history, technology, cyberculture and nostalgia find a place to meet and mix

Windows 3.1x





History

The ultimate operating system which would herald the modern age and make many of us eternal slaves to the great Microsoft. Released in March 1992, about when Silence of the Lambs had just won the Best Picture award at the Oscars (obscure trivia), Microsoft had mapped its way to dominating the computer industry in ways unlike ever known.

Windows 3.1 replaced Windows 3.0. Amongst the most significant changes was replacing Reversi with Minesweeper. Minesweeper would soon go on to become one of the greatest games of all times, thus vindicating Microsoft and all its strategies.



Details

Technically it wasn't a new OS. It was just a GUI that sat on top of the ancient DOS, MSDOS, more specifically.

Windows 3.1 was still revolutionary by those days' standards. It still didn't have the Start button but a File Manager and a clean desktop with icons for executable programs. A significant part of the Windows 3.1 was the embedding of True Type fonts in Windows itself. This was a step forward from the days when the programs had to carry their own fonts.

The GUI won Microsoft an award by Forbes for the most innovating company.



Windows 3.1 on a Nokia N95. February, 2009

Somebody had to do it, and it was plain genius. By using DOSBox, Polish developer Marcin-PRV was able to install N95, allowing both Sybian and Windows 3.1 to run side-by-side. Nostalgia followed.

(Link to original Polish forum where he boasts, or so I think.)



Future of Windows 3.x

With Windows 3.x , Microsoft had taken their hundredth step towards market domination. It is only fair that traces of this momentous product exist even now.

This OS actually still seems to have use. Every now and then some article does pop up about some site discovering a visitor who had used Windows 3.1. Its almost like finding a time traveler, or an alien dropping hints that it is out there.

3.x is still used in some embedded systems applications. Up until July 2008 OEM's were be able to license Windows for Workgroups 3.11 in the embedded channel. (Link - It's the End for 3.11!!)

And I am told that Virgin Airlines use it on their onboard entertainment systems (no sources to back it up).



Screenshots

All kinds of screenshots from Windows 3.1. (By Guidebookgallery)

Microsoft's Evolution in Technology: Windows 3.1

A Tribute to the Windows 3.1 "Hot Dog Stand" Color Scheme

Download

Download Windows 3.1 from torrents -
7 Floppies. Use DOS Boot disk
ISO. And follow a whole list of procedure.

Download Windows 3.1 softwares

Give Windows 3.x the Windows XP look



Videos

Japanese Ad for Windows 3.1. I'd call it weird but it is Japanese. For all I know it is a piece of avante-garde art.



The unpacking of a brand new Windows 3.1. Not interesting but hell I had to put it out here.





Links

Windows 3.1 Bible
Windows 3.1 FAQ from Logical Sky
Experiment to see if you can still run Windows 3.1 in a business environment - By John Sheeshly, Techrepublic
End of an era - BBC
February 27, 2009 - Computerworld's David Ramel discovers that someone still uses Windows 3.1
A real fix for the problems of Windows 3.1 - by Al Fasoldt
Getting Windows 3.1x ready for the present and (near) future


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