Releases
| Version | Marketing name | Editions | Release date | RTM build |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NT 3.1 | Windows NT 3.1 | Workstation (named just Windows NT), Advanced Server | 27 July 1993 | 528 |
| NT 3.5 | Windows NT 3.5 | Workstation, Server | 21 September 1994 | 807 |
| NT 3.51 | Windows NT 3.51 | Workstation, Server | 30 May 1995 | 1057 |
| NT 4.0 | Windows NT 4.0 | Workstation, Server, Server Enterprise Edition, Terminal Server, Embedded | 29 July 1996 | 1381 |
| NT 5.0 | Windows 2000 | Professional, Server, Advanced Server, Datacenter Server, Advanced/Datacenter Server Limited Edition | 17 February 2000 | 2195 |
| NT 5.1 | Windows XP | Home, Professional, Media Center (original, 2003, 2004 & 2005), Tablet PC (original and 2005), Starter, Embedded, Home N, Professional N | 25 October 2001 | 2600 |
| Windows Fundamentals for Legacy PCs | 8 July 2006 | |||
| NT 5.2 | Windows XP | 64-bit Edition Version 2003 | 28 March 2003 | 3790 |
| Windows Server 2003 | Standard, Enterprise, Datacenter, Web, Storage, Small Business Server, Compute Cluster | 24 April 2003 | ||
| Windows XP | Professional x64 Edition | 25 April 2005 | ||
| Windows Server 2003 R2 | Standard, Enterprise, Datacenter, Web, Storage, Small Business Server, Compute Cluster | 6 December 2005 | ||
| Windows Home Server | 16 July 2007 | |||
| NT 6.0 | Windows Vista | Starter, Home Basic, Home Premium, Business, Enterprise, Ultimate, Home Basic N, Business N |
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| Windows Server 2008 | Foundation, Standard, Enterprise, Datacenter, Web Server, HPC Server, Itanium-Based Systems | 27 February 2008 |
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| NT 6.1 | Windows 7 | Starter, Home Basic, Home Premium, Professional, Enterprise, Ultimate | 22 October 2009 |
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| Windows Server 2008 R2 | Foundation, Standard, Enterprise, Datacenter, Web Server, HPC Server, Itanium-Based Systems | 22 October 2009 |
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| NT 6.2 | Windows 8 | Windows 8 (x86/64), Windows 8 Pro (x86/64), Windows 8 Enterprise (x86/64), Windows RT (ARM) | 26 October 2012 | 9200 |
| Windows Phone 8 | 30 October 2012 | 9900 | ||
| Windows Server 2012 | Foundation, Essentials, Standard, Datacenter | 4 September 2012 | 9200 |
Windows NT 3.1 to 3.51 incorporated the Program Manager and File Manager from the Windows 3.x series. Windows NT 4.0 onwards replaced those programs with Windows Explorer (including a taskbar and Start menu), which originally appeared in Windows 95.
The first release was given version number 3.1 to match the contemporary 16-bit Windows; magazines of that era claimed the number was also used to make that version seem more reliable than a ".0" release. There were also some issues related to Novell IPX protocol licensing, which was apparently limited to 3.1 versions of Windows software.
The NT version number is not now generally used for marketing purposes, but is still used internally, and said to reflect the degree of changes to the core of the operating system; however, for application compatibility reasons, Microsoft has kept the major version number as 6 in releases following Vista. The build number is an internal identifier used by Microsoft's developers and beta testers.
Read more about this topic: Windows NT
Famous quotes containing the word releases:
“We need a type of theatre which not only releases the feelings, insights and impulses possible within the particular historical field of human relations in which the action takes place, but employs and encourages those thoughts and feelings which help transform the field itself.”
—Bertolt Brecht (1898–1956)