Brief Release History

I made the following summary of features for my LUG newsletter after R2005 came out (having just added the information for 2006). Enjoy!

Obviously, I cannot include when every command was added or significantly improved,
but, I have selected the ones that I found most interesting. (A more complete, yet unofficial list of feature changes is posted on the Autodesk website.)

Version 1.0 (Release 1) Dec-82
Initial release of AutoCAD, demonstrated at COMDEX
Version 1.2 (Release 2) Apr-83
Dimensioning added as an extra-cost option
Version 1.3 (Release 3) Aug-83
Layer-to-layer move via CHANGE -- Removed 40-item limit from menus -- Large plotter support added -- Standardized color numbers
Version 1.4 (Release 4) Oct-83
WBLOCK -- Blocks redefined -- Toggle Snap Grid Ortho & Tablet modes -- HATCH -- SKETCH -- AXIS to display ruler lines -- UNITS -- BREAK -- FILLET
Version 2.0 (Release 5) Oct-84
Layers have user-chosen names, with no limit to the number of layers -- Four tablet menu areas allowed -- Screen menu and the text-prompt area can be disabled, to provide a larger area for graphics
LIST -- DBLIST -- Angles in 0d0’0” – Attributes -- Mirror -- Vslide -- Osnap -- Save -- View
Version 2.1 (Release 6) May-85
Multiple pens can be used with single-pen plotters; will prompt you to change the pen manually
LIMITS On/Off option -- CHAMFER -- BREAK – Plines -- 3D Level 1 for 3D visualizations with optional removal of hidden lines (ELEV, VPOINT, and HIDE commands) -- Freeze and Thaw for LAYER command -- Objects highlighted during selection -- AutoLISP in Version 2.18 (January, 1986)
Version 2.5 (Release 7) Jun-86
Context-sensitive Help -- UNDO/REDO -- Color and linetype by entity -- CHANGE -- SETVAR -- SELECT -- TIME -- DIVIDE -- EXPLODE -- EXTEND -- OFFSET -- ROTATE -- SCALE -- STRETCH -- TRIM -- Angles entered and displayed in surveyor's units
Version 2.6 (Release 8) Apr-87
Transparent ZOOM PAN VIEW & REDRAW -- AREA enhanced -- Associative dimensioning -- UNITS fractional mode -- 3D Line & 3D Face (3D Level 2)
Release 9 Sep-87
MULTIPLE -- Menu items repeat -- Slide libraries -- Menu bar, pull-down menus, icon menus, and dialog boxes -- Crossing object selection boxes drawn as dotted lines -- Provisions for 3D Lines and 3D Faces added to the DXB file format -- Large selection-sets handling
Release 10 Oct-88
LINETYPE Load -- binary form of DXF -- ZOOM Previous restores 10 views -- CHPROP command -- PEDIT -- User-defined start-up function added to run when acad.lsp is loaded
Release 11 Oct-90
Viewports -- Vport-specific layer visibility -- Network server authorization -- Drawing File Recovery -- AUDIT -- XREFs -- Solid modeling capability -- Arrow cursor for drop downs -- UNITMODE system variable -- SHADE
Release 12 Jun-92
Main menu eliminated -- OPEN command converts older drawings -- Selection grips -- Timed saves -- Plot Preview -- Import common raster files -- APPLOAD -- CAL -- DDMODIFY -- FILTER
Release 13 Nov-94
Flyouts -- Tooltips -- Drawing Preview -- Mline Text Editing -- Spell check -- Associative hatching --
LENGTHEN -- GROUP -- Mlines -- Rendering enhancements -- Learning AutoCAD for Windows is an on-line tutorial
Release 14 Feb-97
HEIDI-based graphics -- Paper Space -- Max # of active viewports in paper space increased to 48 from 16 -- Plines stored as single objects -- Hatches stored as single objects -- Drawing Template Files -- Toolbars dialog box -- Draworder -- Preferences dialog -- -XBIND -- MATCHPROP
AutoCAD 2000 (Release 15) Mar-99
Multiple drawings – DesignCenter -- 3DORBIT -- Multiple Active Work Planes -- UCS Manager -- Reference Editing -- Object Properties Toolbar -- IntelliMouse -- Layer Properties Manager -- Boundary Hatch dialog – hyperlinks -- Layouts -- Nonrectangular Viewports -- Block Descriptions
AutoCAD 2000i(Release 16) Jul-00
Double click edit objects -- Trim to objects in blocks -- Closeall -- True Color plot styles -- Layer States -- eTransmit -- Live Update -- Help has natural language query -- MSI based installation
AutoCAD 2002 (Release 17) Jun-01
Associative Dimensioning -- Block Attribute Manager -- Layer Translator -- Layer Previous -- i-drop -- Standardsaware eTransmit -- Today -- Meet Now -- DWF -- Point A design portal -- Project Point Plans & Specs system -- Construction Manager online workflow -- DesignXML -- Enhanced Attribute Extraction
AutoCAD 2004 (Release 18) Mar-03
Express Tools -- Tool palettes -- Multisheet DWF -- Digital signatures -- password protection -- CAD standards management tools
AutoCAD 2005 (Release 19) Mar-04
Sheet Sets -- Tables -- Publish -- Hatch ‘fuzz factor’ -- Hatch Trim -- Layer Descriptions -- Object Zoom
AutoCAD 2006 (Release 20) Mar-05
CUI/Workspaces -- Dynamic Input -- Dynamic Blocks -- Mtxt Improvements -- Quick Calc

Lots of stuff. Looking at the 2006 page I see a really great list showing the new commands, changed commands and new system variables. Sweeet... put this is favorites.