Video game included in Microsoft Windows
FreeCell
, also known as
Microsoft FreeCell
,
[1]
is a
computer game
included in
Microsoft Windows
,
[2]
based on a
card game
with
the same name
.
Development
[
edit
]
Paul Alfille implemented Freecell in 1978 for the
PLATO
computer system at
CERL
; by the early 1980s
Control Data Corporation
had published it for all PLATO systems. Jim Horne, who enjoyed playing Freecell on the PLATO system at the
University of Alberta
, published a
shareware
$10
DOS
version with
color graphics
in 1988. That year Horne joined
Microsoft
, and later ported the game to
Windows
.
[3]
The Windows version was first included in
Microsoft Entertainment Pack
Volume 2 and later the Best Of Microsoft Entertainment Pack.
[4]
It was subsequently included with
Win32s
as an application that enabled the testing of the
32-bit
thunking layer
to ensure that it was installed properly.
[5]
However, FreeCell remained relatively obscure until it was released as part of
Windows 95
.
[6]
In
Windows XP
, FreeCell was extended to support a total of 1 million card deals.
[4]
Releases
[
edit
]
Today, there are FreeCell implementations for nearly every modern operating system as it is one of the few games pre-installed with every copy of Windows. Prior to
Windows Vista
, the versions for Windows were limited in their player assistance features, such as retraction of moves. The Windows Vista FreeCell implementation contains basic hints and unlimited move retraction (via the Undo menu choice or command),
[7]
and the option to restart the game. Some features have been removed, such as the flashing screen to warn the player of one move remaining. FreeCell is not included in the
Windows 8
operating system but is available in the
Windows Store
as the free
Microsoft Solitaire Collection
, which is also bundled with
Windows 10
.
Legacy
[
edit
]
Microsoft created the Entertainment Packs to encourage non-business use of Windows. According to company
telemetry
FreeCell was the seventh most-used Windows program, ahead of
Word
and
Microsoft Excel
.
[3]
The original Microsoft FreeCell package supports 32,000 numbered deals, generated by a 15-
bit
,
pseudorandom-number
seed
. These deals are known as the "Microsoft 32,000",
[4]
and all but one of them have been completed.
[6]
Later versions of
FreeCell
include more than one million deals.
[4]
When Microsoft FreeCell became very popular during the 1990s, the Internet FreeCell Project attempted to solve all the deals by
crowdsourcing
consecutive games to specific people. The project ran from August 1994 to April 1995, and only #11982 proved unwinnable.
[8]
Out of the current Microsoft Windows games, eight are unsolvable.
[9]
[10]
The significance of the "Microsoft 32,000" to many FreeCell players is such that other computer implementations of FreeCell will often go out of their way to guarantee compatibility with these deals, rather than simply using the most readily available
random number generator
for their target platforms.
[4]
[11]
As an
easter egg
, Microsoft intentionally includes a few impossible games, with negative numbers. Playing these games do not count towards the statistics recorded by the computer.
See also
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
"FreeCell Stops Responding When You Click Undo"
.
Support
.
Microsoft
. January 23, 2007. Archived from
the original
on February 6, 2007
. Retrieved
January 20,
2017
.
- ^
Rubenking, Neil J. (March 4, 1997).
"User-to-User"
.
PC Magazine
. p. 271
. Retrieved
January 20,
2017
.
- ^
a
b
Dear, Brian (2017). "27. Leaving the Nest".
The Friendly Orange Glow
. New York: Pantheon Books. pp. 501?503.
ISBN
9781101871560
.
- ^
a
b
c
d
e
Keller, Michael (2005).
"FreeCell - Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)"
. Solitaire Laboratory
. Retrieved
January 20,
2017
.
- ^
"How to Troubleshoot Win32s Installation Problems"
.
Microsoft
. May 21, 1998. Archived from
the original
on December 11, 2012
. Retrieved
July 12,
2010
.
- ^
a
b
Kaye, Ellen (October 17, 2002).
"One Down, 31,999 to Go: Surrendering to a Solitary Obsession"
.
New York Times
. Retrieved
January 20,
2017
.
- ^
Rubenking, Neil J. (January 2008).
"Ask Neil"
.
PC Magazine
. p. 124
. Retrieved
June 12,
2012
.
- ^
O'Reilly, Tim; Mott, Troy; Glenn, Walter J. (September 2, 1999).
Windows 98 in a Nutshell
. O'Reilly Media, Inc. pp.
199
?.
ISBN
9781565924864
. Retrieved
June 12,
2012
.
- ^
Leonhard, Woody (September 15, 2009).
Windows 7 All-In-One for Dummies
. John Wiley & Sons. pp. 293?.
ISBN
9780470487631
. Retrieved
June 12,
2012
.
- ^
"FreeCell lists of difficult (and extra easy) deals"
.
Solitaire Laboratory
. March 13, 2010
. Retrieved
February 7,
2018
.
- ^
"PySol - Rules for Freecell"
.
PySolFC documentation
. Retrieved
February 3,
2018
.