Games - Windows 3.1x

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	Games - Windows 3.1x

The Windows 3.1x family of Microsoft Windows operating systems were released from 1992 to 1994, succeeding Windows 3.0. This family of Windows could run in either Standard or 386 Enhanced memory modes. The exception was Windows for Workgroups 3.11, which could only run in 386 Enhanced mode.

Windows 3.1

Windows 3.1 (originally codenamed Janus), released on March 18, 1992, included a TrueType font system (and a set of highly legible fonts already installed) which effectively made Windows a serious desktop publishing platform for the first time. (Similar functionality was available for Windows 3.0 through the Adobe Type Manager (ATM) font system from Adobe.)

Windows 3.1 was designed to have a large degree of backward compatibility with older Windows platforms. As with Windows 3.0, version 3.1 had File Manager and Program Manager. But unlike all previous versions, Windows 3.1 and later supported 32-bit disk access, couldn't run in real mode, and included Minesweeper instead of Reversi.

A special version named Windows 3.1 for Central and Eastern Europe was released that allowed the use of Cyrillic and had fonts with diacritical marks, characteristic for the Central and Eastern European languages. There was also Windows 3.1J with support for the Japanese language.

Microsoft also released an update for Windows 3.1 which (aside from installing new files) changed the Windows version displayed in "About" dialog boxes to 3.11. Thus, Windows 3.11 wasn't a standalone version of Windows, but rather an update from Windows 3.1, much like modern Windows service packs. For those who did not own Windows 3.1, full disk sets of Windows 3.11 were sold.

Windows 3.2

There existed an update to the Simplified Chinese version of Windows 3.1; the updated system identified itself as Windows 3.2. The update was limited to this language version, as it fixed only issues related to the complex writing system of the Chinese language.

Windows for Workgroups

Windows for Workgroups 3.1 (originally codenamed Kato), released in October 1992, featured native networking support. Windows for Workgroups 3.1 is an extended version of Windows 3.1 which came with SMB file sharing support via the NetBEUI and/or IPX network protocols, included the Hearts card game, and introduced VSHARE.386, the Virtual Device Driver version of the SHARE.EXE Terminate and Stay Resident program.

Finally, Windows for Workgroups 3.11 (originally codenamed Snowball) was released in December 1993. It supported 32-bit file access, full 32-bit network redirectors, and the VCACHE.386 file cache, shared between them. Standard mode was no longer supported in Windows for Workgroups 3.11.

A Winsock package was required to support TCP/IP networking in Windows 3.x. Usually third-party packages were used, but in August 1994 Microsoft released an add-on package (codenamed Wolverine) which provided limited TCP/IP support in Windows for Workgroups 3.11.

Limited compatibility with the new 32-bit Windows API used by Windows NT was provided by another add-on package, Win32s.

Windows 3.x was eventually superseded by Windows 95, Windows 98, and later versions which integrated the MS-DOS and Windows components into a single product.

Full OS or MS-DOS shell?

Pre-NT Windows systems, not only 3.x and earlier but also 95, 98 and ME, have a complex, original, hybrid and not fully documented internal structure. Most notably, they require MS-DOS in order to run, and run 'on top' of MS-DOS. As a consequence, it can be difficult to decide whether they are operating systems or MS-DOS extension shells. Many users consider them to be operating systems, because they appear to behave as such, while other people, often having used other environments, refute this label.

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