Windows 1.0 was the first version of the Windows operating system released by Microsoft in 1985. It provided a graphical user interface and mouse support, allowing users to run multiple applications at the same time. However, Windows 1.0 had limited functionality and could only display windows in a tiled format rather than overlapping. It required other software like MS-DOS to function and saw limited adoption. Windows 1.0 was later superseded by improved versions like Windows 2.0 and newer releases from Microsoft.