Not much.
http://toastytech.com/guis/win1x2x2.html

It must have had networking capabilities, otherwise the Mail app would have been pointless. Networking has been around almost as long as computers. I imagine even Windows 1.0 had it (although that was little more than a text based shell, IIRC). It just won't have been as simple to set up as it is now.

I'm thinking of playing with Windows 1.x and 2.x on my 486 later in the year, especially if I am still at home 24/7 😀

Hi, there used to be a lot of software for Windows/386 once.
You may find some reviews in old episodes of the Computer Chronicles.

Software wise, you can have a look at the screenshots at toastytech.com..
That being said, I also made some weird Windows 2.x videos, too! 😊

Special support for "networking" is not implemented, but it can do the same things as DOS.
Network drives, LAN printers etc. The usual NETBIOS stuff, in essence. But I'm speaking under correction here.

Edit: One of my favorites is the Windows 2.x "Terminal" program. It so nice and tidy. And has computer-computer setting. 😁

Strange, nothing about Corel Draw on that page?
I think Corel was the most common reason to use pre-3.0 Windows versions, maybe even unconsciously - there was some stripped-down Windows distribution intended to be bundled with 3rd-party software, and Corel might have used that.

As for networking, pre-WfW Windowses behave just like any other DOS program - if there's some client software providing network shares as drive letters in DOS, they will be available in Windows as well.

Even Windows 3x is of very limited use today let alone anything earlier.
But would always encourage installing older OS's simply to experiment.

chinny22 wrote on 2020-07-30, 09:54:

Even Windows 3x is of very limited use today let alone anything earlier.
But would always encourage installing older OS's simply to experiment.

WFW 3.11 I can almost use as a daily driver if I don't have to go to the modern web, and I have a web proxy. There are browsers, mail clients, terminal emulators, FTP clients, office suites, etc. for it. Windows 2.x seems to really only have the office suites out of all of these.

I wonder how that MS Mail thing is supposed to be used. I guess it uses a local DOS network?

Jo22 wrote on 2020-07-29, 21:37:

Hi, there used to be a lot of software for Windows/386 once.

Thanks for the info!

keenmaster486 wrote on 2020-07-30, 15:38:

WFW 3.11 I can almost use as a daily driver if I don't have to go to the modern web, and I have a web proxy. There are browsers, […]
Show full quote

chinny22 wrote on 2020-07-30, 09:54:

Even Windows 3x is of very limited use today let alone anything earlier.
But would always encourage installing older OS's simply to experiment.

WFW 3.11 I can almost use as a daily driver if I don't have to go to the modern web, and I have a web proxy. There are browsers, mail clients, terminal emulators, FTP clients, office suites, etc. for it. Windows 2.x seems to really only have the office suites out of all of these.

I wonder how that MS Mail thing is supposed to be used. I guess it uses a local DOS network?

Jo22 wrote on 2020-07-29, 21:37:

Hi, there used to be a lot of software for Windows/386 once.

Thanks for the info!

But why would you? Don't get me wrong I love the idea of being able to daily old OS's but 3x software is just too limiting to be practical. I'd argue 9x is right on this boarder
Not that is has to be practical, that's not what hobbies are about! if you want to do it then that's all the justification that's needed! 😀

As for MS Mail, It's not email as we know today, but in real basic terms a server would download external emails to a database on a network share. The Mail clients would then access this database over a mapped drive.
Think of it like in the old days of pop email accept instead of your mail client downloading off the mail server, the mail server would download everyone's and put it on a network share

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft_Mail# … er_Architecture

it would access a file on a network share

chinny22 wrote on 2020-07-30, 16:21:

But why would you?

Well, my needs from computing are not that different from the average computer user in the mid 90's, with the exception of the modern web and modern programming. Everything else Windows 3.1 covers just fine. I just don't need that much. Writing text documents and making simple Excel spreadsheets for financial planning are typical of my daily tasks.

chinny22 wrote on 2020-07-30, 16:21:

it would access a file on a network share

Ahhh. Makes sense, thank you!

keenmaster486 wrote on 2020-07-30, 15:38:

Jo22 wrote on 2020-07-29, 21:37:

Hi, there used to be a lot of software for Windows/386 once.

Thanks for the info!

You're welcome! In case you have missed it, here's that awesome Windows/386 promo video.. 😉
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OcjvgxAKiHs

Hi again!

Please also have a look at https://archives.scovetta.com/pub/bbs-shareware/ROM15/ Edit: And the "W??" sections of http://archives.fidobbs.net/
- Hint look at the date code. Anything prior 1990 has a chance of being a Windows 2.x binary (which to 80% can execute on Windows 1.x, too!)

PS: If you have access to old Shareware CD-ROMS up to ca. 1995.. Watch out for a directory called "OLDWIN" or "WINOLD".
- It often refers to Windows 2.x binaries, rather than WIndows 3.0 binaries.
Anyway.. Windows 3.0 is nice for testing, since it has fine Real-Mode compatibility (can use static Win 2.x drivers, even).

Personally, I believe the Windows 3.0 Real-Mode kernal is a weird mixture of Windows 2.0 and Windows 3.0.
However, it's EMS support is nice to have - because it it can make use of any EMS source and provides lots of memory via Windows API,
no matter if the application was compiled against the Windows 1.x, 2.x or 3.x API.

On t0p of that, it can easily run on top of DesqView or via remote connection software. Just like Windows 2.x (like the non /386 versions, at least).
See https://youtu.be/qydywJluNdI?t=204 and https://youtu.be/HRPCGWGSqD4?t=332