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Happy 20th birthday to Windows 95

Dave Farquhar Retro Computing, Windows August 24, 2015August 13, 2018apple, best buy, IBM, intel, unix, Windows 9

It was on August 24, 1995 that Windows 95 was released, amidst much anticipation. It was the most widely anticipated Windows release of all time, and the runner up really isn’t close. The idea of people lining up for blocks for a Microsoft product sounds like a bit of a joke today, but in 1995 it happened.

I received a free copy of it because I worked at Best Buy in the summer of 1995 and I aced Microsoft’s test that demonstrated sufficient aptitude to sell it. A few weeks later I landed my first desktop support gig, ending my career in a blue shirt, which means I probably never actually talked anyone into buying a copy of it.

I got plenty of Win95 experience over the next couple of years though.

Windows 9 rumors

Dave Farquhar Windows September 18, 2014September 17, 2014Linux Mint, vista, windows 8, Windows 9

I picked up some various Windows 9 rumors from across the Web yesterday.

In no particular order: Read more

Curious conspiracies… or maybe just progress all at once

Dave Farquhar security June 11, 2014July 14, 20171980s, 1990s, android, apple, atx power supply, BSD, chrome, IBM, intel, MBR, power button, TrueCrypt, UEFI, windows 8, Windows 9, Windows XP

In the wake of Truecrypt’s sudden implosion, someone sent me a link to this curious blog post. I can see why many people might find the timing interesting, but there are a number of details this particular blog post doesn’t get correct, and it actually spends most of its time talking about stuff that has little or nothing to do with Truecrypt.

What’s unclear to me is whether he’s trying to say the industry is deliberately sabotaging Truecrypt, or if he’s simply trying to make a list of things that are making life difficult for Truecrypt. His post bothers me a lot less if it’s just a laundry list of challenges, but either way, the inaccuracies remain. Read more

Free Windows 8.1 upgrades: Right idea, wrong target

Dave Farquhar Windows March 3, 2014March 1, 2014vista, windows 7, windows 8, Windows 9, Windows XP

Last week, rumors started flying that Microsoft was going to make upgrades to a cut-down version of Windows 8.1 either free or very inexpensive for Windows 7 owners.

That’s not necessarily a bad idea, but the target is wrong. Here’s a great idea: Microsoft needs to be dangling the freebie in front of Windows XP owners. Read more

If you needed another reason not to buy Windows 8….

Dave Farquhar Windows January 21, 2013apple, macintosh, nintendo, office 2010, vista, windows 7, windows 8, Windows 9

I’m still waiting for someone I know to tell me he or she likes Windows 8. I’ve seen some strangers online say they like it, but not a lot of them, and many of them appear to be astroturfers because they just like it too much. I’m sure Apple loves it, because, like my boss told me, a lot of older apps (like anything older than Office 2010) won’t run on Windows 8. So, if you have to re-buy all your software anyway, what advantage is there to buying a Windows 8 machine over a Macintosh?

In fact, that’s exactly what his parents did. They gave up on Windows entirely and bought a Mac Mini.

The other approach, of course, is to buy a Chromebook. A lot of people seem to be doing that too, seeing as it’s the best-selling laptop on Amazon–so much so that they don’t have any stock, and third-party sellers are scalping them for $80 above retail like they used to do with Nintendo Wii consoles. Read more

Microsoft’s leaked roadmap

Dave Farquhar Windows November 3, 2011April 18, 2017vista, windows 2000, windows 7, windows 8, Windows 9, windows 98, windows me, windows nt, Windows Vista, Windows XP

Microsoft is getting aggressive with Windows release dates, and I can’t help but wonder if it’s going to put a damper on future sales.

Windows 8 is coming out in August, which was a poorly kept secret anyway. That can’t be helping Windows 7 sales, but at this point I think Microsoft is mostly concerned about new computer sales and corporate sales. What’s more concerning to me–initially–is the revelation that Windows 9 will be out in November 2014.
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