Windows Nashville
Encyclopedia
Nashville was the codename for a cancelled release of Microsoft Windows
scheduled to be released in 1996, between "Chicago" (Windows 95
) and "Memphis" (Windows 98
, at the time scheduled for release in 1997), causing it to be referred to as Windows 96 by the public. The release intended to focus on a tighter integration between Windows and Internet Explorer
, in order to better compete with Netscape Navigator
.
Microsoft claimed that Nashville would add Internet
integration features to the Windows 95 and NT 4.0 desktop
, building on the new features in the Internet Explorer
3.0 web browser
(due for release a few months before Nashville). Touted features included a combined file manager
and web browser, the ability to seamlessly open Microsoft Office
documents from within Internet Explorer using ActiveX
technology and a way to place dynamic webpages directly on the desktop in place of the regular static computer wallpaper
.
A leaked build had version number 4.10.999 (compare to Windows 95's 4.00.950, Windows 95 OSR2's 4.00.1111, and Windows 98's 4.10.1998). The project was eventually cancelled as a full release of Windows, Windows 95 OSR2 ("Detroit") being shipped as an interim release instead. The codename "Nashville" was reused for the Windows Desktop Update
that shipped with Internet Explorer 4.0 and delivered most of the features promised for Nashville. The Athena PIM application would be released as Microsoft Internet Mail and News
, later renamed to Outlook Express
.
"Cleveland" was an earlier codename for "Nashville". Chicago is the largest city in Illinois
, Memphis is the largest city in Tennessee
. Nashville and Cleveland are both cities in Tennessee, as well as villages in Illinois. Cleveland is also the most populous city of Ohio
. Detroit is the largest city of Michigan
, as well as a village in Illinois.
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
scheduled to be released in 1996, between "Chicago" (Windows 95
Windows 95
Windows 95 is a consumer-oriented graphical user interface-based operating system. It was released on August 24, 1995 by Microsoft, and was a significant progression from the company's previous Windows products...
) and "Memphis" (Windows 98
Windows 98
Windows 98 is a graphical operating system by Microsoft. It is the second major release in the Windows 9x line of operating systems. It was released to manufacturing on 15 May 1998 and to retail on 25 June 1998. Windows 98 is the successor to Windows 95. Like its predecessor, it is a hybrid...
, at the time scheduled for release in 1997), causing it to be referred to as Windows 96 by the public. The release intended to focus on a tighter integration between Windows and Internet Explorer
Internet Explorer
Windows Internet Explorer is a series of graphical web browsers developed by Microsoft and included as part of the Microsoft Windows line of operating systems, starting in 1995. It was first released as part of the add-on package Plus! for Windows 95 that year...
, in order to better compete with Netscape Navigator
Netscape Navigator
Netscape Navigator was a proprietary web browser that was popular in the 1990s. It was the flagship product of the Netscape Communications Corporation and the dominant web browser in terms of usage share, although by 2002 its usage had almost disappeared...
.
Microsoft claimed that Nashville would add Internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
integration features to the Windows 95 and NT 4.0 desktop
Desktop metaphor
The desktop metaphor is an interface metaphor which is a set of unifying concepts used by graphical user interfaces to help users more easily interact with the computer. The desktop metaphor treats the monitor of a computer as if it is the user's desktop, upon which objects such as documents and...
, building on the new features in the Internet Explorer
Internet Explorer
Windows Internet Explorer is a series of graphical web browsers developed by Microsoft and included as part of the Microsoft Windows line of operating systems, starting in 1995. It was first released as part of the add-on package Plus! for Windows 95 that year...
3.0 web browser
Web browser
A web browser is a software application for retrieving, presenting, and traversing information resources on the World Wide Web. An information resource is identified by a Uniform Resource Identifier and may be a web page, image, video, or other piece of content...
(due for release a few months before Nashville). Touted features included a combined file manager
File manager
A file manager or file browser is a computer program that provides a user interface to work with file systems. The most common operations performed on files or groups of files are: create, open, edit, view, print, play, rename, move, copy, delete, search/find, and modify file attributes, properties...
and web browser, the ability to seamlessly open Microsoft Office
Microsoft Office
Microsoft Office is a non-free commercial office suite of inter-related desktop applications, servers and services for the Microsoft Windows and Mac OS X operating systems, introduced by Microsoft in August 1, 1989. Initially a marketing term for a bundled set of applications, the first version of...
documents from within Internet Explorer using ActiveX
ActiveX
ActiveX is a framework for defining reusable software components in a programming language-independent way. Software applications can then be composed from one or more of these components in order to provide their functionality....
technology and a way to place dynamic webpages directly on the desktop in place of the regular static computer wallpaper
Computer wallpaper
Wallpaper is an image used as a background of a graphical user interface on a computer screen or mobile communications device. On a computer it is usually for the desktop, while for a mobile phone it is usually the background for the 'home' or 'idle' screen...
.
A leaked build had version number 4.10.999 (compare to Windows 95's 4.00.950, Windows 95 OSR2's 4.00.1111, and Windows 98's 4.10.1998). The project was eventually cancelled as a full release of Windows, Windows 95 OSR2 ("Detroit") being shipped as an interim release instead. The codename "Nashville" was reused for the Windows Desktop Update
Windows Desktop Update
Microsoft's Windows Desktop Update was an optional feature included with Internet Explorer 4 , which introduced several updated shell features to the Windows 95 and Windows NT 4.0 operating systems...
that shipped with Internet Explorer 4.0 and delivered most of the features promised for Nashville. The Athena PIM application would be released as Microsoft Internet Mail and News
Microsoft Internet Mail and News
Microsoft Internet Mail and News is a freeware e-mail and news client and ancestor of Outlook Express. The version 1.0 was released in 1996 following the Internet Explorer 3.0 release....
, later renamed to Outlook Express
Outlook Express
Outlook Express is an email and news client that is included with Internet Explorer versions 4.0 through 6.0. As such, it is also bundled with several versions of Microsoft Windows, from Windows 98 to Windows Server 2003, and is available for Windows 3.x, Windows NT 3.51, Windows 95 and Mac OS 9...
.
"Cleveland" was an earlier codename for "Nashville". Chicago is the largest city in Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
, Memphis is the largest city in Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
. Nashville and Cleveland are both cities in Tennessee, as well as villages in Illinois. Cleveland is also the most populous city of Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
. Detroit is the largest city of Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
, as well as a village in Illinois.