Forget Windows 10, Windows 95 celebrates 20th anniversary

Aug 24, 2015 12:52 GMT  ·  By

Twenty years ago today, Microsoft introduced what quickly became its most successful “modern” operating system and which paved the road for a completely new computing world that's now being used by 90 percent of the PCs.

Windows 95 was Microsoft's first major step towards a screen full of windows, bringing changes that made working on a computer with a mouse and keyboard a lot easier than any time before.

Development of Windows 95 started in March 1992 and Microsoft officially launched it on August 24, 1995, exactly 20 years ago, with a midnight party that brought people in line at Microsoft stores to purchase the new operating system.

Codenamed Chicago, Windows 95 benefited, just like Windows 10, from a beta program before its launch, so American testers could try out the operating system for only $19.95. All those paying the fee received a pack of 3.5-inch floppy disks to either upgrade from Windows 3.1 or perform a clean install on their computers and discover what Windows 95 was all about.

Windows 95 desktop with start-up tutorial
Windows 95 desktop with start-up tutorial

Microsoft's plan was not only to let users test Windows 95 and help it improve the OS but also to pave the road for the big launch, thus creating a whole new craze ahead of its product’s debut.

For Windows 10, users who can't live without a Start menu, here's something very interesting. Windows 95 build 56/58s was the first to come with a Start menu in the form of a concept that grouped the main sections of the operating system in a single menu. At that point, it wasn't called a Start menu, but later versions of Windows 95 came with a Start button that provided access to this menu.

Windows 95 user interface

While we won't talk about the features of Windows 95, because there's plenty of information in this regard on Microsoft's website, it's worth mentioning that the operating system introduced 20 years ago came with a completely new UI based on the quintessential desktop, which is still available today in all Windows versions.

The taskbar provided quick access to running apps because yes, multitasking was already a thing at that point, and the Start menu offered a quick way to launch programs on the PC.

People in line at Microsoft store to buy Windows 95
People in line at Microsoft store to buy Windows 95

Since the user interface brought so many changes, Microsoft introduced a welcome screen to assist users as they explored the operating system, providing an in-depth look at some of the features, such as the Start menu. The very same thing is available today, so it was clearly a smart decision from the company, which had to convince users that Windows 95 was the OS of the future. And since many of the features are still here today, it seems that it really was.

The Start menu

Just like in Window 10, the Start menu played quite a key role in Windows 95 and Microsoft knew this very well.

One of the first commercials the company released for Windows 95 was based on the Rolling Stones single “Start Me Up,” which was a clear reference to the Start menu, which serves as the main way to access apps on the PC.

What's more, Redmond created a 30-minute video with Jennifer Aniston and Matthew Perry, two of the main starts of the sitcom Friends, which was enjoying a terrific success at that time, in order to make more people aware of Windows 95 and introduce them to its essential features. A total of $300 million were spent on advertising campaigns.

The Windows 95 criticism

To make sure that more people come at Microsoft stores at midnight to purchase Windows 95, the Redmond-based tech giant turned to all kinds of tricks, including offering free pizza to those waiting in line in front of its stores.

A New York Times story dated August 24, 1995, perfectly describes the efforts that Microsoft put in the Windows 95 launch.

“At the stroke of midnight in New Zealand, the first English-speaking country to greet the new day, the world's first buyer of Windows 95 picked up his copy to great hoopla. Throughout the day, computer store employees here and abroad blew up balloons, stocked the shelves and waited for the first moment of Aug. 24 in their time zones, when they could usher their customers into what they had hyped for weeks as ‘the World of Windows 95’.”

But just as it happens with modern Windows, not everybody liked Windows 95 from the very beginning.

Bill Gates introduces the new Windows 95
Bill Gates introduces the new Windows 95

Some people preferred to postpone the purchase decision just because it was “too much hype,” and they just wanted to wait and see what it was all about. However, quite a lot of people bought it, even if they had no plan to install it right way.

“I probably won't install it for a couple of weeks, but just to have it in the house, to hold the box, something fun like that,” one of those who waited in line at the Microsoft store said.

Overall, if we compare Windows 95 and Windows 10, it's pretty clear that the latter is based on the first and many of the features we use today are here because of the OS introduced 20 years ago. The Start menu is a living example, and fortunately, Microsoft managed to recover after the mistake it did in Windows 8 and brought it back on our desktops in Windows 10.

Happy anniversary, Windows 95, and thank you for being so awesome!

Windows 95 turns 20 (4 Images)

Windows 95 launched 20 years ago today
Windows 95 desktop with start-up tutorialPeople in line at Microsoft store to buy Windows 95
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