The Browser: Truth and rumors from the tech world

Monday, November 20, 2006

Windows 1.0 hits the big 21

First the iPod turns five, then Windows XP celebrates its fifth. So who's getting cake today? Windows 1.0. The original Microsoft operating system turned 21 years-old on Monday. While it would hard to drum up much enthusiasm for a party - after all, it is Monday and we're trying to save up for Turkey Day - London blogger Everton Blair has given The Browser reason to reflect. His 21 things "you never knew about Windows, Microsoft and Bill Gates" is worth a look. A few nuggets:

To run, Windows 1.0 required a machine with 256KB of RAM, DOS 2.0 and two floppy drives. ("I saw the number 256 and immediately thought MB, not KB," writes Michael Santo of RealTechNews. "How spoiled we've become.")
Windows crashed an estimated 25 times a day.
Bill Gates scored 1590 on his SAT. Paul Allen, scored a perfect 1600.
In 1985, Microsoft was the tech industry's underdog.....

What would you call it today?

Posted by Krysten Crawford 10:29 AM 6 Comments

| Add a Comment

I would call miscrosoft the "sleeping giant." It is stagnent and does not put out good products due to the lack of threatening competition, but has the potential to lead in technological revolutions. Instead, Apple has been the one to lead in product revolutions and put out quality products (that don't crash 25 times a day). I think that Microsoft will either wake up to the scent of a preditor near, or lie comatose and allow the competition to grow as it withers away.

Posted By Justin, Providence RI : 2:07 PM

21?? and 25 crashes a day? Sure doesn't look like they have learned a thing since. Still crash heavy, server uptime 100 times less than linux. Give it up Willy (oh that's why you called it Micro-Soft

Posted By Turley K Hayes, Topeka,Ks : 2:49 PM

I really dislike Linux comments. Linux is for people who refuse to pay for a decent operating system.

Posted By Demir Bracic, Laguna Niguel CA : 4:01 PM

Hmmm...upload XP and deal with a crash maybe once in a blue moon if you have a large array of hardware and software installed.

-or-

Install Linux and be forced to write your own device drivers if you don't want to use the very limited selection of hardware available. Plus you'll need the equivalent time spent [learning Linux] as you put into obtaining an associate's degree just to operate Linux.

Posted By Patrick, WA : 4:09 PM

Just spotted this article on Digg - it might make it onto the homepage.

http://digg.com/tech_news/Microst_Windows_Comes_Of_Age_Happy_Birthday

Strange MSFT have been so quite about the birthday.

Posted By Tony, London, London : 8:45 AM

The 1990's were to Microsoft what the 1950's were to GM ...

In 1995, MS was king of consumers and corporations but that was a brief meeting of the minds, now MS is desperate to try to recapture that but that will happen when DJ Steve Ballmer and Jazzy Bill Gates have a hit hip hop CD.

MS - enterprise market - all great but consumers - the Zune is what they hink consumers want - bwaahahaha.

Posted By jbelkin, danville, ca : 12:22 AM

Add a Comment
« Back to Blog Main

To send a letter to the editor about The Browser, click here.

CNNMoney.com Comment Policy: CNNMoney.com encourages you to add a comment to this discussion. You may not post any unlawful, threatening, libelous, defamatory, obscene, pornographic or other material that would violate the law. Please note that CNNMoney.com makes reasonable efforts to review all comments prior to posting and CNNMoney.com may edit comments for clarity or to keep out questionable or off-topic material. All comments should be relevant to the post and remain respectful of other authors and commenters. By submitting your comment, you hereby give CNNMoney.com the right, but not the obligation, to post, air, edit, exhibit, telecast, cablecast, webcast, re-use, publish, reproduce, use, license, print, distribute or otherwise use your comment(s) and accompanying personal identifying information via all forms of media now known or hereafter devised, worldwide, in perpetuity. CNNMoney.com Privacy Statement.

More Technology

From Brainstorm: Our new $1 million prize, and more

Amazon reports strong earnings

Sirius, XM tie-up gets FCC approval

The Hot List

100 best places to start a business

Diesel: The truck stops here

'You're working for gas now'

• Hot or not? Yahoo's buyout of 'social contest' site Bix

• Media shakeup: Calacanis, Levinsohn are out. Who's next?

• The elephant has left the building

• Apple iPhone: The drum roll begins?

• AOL bets that money buys Web 2.0 love

• Second Life's attack of the clones

• Guess what? Zune can't run on Vista

• Oh, the irony: YouTube, the victim?

• No sweet music for Zune in blog-land

• Gawker Media boots Valleywag gossip