widespread use and critical acclaim.

Windows 1.0 was released in 1985.

As I mentioned in my previous post, Microsoft began works on Windows back in September 1981, when computer scientist Chase Bishop outlined the design principles of what he named "Interface Manager". Two years later, Bill Gates announced that Microsoft would be heavily involved in making a GUI for the venerable MS-DOS named "Windows" based on works by Bishop. Gates's interest in that trend was fueled by the desire to get into a niche market of premium operating systems which adapted graphical user interfaces instead of arcane obscure command lines that graced DOS-based OSes.

The marketers at Microsoft found the name "Windows" appealing and friendly. Its first incarnation was released in November 1985.

Another factor that pushed Redmond to make a GUI was the advent of a new companion to the keyboard. That companion is a mouse, a little pointing device that allowed the user to manipulate objects on the screen by moving and clicking on any item or object on the screen. While Virtual Reality is in vogue nowadays, the mice back then were all in rage, and the media and dedicated press regarded it as the hottest add-on for the Personal Computer.

As opposed to Macintosh, Windows 1.0 was not considered a standalone product, but rather an add-on to the MS-DOS, a layer that would sit on the top of the operating system. For many engineers who worked on the project, Windows was seen as a death path. But long before David Cutler or Jim Allchin came on board, Bill Gates had its top lieutenants on the Windows project that was seen by many within the company as an embarrassment. The Windows 1.0's chief was Tandy Trower, who had faith in the project.

But yet, when it was released, Windows 1.0 impressed no one.

Windows 1.01 sported a primitive graphical environment. It included a simple program launcher and file manager called MS-DOS Executive. Windows 1.0 also included several basic applications, including Calendar, Clock, Clipboard, Cardfile, Terminal, Notepad, Write, and Paint. Notepad was suitably Spartan in function, and Paint only supported monochrome graphics. The software also ran MS-DOS programs within a window, but few single-task DOS applications behaved properly in this new multitask environment.

However, it should be noted that this early incarnation of Windows, didn’t offer overlapping application windows as in Apple, though individual Windows applications could display their own overlapping sub-windows for dialog boxes and the like. But the system-wide clipboard was seen as a huge step forward by which the system could share data between open applications.

In summary, Windows 1.0 was a mess and stood very little chance in the niche market dominated by Big Blue, and Apple. Even Steve Ballmer admitted that Microsoft would be "wrestling with a bear" when it came to competing with IBM. But Microsoft saw Windows 1.0 as a pilot project that would lay the groundwork for future improvements on the concept. Also, some of its innovative features will be ported later, like the taskbar debuting in Windows 95.

Rome was not built in a day and neither was Windows.

Sofiane M. MEROUANI