Tuesday, May 27, 2008

Windows 95

It was quite an exciting time when Microsoft introduced Windows 95 on an unsuspecting world.

Hard to believe now - but crappy old Windows 3.1 (or was it Windows for Workgroups) was the dominant operating system of the day - and this upgrade seemed massive, foreboding, and dangerous; our very lives would never be the same.

Of course, Windows 95 was a hit. Well, actually the original version was a bug-riddled mess - but many, many upgrades later it essentially became whatever Windows is today.

To ease overwhelmed users with the heady task of upgrading, Microsoft released a promotional VHS video starring two cast-members of the then-new and popular NBC sitcom Friends - Jennifer Aniston and Matthew Perry. I was tempted to buy this at the time, because I just knew it would one day become a collector's item. Despite the fact that few people bought it, and nobody I know owns it - this has yet to achieve collector's "gold" status, and is readily viewable on YouTube.

So come with us now to the world of 1995 - when Jennifer Aniston was still decent - and witness the origin of the operating system that you probably use at home, and almost definitely use at work. Let's watch together, shall we?