Microsoft's Solitaire Game Was Designed to Help You Learn the Mouse

Microsoft's Solitaire game has become an iconic part of PC history. Released in 1990, it was bundled with Windows 3.0 to help users get comfortable with using a mouse. But what you may not know is that the game had another purpose beyond entertainment.

The mouse was still a relatively new concept for many users at the time. DOS users were accustomed to text prompts and keyboard commands, making it difficult for them to adapt to Windows' graphical interface.

Solitaire provided a low-stakes way for newcomers to practice using the mouse without feeling overwhelmed. The game's mechanics mirrored the same basic motion used in Windows for actions like moving files into folders.

The idea of bundling Solitaire with Windows wasn't born out of corporate strategy, but rather from a bored intern named Wes Cherry who wrote the game as an experiment in 1988.