Tech

Windows 95 Introductory Video Is a Time Capsule of Tech History

The YouTube account of the Blue OS Museum uploaded the video presentation of Windows 95 last week. Many images and clips of it have been circulating for years, but the complete and uncut version could not be found anywhere on the Internet until now. A jewel to the rhythm of the ‘start me up‘ by the Stones, previously unseen outside of attendees, press and development staff and now available to anyone.

The launch of Windows 95 on August 24, 1995 was a before and after in the history of Microsoft and in the history of personal computers. For better or worse, it is a key piece of software in the revolution of consumer computing and the beginning of a monopoly in desktop operating systems that continues to this day and that had the invaluable help of the ‘Wintel’ alliance that has dominated client computing for almost three decades.

Windows 95 dropped text-mode systems like MS-DOS (although it was also supported) and It was Microsoft’s first operating system with a real graphical interface.. A hybrid of 16 and 32 bits that released components that have survived to this day, such as the start menu or the taskbar. It included Internet Explorer by default and offered perspective multitasking and long file names.

Windows 95 presentation

Throughout its five Service Packs, it has been improving hardware support under the Plug&Play feature, the FAT-32 file system, the USB peripheral connection port, the UDMA data transfer bus or the AGP graphics port. The most successful system in history was originally distributed in a pack of 13 floppy disksalthough later it was also marketed on CD-ROM.

The presentation of Windows 95

What a gem! Priceless to see a very young Bill Gates, the crazy Steve Ballmer and Jay Leno’s jokes that today cause more blush than laughter. For those of us who are already an age and were already doing our first steps in consumer computing, the hairstyles, the pants and the aesthetics that we see in the video take us back in an exercise in nostalgia to the 90s that unfortunately we will not live again . Gizmodo has commented on the best and worst moments and it is not wasted.

The opening speech of Windows 95 begins with the confessions of Microsoft employees and developers about working with the operating system, including a very young Joe Belfiore whose bangs were already pointing ways. Ballmer soon appears in his facet of “commercial” who later accompanied him as CEO of Microsoft, while the flashes of the press accompanies bothering throughout the session.

There was even an antitrust joke at a time when the Department of Justice used its position to obtain a monopoly of the browser market with Internet Explorer. The joke could end in tragedy. A legal battle ended with a wounded Microsoft having to surrender to a settlement and narrowly avoiding being split into two companies.

People from the audience took to the stage and an “electric car” was introduced that represented Microsoft’s mouse for the system. It was also the first time the popular Windows 95 startup tune could be heard in public. It was selected after Brian Eno composed 83 mini-melodies until the final decision. All work was done on a Mac.

Windows 95 presentation

And the end came with the ‘start me up‘ of the Rolling Stones whose rights of use cost 14 million dollars. An outrage for the time that was added to a marketing campaign in which Microsoft invested 300 million dollars. It was profitable. Windows 95 was a commercial success of unknown dimensions and became the most successful operating system in history and a very young Bill Gates in the richest man on the planet. The presentation video of Windows 95, now complete for all to see on the Internet, is already part of the history of technology.

Related Articles

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *