Microsoft Interface Manager

A friend pointed me to this site, as it has pictures of the 1983 Comdex version of Microsoft Interface Manager… This was the start of all things Windows.

Now “oscollect.ru” is Russian, and I figured I’d provide a mechanical translation (google) of the page for anyone that wants to at least experience a little of the magic that was MIM.

Microsoft Interface Manager
Internal Release 3

Develop graphics engine, known as Interface Manager, started in 1983. Microsoft was first shown at the exhibition Comdex’83, where and preserved its screenshots. According to foreign colleagues, given shots – a restored image from photographs. In 1984, Interface Manager has been renamed in Windows.

Boot Screen

First Start
As can be seen in the photograph, 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 teams, and the “working area” where windows are placed open applications.

Programs

Basic

Word Processor (Microsoft Word)

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

 

Just can not help noticing that quite diverse controls window. In the upper right corner there’s a icon in a folder, for what he says I do not know exactly, but perhaps this is the system menu.

Command Line
 

Shutdown
And that’s about it. Again, I just found these images on oscollect.ru, I did not install this, I don’t have any disks, I don’t know if this release even worked, or if these are even forged screenshots……

But I do think it’s very interesting that even back in 1983, The whole menu and ‘run’ commands at the bottom of the screen were there….

14 thoughts on “Microsoft Interface Manager

  1. Sadly, the site says those are pics taken at a fair, and then digitally restored.
    The software, probably, is gone forever (or at least it's not publicly/easily accessible, stored deep inside an old drawer at microsoft).

  2. Yeah that's pretty much the size of it…

    Then again while it may look useful, it could be just mockups for all we know, but at the same time it's really cool to see Windows first time out of the gate…

  3. Heh you have to love how things get out from these contest type events.. It reminds me of a photoshop contest where some people did giant skeletons that people pass the results out as proof of some giants that lived ages ago….

    Oh well such is life on the internet, but thanks for at least owing up to it! πŸ™‚

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  5. These screenshots are fake. I made them in around 2006, for a fake screenshot contest. If you look closely, the text is in the FIXEDSYS font from Windows XP and the pictures are 640*320 – no video card at that time supported that resolution.

    I have the original write-up I did, along with some other mock-up screenshots of when I imagined a Windows NT 1.0 might have looked like.

    • Do you have the original write up? It’s still something that still to this day has a bit of interest.

      Also I need to move the images from blogspot, as this doesn’t load in China at all.

  6. I’m working recreated Microsoft Interface Manager to make build I will used these Photo of Microsoft Interface Manager to help me build of Interface Manager. I will use Microsoft Visual C++ to made build of Microsoft Interface Manager. I will posted updated soon on this site..

  7. BetaCollector aka ReflectiaX has a Floppy Disk of Interface Manager it does not call Interface Manager but Window Manager. Although he also noted that his disk has been demagnetized to the point that data recovery is impossible. However, he also mentioned that others have this disk.`He said hopefully we’ll still end up with the bits from this disk, but they won’t come from this exact one, unfortunately.

    https://twitter.com/beta_collector/status/1501618247564767238
    https://twitter.com/beta_collector/status/1502030146143928327

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