Internet Explorer OS

thumb|A Video on Some Internet Explorer OS versions
This OS is about the first-generation IE OS, for the planned out second generation from 2013, see IE OS.
Released in 1995 by Microsoft, Internet Explorer OS is an operating system. (Created by Vistaven.)
== History and development ==
=== 1992 ===
* April 1992: Microsoft planned a browser OS primarily based on Chicago with internet integration.
* Mid-1992: The name "MicrosoftNet OS" was given to the project, which was slated for release on February 21, 1993.
* September 1992: The first of the "Pre-Milestone 4" builds were released to developers.
* October 12, 1992: It was planned for the OS to be strictly a direct-to-OEM release.
* Late November and early December 1992: The first of the "Milestone 4" builds were released to developers.
=== 1993 ===
* Early January 1993: Some of the pre-Milestone 4 and Milestone 4 builds were shown to people in various venues in the US.
* February 24, 1993: Microsoft announced they had to push back the release date of the system to May 30, 1994, due to faults found in the development cycle.
* Late July or early August 1993: The first of the "Milestone 5" builds were released to developers, now with the name "Windows-internet OS".
* August 10, 1993: The Windows Internet OS was planned to be made for OEMs, floppy disks, and CD-ROMs.
* Late October or early November 1993: Microsoft was finishing off the final desktop design for the Windows Internet OS.
* December 1993: At PDC '93, Microsoft presented a demo of "Windows Internet OS."
=== 1994 ===
* Early January 1994: Microsoft included finalized themes for the OS.
* February 1994: Microsoft announced they had to push back the system to an August 1995 release due to code complexity.
* March 12, 1994: The final release was being chosen.
* Late April or early May 1994: Microsoft had finalized the main shell.
* June 1994: Microsoft published Beta 1 to developers. This version still had the name "Windows Internet OS."
* July to September 1994: Microsoft released some of the older builds from December 1992 to June 1994 to the public. Some of these prototypes can still be found online, while others have not been so lucky.
* October 1994: Microsoft published Beta 2 for developers. This prototype is the first to use the name "Internet Explorer OS." This added the "Send Feedback" option and improved multitasking and multimedia features.
* December 31, 1994: Microsoft officially scheduled the release date for August 24, 1995, which brought in heavy excitement from tech critics and computer manufacturers.
=== 1995 ===
* January 1995: Microsoft made a prototype advertisement for the Internet Explorer OS. This advertisement was shown to Microsoft employees from July 17 through December 31, 1995.
* February 20, 1995: Microsoft employees started to compare and contrast the OS with the upcoming main release of Windows for home users, Windows 95.
* April 1995: Microsoft published Beta 3 for developers.
* Late April 1995: Microsoft released Release Candidate 1 builds to developers.
* May 1995: Localization builds for the OS started getting published.
* June 2–August 16, 1995: Several pre-RTM builds began to ship.
* August 24, 1995: Microsoft published the RTM version for retail stores and volume licensing. This version had many improvements and new features compared to Windows alone. The commercial for the OS was filmed in mid-1995 and shown on TV from September 2, 1995, to April 21, 1996.
=== 1999 ===
* March 2, 1999: Microsoft began testing things that could be implemented in future releases.
* March 4, 1999: Microsoft announced that when Internet Explorer OS 5 would be released, all older versions of Internet Explorer OS would be discounted from $234 (Internet Explorer OS 1 and 2), $249 (Internet Explorer OS 3), and $299 (Internet Explorer OS 4) to $42. Also, Microsoft announced that it would streamline the number of versions available to consumers.
* March 23–26, 1999: At the China '99 COMDEX, Microsoft announced plans to release the OS in multiple languages, like India, Canada, and China.
* May 4, 1999: The Internet Explorer OS had new editions released. The new versions were Workstation, Server, Enterprise Server, Terminal Server, and Embedded.
* Mid-1999: Internet Explorer OS 6 (codenamed Wolfeboro) had a public test version released.
* October 2, 1999: Microsoft released versions 1–5 of the Internet Explorer OS to foreign countries.
* November 8, 1999: Internet Explorer OS was beginning to receive traction, as it now had a market share of 95% of the browser OS market.
=== 2000 ===
* December 4, 2000: Microsoft discontinued the Server, Enterprise Server, and Terminal Server versions of the Internet Explorer OS. Only the normal, workstation, and embedded remained.
=== 2001 ===
* February 4, 2001: Microsoft officially announced Internet Explorer OS 6 to the public.
* March 9, 2001: Microsoft started planning to retire the older Internet Explorer OS versions from service.
* April 3, 2001: Microsoft pulled the plug on support for Internet Explorer OS versions 1 and 2. They later discontinued versions 3 and 4 in 2004, and version 5 in 2006.
* Mid-2001: Microsoft began promoting and eventually released Internet Explorer OS 6. This version had many improvements compared to the first five releases.
* June 19, 2001: Microsoft began using Internet Explorer OS as a standard operating system for the browser OS market.
* October 5, 2001: Internet Explorer OS 6 sold over 1 million copies, beating out Internet Explorer OS 4, even though that OS had a 3–4 year head start.
* October 11, 2001: Internet Explorer OS' market share had a total of 98% of the browser OS market. Also, Microsoft began planning out Internet Explorer OS 7, at the time codenamed Le Rond Point.
* December 2001: Microsoft held internal plans regarding the future of the Internet Explorer OS.
=== 2003 ===
* June 24, 2003: Microsoft began to create Internet Explorer OS 7 (codenamed Bovid) by showcasing a demo of it at the 2003 CES.
=== 2006 ===
* 2006: Microsoft officially announced Internet Explorer OS 7 to the public.
* October 18, 2006: Internet Explorer OS 7 officially launched to a mostly average response from critics.
=== 2007 ===
* 2007: Internet Explorer OS' market share had a total of 90% of the browser OS market. Nothing too alarming, but something felt very off with the system, according to Microsoft.
=== 2010 ===
* August 3, 2010: Microsoft announced retirement plans for Internet Explorer OS 6.
=== 2012 ===
* 2012: Microsoft officially announced Internet Explorer OS 10 to the public.
* October 26, 2012: Internet Explorer OS 10 officially launched to a mostly average response from critics.
=== 2019 ===
* December 5, 2019: Microsoft dropped support for versions 7, 8, and 9 of the Internet Explorer OS. They would retire Internet Explorer OS 10 and 11 on August 9, 2022.
== Versions ==
=== Internet Explorer OS 1.x ===
* Internet Explorer OS 1: August 24, 1995
* Internet Explorer OS 1.5: January 1996
=== Internet Explorer OS 2.x ===
* Internet Explorer OS 2 (The Internet Shell for Windows 95): November 22, 1995
* Internet Explorer OS 2 (The Internet Shell for Win 3.1, NT 3.51, and Mac OS): April 23, 1996
* Internet Explorer OS 2.1: 1996
=== Internet Explorer OS 3.0 ===
* Internet Explorer OS 3 (The Internet Shell for Windows): August 13, 1996
* Internet Explorer OS 3 (The Internet Shell for Mac OS): January 8, 1997
=== Internet Explorer OS 4.x ===
* Internet Explorer OS 4: September 22, 1997
* Internet Explorer OS 4.5: 1999
=== Internet Explorer OS 5.x ===
* Internet Explorer OS 5: March 18, 1999
* Internet Explorer OS 5.1: 2000
* Internet Explorer OS 5.2: 2001
* Internet Explorer OS 5.5: June 19, 2000
* Internet Explorer OS 5.6: 2000
=== Internet Explorer OS 6.0 ===
* Internet Explorer OS 6: August 24, 2001
=== Internet Explorer OS 7.0 ===
* Internet Explorer OS 7: October 18, 2006
=== Internet Explorer OS 8.0 ===
* Internet Explorer OS 8: March 19, 2009
=== Internet Explorer OS 9.0 ===
* Internet Explorer OS 9: March 14, 2011
=== Internet Explorer OS 10.0 ===
* Internet Explorer OS 10: October 26, 2012
=== Internet Explorer OS 11.0 ===
* Internet Explorer OS 11: October 17, 2013
== The Future of Internet Explorer OS ==
Main Article: IE OS
Between December 2013 and January 2015, version 12 of this system was tossed around. This idea would eventually become known as IE OS. The plans for Internet Explorer OS 12.0, however, were sadly cancelled by January 30, 2015, in favor of Microsoft EdgeOS.
Microsoft declared the Internet Explorer OS obsolete on August 9, 2022, after 27 years of service.
Category:Fictional OS