Windows 95 turns 31 years old. Here’s what made it a phenomenon
Moreover, to present the new software to 2,500 guests, Microsoft flew TV star Jay Leno to the Microsoft campus in Redmond. In the UK, meanwhile, Microsoft bought out the entire print run of London’s The Times to mark the launch of Windows 95.
The operating system’s strengths included a new graphical user interface with its Start menu, taskbar, and buttons for minimizing, maximizing, and closing windows; convenient “Plug & Play” functionality; and impressive gaming and multimedia interfaces. This all made Windows PCs the ideal gaming machines. Windows 95 also allowed several programs to run concurrently, which is known as preemptive multitasking.
Microsoft
The new operating system boosted hardware sales and spurred the development of 32-bit apps, and it also made longer file names possible. Also, Windows settings began being stored in the registry instead of being shoved into various INI files.
However, Windows 95 didn’t escape criticism. IT experts lamented legacy issues such as DOS, which was still included in Windows 95, as well as numerous security vulnerabilities and a susceptibility to crashes that gradually dampened the enthusiasm of many users. Indeed, the infamous Blue Screen of Death was simply part of the Windows 95 experience.
None of it, of course, detracted from the commercial success of Windows 95. To this day, it’s still fondly remembered—perhaps through rose-tinted glasses—as one of the most memorable and iconic Windows ever.
Further reading: A visual walk down Windows history
