Editor’s note: After this article was published, Microsoft issued a statement clarifying that cmd.exe will not be going away after all. Read Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols’ follow-up column. My very first ...

Do you remember Windows 1.0? Chances are, your answer is “no.” When Microsoft released the very first version of Windows nearly 25 years ago, on Nov. 20, 1985, it was late to the game and little used.

Windows 1.0 officially released to the public 40 years ago today (November 20), and despite its age, still has some common similarities with what users can expect from the operating system today.

The Windows Command Prompt is a Windows shell that allows you to execute command by typing them in and pressing enter on the keyboard. Stemming from the Microsoft DOS operating system, this command ...