Windows 2.0

**Windows 2.0** is an obsoleted 16-bit Microsoft Windows GUI-based operating environment that was released on December 9, 1987, and the successor to Windows 1.0.

There were multiple names for this product's family members: Windows/286, Windows 386, and *Windows 2.01* and *Windows 2.1x*.

## Features

Windows 2.0 allowed application windows to overlap each other, unlike its predecessor Windows 1.0, which could display only tiled windows. Windows 2.0 also introduced more sophisticated keyboard-shortcuts and the terminology of "Minimize" and "Maximize", as opposed to "Iconize" and "Zoom" in Windows 1.0. The basic window setup introduced here would last through Windows 3.1.

New features in Windows 2.0 included support for the new capabilities of the 80386 CPU in some versions *(see § Editions, below)*, 256-color VGA graphics, and EMS memory support. It was also the last version of Windows that did not require a hard disk.

With the improved speed, reliability and usability, computers now started becoming a part of daily life for some workers. Desktop icons and use of keyboard shortcuts helped to speed up work.[*dubious – discuss*]

The Windows 2.x EGA, VGA, and Tandy drivers notably provided a workaround in Windows 3.0 for users who wanted color graphics on 8086 machines (a feature that version normally did not support).

IBM licensed Windows's GUI for OS/2 as Presentation Manager, and the two companies stated that it and Windows 2.0 would be almost identical.

## Editions

Windows 2.0x came in two different variants with different names and CPU support. The first variant simply said "Windows" on the box, with a version number on the back distinguishing it from Windows 1.x. The second was billed on the box as "Windows/386"

This distinction continued to Windows 2.1x, where the naming convention changed to *Windows/286* and *Windows/386* to clarify that they were different versions of the same product.

## Application support

The first Windows versions of Microsoft Word and Microsoft Excel ran on Windows 2.0. Third-party developer support for Windows increased substantially with this version (some shipped the Windows Runtime software with their applications, for customers who had not purchased the full version of Windows). However, most developers still maintained DOS versions of their applications, as Windows users were still a distinct minority of their market. Windows 2.0 was still very dependent on the DOS system and it still hadn't passed the 1 megabyte mark in terms of memory. Stewart Alsop II predicted in January 1988 that "Any transition to a graphical environment on IBM-style machines is bound to be maddeningly slow and driven strictly by market forces", because the GUI had "serious deficiencies" and users had to switch to DOS for many tasks.

There were some applications that shipped with Windows 2.0. They are:

* CALC.EXE – a calculator
* CALENDAR.EXE – calendaring software
* CARDFILE.EXE – a personal information manager
* CLIPBRD.EXE – software for viewing the contents of the clipboard
* CLOCK.EXE – a clock
* CONTROL.EXE – the system utility responsible for configuring Windows 2.0
* CVTPAINT.EXE - Converted paint files to the 2.x format
* MSDOS.EXE – a simple file manager
* NOTEPAD.EXE – a text editor
* PAINT.EXE – a raster graphics editor that allows users to paint and edit pictures interactively on the computer screen
* PIFEDIT.EXE – a program information file editor that defines how a DOS program should behave inside Windows
* REVERSI.EXE – a computer game of reversi
* SPOOLER.EXE – the print spooler of Windows, a program that manages and maintains a queue of documents to be printed, sending them to the printer as soon as the printer is ready
* TERMINAL.EXE – a terminal emulator
* WRITE.EXE – a simple word processor