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It was twenty years ago yesterday (August 24, 2015) that Windows 95 was introduced, says El Reg.
Windows 95 was a great success, despite not being the most stable of operating systems. Microsoft's own Windows NT 3.1, released two years earlier, was built on stronger foundations, but high system requirements and lack of compatibility with many DOS applications and games made it unsuitable for consumers. Windows 95 was better in both respects, running in as little as 4MB of RAM – though painfully, with 8MB a more realistic minimum – and retaining DOS complete with 16-bit device driver support.
At the time, most PCs ran Windows 3.1 or 3.11 (Windows for Workgroups), and IBM was pushing OS/2 as a "better Windows than Windows". Windows 95 was a considerable improvement on Windows 3.x, with pre-emptive multitasking, mostly 32-bit code, and plug and play hardware detection. There was also new support for "portable computers", with a battery indicator on the taskbar and the ability to suspend the system without turning it off completely.
Perhaps what I'm going to say will be controversial, but I'm of the opinion that Windows 95 is the greatest software engineering feat ever, given the challenge Microsoft faced at that time. Unlike Apple, which continues to make its own computers, Microsoft did not and, therefore, had to do a vast amount of testing in order to ensure that Windows 95 would work on most existing 32-bit Intel machines.
Original Submission
(Score: 3, Interesting) by Snotnose on Tuesday August 25 2015, @04:50PM
I agree, OS/2 ran almost everything I needed and was much better than Windows.
In early '95 Microsoft announced their next Windows would be released by the end of the year. I'd been running OS/2 for a while by then and figured IBM had a year to convince folks it was a great OS. Went to Comdex that January, made a beeline for the IBM booth, and started asking OS/2 questions. Nobody in the booth knew what OS/2 was. Told them it was an OS for PCs, got blank looks and comments like "we don't make anything like that".
That's when I knew OS/2 was doomed. Killed by IBM idiocy.
When the dust settled America realized it was saved by a porn star.
(Score: 1, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday August 25 2015, @05:05PM
Operating systems, explained:
OS/2 - designed by geniuses, marketed by idiots
Windows - designed by idiots, marketed by geniuses
Apple - designed by geniuses, marketed to idiots
Linux - designed by idiots who think they're geniuses, marketed?...bwahahahaha!!
Android - designed by BORG*, marketed by BORG, fuck it we're all screwed!
*Big 'Orrible Rapacious Google.
(Score: -1, Troll) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday August 25 2015, @08:21PM
Every time someone posts a note that hints of criticism of Linux, even in jest, it gets flagged as a troll.
Someone has very thin skin.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday August 25 2015, @08:45PM
Perhaps it was the "marketed by geniuses" allusion.
It wouldn't surprise me to find many here who would note that that slot should be filled with "marketed by convicted criminals".
...and when exactly did Sweaty get promoted to genius?
-- gewg_