Let’s go back to November 20, 1985. The Cosby Show was the #1 show on TV, the Chicago Bears had their best season ever, and “We Built This City” was #1 on the radio. Meanwhile, a technological revolution was underway.
On this day 30 years ago, Windows was born. On November 20, 1985, Microsoft released this software and computer technology was never the same again. The 1985 Windows may be primitive by 2015 standards, but it paved the way for long-term support software. In fact, Windows 1.0 was supported until New Years Day 2002. Windows XP, released in 2004, lost it’s support in 2014. In 1988, Windows 2.1 came out. This was the first software system to support multitasking, and this was before the word ‘multitasking’ was a part of American psyche. In 1993, Windows 3.11 and the 32-bit network supporting helped prepare the way for the early days of consumer Internet. But many came to know Windows 95 and Windows 98 through a slew of TV commercials and other venues of advertising. By the late 1990s, with the Internet taking off, Windows was becoming a culture icon as well as computer software technology. But it wasn’t all good. Windows 98 was also known for creating the infamous blue screen of death. The second Windows 98 didn’t help matters.
Though 2001’s Windows XP was an improvement, as was 2004’s XP Service Pack 2, Vista became little more than a pop culture punch line. In 2015, Windows 10 was released. As far as we know, there won’t be a Windows 11, 12, or any new Windows future release. They’re going to make improvements to Windows 10 as needed. I feel a lot will be needed. I don’t say that to hate on Windows 10. I say that because technology is changing so rapidly today. For over half the 30 year period, the desktop PC was the dominant computer. Now there’s the laptop, tablet, smartphone, etc. Windows has a lot of competition now. Where do you see Windows in the next 30 years, or by 2045?