When Microsoft Windows NT® was released to manufacturing on July 27, 1993, Microsoft met an important milestone: the completion of a project begun in the late 1980s to build an advanced new operating system from scratch. "Windows NT represents nothing less than a fundamental change in the way that companies can address their business computing requirements," Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates said at its release.
That change is represented in the product's name: "NT" stands for new technology. To maintain consistency with Windows 3.1, a well-established home and business operating system at the time, the new Windows NT operating system began with version 3.1. Unlike Windows 3.1, however, Windows NT 3.1 was a 32-bit operating system.
Windows NT was the first Windows operating system to combine support for high-end, client/server business applications with the industry's leading personal productivity applications. It was initially available in both a desktop (workstation) version and a server version called Windows NT Advanced Server. The desktop version was well received by developers because of its security, stability, and Microsoft Win32® application programming interface (API)—a combination that made it easier to support powerful programs. The result was a strategic business platform that could also function as a technical workstation to run high-end engineering and scientific applications.