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Two sets of tools replaced Trumpet Winsock and other Winsock implementations in Windows, albeit only Windows for Workgroups version 3.11 (which was very, very popular before Windows 95 and ended up largely replacing all previous versions of Windows):

• in early 1994, Microsoft’s implementation of TCP/IP for WfWG 3.11 — this used Windows for Workgroups’ support for network cards, and added TCP/IP support on top;
• in April 1996, Internet Explorer 2 for Windows 3.1, which included the Microsoft TCP/IP stack and a dialler, providing support for dial-up connections to the Internet.

Windows 95, either service release 1 and later (February 1996), or the first release with the Plus! pack, installed a TCP/IP stack and dialler as standard. The TCP/IP stack shipped with the first release of Windows 95, but wasn’t installed by default. Windows NT 3.5 also included Winsock.

So Microsoft made Trumpet Winsock and co. obsolete by integrating the corresponding features in the operating system, late in the game for Windows 3, and as standard in Windows 95. Microsoft’s implementation of the TCP/IP stack was independent of Trumpet Winsock’s. They were both implementations of the Windows Socket API which was designed between 1991 and 1992 by a number of engineers from different companies, including Microsoft; that’s why applications could use either interchangeably (or any other Winsock implementation).

Microsoft didn’t take over Winsock. Winsock, the Windows socket API, is a socket API (similar to BSD sockets) which was designed by a number of engineers (including two from Microsoft) following a bird-of-a-feather session at fall 1991 Interop conference, and released in mid-1992. Trumpet Winsock is an implementation of a TCP/IP stack (including SLIP and PPP for dial-up) supporting the Winsock API; other implementations were available, but Trumpet ended up being the most popular in the mid-nineties (most ISPs provided it as part of their connection kits, alongside or instead of KA9Q which was used under DOS).

Winsock-compatible applications, such as Netscape Navigator and Eudora, were written to use the Winsock API, and worked with any compliant implementation of Winsock.

Two sets of Microsoft tools ended up replacing Trumpet Winsock and other Winsock implementations in Windows, albeit only Windows for Workgroups version 3.11 (which was very, very popular before Windows 95 and ended up largely replacing all previous versions of Windows):

• in early 1994, Microsoft’s implementation of TCP/IP for WfWG 3.11 — this used Windows for Workgroups’ support for network cards, and added TCP/IP support on top, but lacked any support for dial-up, making it mostly useless for home users;
• in April 1996, Internet Explorer 2 for Windows 3.1, which included the Microsoft TCP/IP stack and a dialler, providing support for dial-up connections to the Internet.

Windows 95, either service release 1 and later (February 1996), or the first release with the Plus! pack, installed a TCP/IP stack and dialler as standard. The TCP/IP stack shipped with the first release of Windows 95, but wasn’t installed by default. Windows NT 3.5 also included Winsock.

So Microsoft made Trumpet Winsock and co. obsolete by integrating the corresponding features in the operating system, late in the game for Windows 3, and as standard in Windows 95. Microsoft’s implementation of the TCP/IP stack was independent of Trumpet Winsock’s. The Winsock Programmer’s FAQ has a detailed article on the history of Winsock, including an explanation of why it took so long for Microsoft to build in support for TCP/IP into its operating systems; the alt.winsock FAQ is also interesting to read in this context.

Two sets of tools replaced Trumpet Winsock and other Winsock implementations in Windows, albeit only Windows for Workgroups version 3.11 (which was very, very popular before Windows 95 and ended up largely replacing all previous versions of Windows):

• in early 1994, Microsoft’s implementation of TCP/IP for WfWG 3.11 — this used Windows for Workgroups’ support for network cards, and added TCP/IP support on top;
• in April 1996, Internet Explorer 2 for Windows 3.1, which included the Microsoft TCP/IP stack and a dialler, providing support for dial-up connections to the Internet.

Windows 95, either service release 1 and later (February 1996), or the first release with the Plus! pack, installed a TCP/IP stack and dialler as standard. They shipped with the first release of Windows 95, but weren’t installed by default. Windows NT 3.5 also included Winsock.

So Microsoft made Trumpet Winsock and co. obsolete by integrating the corresponding features in the operating system, late in the game for Windows 3, and as standard in Windows 95. Microsoft’s implementation of the TCP/IP stack was independent of Trumpet Winsock’s. They were both implementations of the Windows Socket API which was designed between 1991 and 1992 by a number of engineers from different companies, including Microsoft; that’s why applications could use either interchangeably (or any other Winsock implementation).

Two sets of tools replaced Trumpet Winsock and other Winsock implementations in Windows, albeit only Windows for Workgroups version 3.11 (which was very, very popular before Windows 95 and ended up largely replacing all previous versions of Windows):

• in early 1994, Microsoft’s implementation of TCP/IP for WfWG 3.11 — this used Windows for Workgroups’ support for network cards, and added TCP/IP support on top;
• in April 1996, Internet Explorer 2 for Windows 3.1, which included the Microsoft TCP/IP stack and a dialler, providing support for dial-up connections to the Internet.

Windows 95, either service release 1 and later (February 1996), or the first release with the Plus! pack, installed a TCP/IP stack and dialler as standard. The TCP/IP stack shipped with the first release of Windows 95, but wasn’t installed by default. Windows NT 3.5 also included Winsock.

So Microsoft made Trumpet Winsock and co. obsolete by integrating the corresponding features in the operating system, late in the game for Windows 3, and as standard in Windows 95. Microsoft’s implementation of the TCP/IP stack was independent of Trumpet Winsock’s. They were both implementations of the Windows Socket API which was designed between 1991 and 1992 by a number of engineers from different companies, including Microsoft; that’s why applications could use either interchangeably (or any other Winsock implementation).

Two sets of tools replaced Trumpet Winsock and other Winsock implementations in Windows, albeit only Windows for Workgroups version 3.11 (which was very, very popular before Windows 95 and ended up largely replacing all previous versions of Windows):

• in early 1994, Microsoft’s implementation of TCP/IP for WfWG 3.11 — this used Windows for Workgroups’ support for network cards, and added TCP/IP support on top;
• in April 1996, Internet Explorer 2 for Windows 3.1, which included the Microsoft TCP/IP stack and a dialler, providing support for dial-up connections to the Internet.

Windows 95, either service release 1 and later (February 1996), or the first release with the Plus! pack, included a TCP/IP stack and dialler as standard.

So Microsoft made Trumpet Winsock and co. obsolete by integrating the corresponding features in the operating system, late in the game for Windows 3, and as standard in Windows 95 from early 1996 onwards. Microsoft’s implementation of the TCP/IP stack was independent of Trumpet Winsock’s. They were both implementations of the Windows Socket API which was designed between 1991 and 1992 by a number of engineers from different companies, including Microsoft; that’s why applications could use either interchangeably (or any other Winsock implementation).

Two sets of tools replaced Trumpet Winsock and other Winsock implementations in Windows, albeit only Windows for Workgroups version 3.11 (which was very, very popular before Windows 95 and ended up largely replacing all previous versions of Windows):

• in early 1994, Microsoft’s implementation of TCP/IP for WfWG 3.11 — this used Windows for Workgroups’ support for network cards, and added TCP/IP support on top;
• in April 1996, Internet Explorer 2 for Windows 3.1, which included the Microsoft TCP/IP stack and a dialler, providing support for dial-up connections to the Internet.

Windows 95, either service release 1 and later (February 1996), or the first release with the Plus! pack, installed a TCP/IP stack and dialler as standard. They shipped with the first release of Windows 95, but weren’t installed by default. Windows NT 3.5 also included Winsock.

So Microsoft made Trumpet Winsock and co. obsolete by integrating the corresponding features in the operating system, late in the game for Windows 3, and as standard in Windows 95. Microsoft’s implementation of the TCP/IP stack was independent of Trumpet Winsock’s. They were both implementations of the Windows Socket API which was designed between 1991 and 1992 by a number of engineers from different companies, including Microsoft; that’s why applications could use either interchangeably (or any other Winsock implementation).